Publicity

This morning when I check my email, I saw a notification of a story about the Grange in the State of Oregon. After going to the newspaper's website and reading the story, I want to share my thoughts on publicity.

It is critical that when our members speak to their local media that they be positive. Gloom, doom, and pessimism is gladly reported by the media in most cases. They may even slant stories to create controversy or excitement in a story. They seldom will focus on the positive side of things. We must not give them the opportunity to present a negative view of our organization.

There is no harm in telling the media about the good things in our Grange, but there can be great harm in telling them them about our problems. Most reporters will take the attitude of the people they interview and bring it into the story.

When you deal with the media honesty is the only policy. However, you don't need to bring up the negative things. If they ask, answer with a positive take on the problem. Remember you don't have control over what they print, but you do have control how you present the facts and your attitude.

Let's not take the negative side of things to the media. Local newspapers, radio stations, and even TV stations do not go looking to harm organizations within their communities, but they will report when members say negative things. Remember that the media wants to hear about people and action.

We create public perception of our Grange, let's make sure that perception is positive and encouraging to potential members who may wish to join.