By Mike Doyle

They say you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, and this colorful aphorism couldn’t be any truer when it comes to media relations. This is a field built on collegial working relationships–not just relationships with reporters, but also with the organizations and officials that at various times we consider to be our allies or our opponents.

Yet, time and again, neophyte communicators and organizations unfamiliar with this deeply personal aspect of media relations disseminate messages and launch campaigns seemingly designed to make enemies out of potential allies. Newbies to our kind of communications work sometimes expect instant favorable coverage for their cause, or see nothing wrong with ad hominem criticisms of people on the other side of the debate. Read the rest of this entry »