Posted November 30, -0001
If you needed any proof of what journalists look for in their quotes and sound bites, look no further than the Twitter posts of former Media Works reporters when Mark Weldon announced his resignation as CEO of the company this week.
Clearly the overwhelming majority of those who lost their jobs in the Weldon-led restructure were happy he was leaving. But instead of just tweeting that they were happy about the news, they dressed up their points with interesting language.
They did this because as reporters, they knew their counterparts in newsrooms across New Zealand would want more attractive comments to use in their stories. The posts would also be remembered by those reading them directly.
Carolyn Robinson probably had the best post that would inevitably be picked by by media as an attractive sound bite and quote. She said, “Goodbye Weldon. Don’t trip on the ruins you’ve created as you leave.”
What an emotion filled, conflict ridden way to make the point that she was pleased her former boss was leaving. Unsurprisingly, that made it into most media stories on Wednesday, at least one of which was the story headline.
Others of note were Sarah Hall who posted, “I feel such relief for all you colleagues left at TV3. GOODBYE.” Former TV3 producer Pip Keane also left an interesting post. She said, “It’s definitely a karma day.”
These people know what reporters need to bring their stories to life. That’s because they come from the coalface. You can do the same when you want media attention. The days are gone when points alone will hit the headlines.
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