As a broadcast journalist and newsroom administrator, I consistently get positive long-term results by approaching news sources in a non-confrontational manner. Most of the 'movers and shakers' I deal with appreciate that while I’m nobody’s puppet, I’ll make sure I address ’their’ concerns, as well as my own, in my finished story.
Nevertheless, there have been times when non-cooperative news sources have left me little choice but to play...
Back in the mid 80s, I first engaged in this game with Sheriff Jimmie, who went out of his way to give his buddies (a.k.a. my competitors) exclusive stories. I brought my concerns to Jimmie a number of times in a professional way, and he would always respond with a polite apology. However, it eventually became clear that the current Sheriff had every intention of keeping my news operation ‘out of the loop’.
As Jimmie started campaigning for a second term, I called for a closed-door, “off-the-record” meeting with my superiors. The General Manager and Program Director agreed with me that the Sheriff should be considered ’hostile’ towards our organization, and that his removal from office was “in our best interest”.
With support established within my own organization, I had another closed-door, ‘off-the-record’ conversation the next day -- with Jimmie’s political opponent.
Several months later, on the morning after the election, the defeated Jimmie was standing in front of me, poking his finger in my chest.
“I would have won if it weren’t for you! You cost me this election!”
“How did I supposedly do that, Sheriff?” I asked.
“You put every accusation my opponent made against me as the top story on your news, and never gave me the chance to defend myself.”
In response, I pulled out records with dates and times that showed either I or one of my reporters had called Jimmie to get his response to every accusation.
And yes, the records were accurate. (although they didn’t indicate that we only let Jimmie’s phone ring ’once’ before a determination was made that the Sheriff was “unavailable for comment”.)
“That’s crap!’, Jimmie rightfully exclaimed. ‘If you really wanted my reaction, you could have found me. And I warn you -- by the time I finish telling everyone what you did, nobody will ever tell you shi…”
“Is that a promise, Sheriff?’ I interrupted. ’Because, for the record, I emphatically deny political favoritism in our news coverage. But off the record -- and I’ll never admit saying this -- I want you to tell EVERYBODY exactly what role you think we may have played in your defeat."
"What?" Jimmie was obviously surprised by my comment.
"But when they ask you ‘WHY’ we did it, I hope you explain how this newsroom will fight back viciously whenever any vital news source ignores us. Let them know we take our news commitment very seriously, so if any elected official like you chooses to keep us out of the information loop -- they do so at their own risk.”
Jimmie suddenly got very quiet. His anger was replaced by what appeared to me as -- I don’t know how else to explain it -- a newfound degree of respect. Then, he walked calmly out of the studios.
For our part in helping him win the election, the new Sheriff was willing to give my station 'exclusives'. But I warned him that would make him no better than Jimmie.
"Just give everybody the same information at the same time. It's what we do differently with the same stories that should determine the quality of our product."
Manipulating politicians is one thing. Confronting the business community is another. They aren’t elected.
And despite my pleas to the President of the Downtown Council, important stories involving his organization would only be made available to the newspaper.
Then, I got an exclusive about a controversial step the Council was about to take. I called up the Council President to get his comments.
“I’m going with a story tomorrow about how your organization has obtained public money to partially pay for a full-time downtown manager. First, I need to inform you I’m recording our conversation. Would you please explain why you think taxes paid by non-downtown businesses should be spent to help their downtown competitors?”
At first, the Council President denied that a full-time manager was being hired. But after he learned my information had been confirmed by members of his own organization, he immediately went into a defensive mode. In fact, the Council President warned me my station would "jeapordize our relationship with advertisers" within his group if I released the story.
My response demonstrated his threat was anticipated.
“Yeah…that’s why I discussed this matter with my General Manager. I was surprised to learn he feels you have too many newspaper sales reps in your organization. He says those folks are already telling most downtown merchants to buy nothing but print ads. So - to make a long story short - he doesn’t think your organization can harm us any more than you are doing already.”
It was obvious the Council President was out of ammunition, because he just repeated how we would “jeapordize our relationship” if we ran the story.
“What relationship?’ I asked. ‘You have to establish a relationship first before you can make threats with it.”
He hung up the phone. And we ran the story the next morning.
My most daring game of ’hardball” came after I learned through my own sources that my hometown had been chosen for the largest annual farm show in the Midwest.
When I tried to obtain comments to compliment my story from the show organizer, he pleaded with me to withhold all details until after a formal announcement was made two days later. I reluctantly agreed after he promised that all the media would get the information at the same time.
When I showed up at the announcement, the same guy held up a copy of the local newspaper before the press corps that had just come out that hour. It had every detail imaginable about the farm show. My news department had just been royally screwed, for my coverage would not be aired until a day after the paper had been saturated throughout the community.
And -- to add insult to injury -- this guy had the audacity to praise the newspaper for it’s coverage to everyone in the crowded meeting room.
I had to think hard before I decided the appropriate course of action. When the Q and A began, I held up my hand and shook with anger as I spoke to him in front of the entire Central Indiana press corps.
“OK…obviously, you feel there's a need to estabish a strong relationship with the paper. That’s fine -- except that it compelled you to lie to me, in order to give them exclusive coverage. I offered my trust and cooperation by withholding advance details concerning this show from my listeners , and you betrayed me. Here is my response...”
With that, I walked up to the podium and began disassembling all of my audio equipment. The press corps - including the Indianapolis TV stations - looked puzzled by my behavior, but they continued on with their questions as I packed away my gear.
As I was about to leave, I leaned into the organizer at the podium and whispered quietly….
“I won’t carry a single thing you say here today on my news tomorrow. But if I were you, I’d have somebody listening.”
The next afternoon, I got a call from the organizer about the angle on the stories I ran that morning about the farm show. My stories focused on the few fat cats in agribusiness who would financially gain from the show, as well as the tax dollars being pledged for their benefit. The negative comments I had obtained from a disgrutled city official at the last farm show especially didn’t sit well with him.
“Well, what did you expect?‘ I responded. ‘How dare you ask me to withhold information I didn‘t get from you, in order to provide my competitor an exclusive -- and then, publicly praise them for printing it! I’ve never been treated with such disrespect by a news source in my life!”
“Look…that wasn’t our idea. The newspaper promised us a big splash, but only if they got the exclusive story. I mean…they ARE the newspaper…”
“…and I’m just one little radio station. Is that it?” I asked.
“Well....”
I couldn’t help laughing. “Look... if I were just one little radio station, your decision might be more valid. Not 'ethical' -- just more valid. But what you fail to realize is that my station is the only Agri-America network affiliate in our region. Do you know how many reports on this farm show I‘ll be doing for the Agri-America network over the next four months ?”
The silence on the other end of the phone confirmed the organizer just got the message. He suddenly realized my reports on his farm show would be aired on over 200 other Agri-America affiliates throughout the Midwest. Farmers and agri-business professionals living from Nebraska to Ohio - from Michigan to Kentucky - would be listening to my accounts on their local radio stations.
Suddenly, the ’big splash’ in the newspaper the day before wasn’t that important anymore. And he offered a big apology.
“I think we have a better understanding of each other now.’ I informed him. ‘Now…would you like to make amends for yesterday, as well as have my assurances that my future reports will be more favorable?
While the newspaper got their exclusive coverage, their ‘farm show’ advertising revenue over the next four months fell well below projections. For some reason, many of the advertisers connected with the farm show spent less on print that year -- and more on radio ads - on MY station.
Gosh. How did that happened?
There is a certain degree of pride and achievement I feel when I stand up for myself. And those experiences I just described certainly provided me with a short-term, enjoyable adrenaline rush similar to what athletes experience after a win.
But if you have a conscience, the price of playing ’hardball’ is awful hefty.
- Yes, I got Sheriff Jimmie out. But I had to forsake a obligation I hold dearly to do it. My commitment to provide impartial, balanced news coverage to my listeners.
- Yes, I ran the story about the Downtown Manager against the wishes of the Downtown Council President. But in the long run, my actions just antagonized our relationship further. There was so much that could have been achieved for our mutual benefit if we had just been more cooperative from the start.
- Yes, my tactics regarding the Farm Show brought my station a good deal of advertising revenue. But I intentionally ’twisted’ facts in order to get my revenge. And later, I surrendered my journalistic integrity in exchange for profit.
While I accept responsibility for my own actions, I strive not to wield my power any more than I have to. And I wonder why those three news sources forced me to play ‘hardball’ with them in the first place. What exactly did they gain by backing me into a corner where I either had to accept their injustices, or engage them in a macho pissing contest?
Can’t these ’tough guys’ see how much their ‘hardball’ has torn apart our economy. Or have we become such a sports-obsessed culture that we can no longer conceive of ourselves as ‘winners’ -- unless we make someone else a loser?
Life is no ballgame. Too often, when hardball players lash out at each other and neither side backs down, neither side wins. And all that's left in the wake are devastated families -- lost souls -- and an endless stretch of scorched earth.
So why play the game? The rich are already rich, so ‘greed’ may not always be their motivation. Is it the desire for that short-term ‘adrenaline’ rush I experienced that explains why everyone is playing ruthless hardball these days?
My experience and professional training has consistently taught me that creating ‘win-win’ situations for all pays the best dividends in the long run. When I go to work every morning, ’money’ is never a big motivating factor for me. Instead, it’s my desire for quality and integrity that keeps me going. It’s the belief that if the product I create is held to a consistently high standard and I treat everyone respectfully, profits and stability will come in the long run.
But maintaining these values and morals makes me feel so damn lonely these days. And that's because...
- It matters not that my values and morals have been taught in every business/ management course I’ve ever taken.
- It matters not that the two most successful ’hardball’ players -- Bill Gates and Warren Buffett - are now fed up with the game, and now find greater satisfaction in philanthropy.
- It matters not how many millionaires throughout history have learned the same lesson.
- And it matters not how much destruction and devastation our overabundance of ’hardball’ players on Wall Street and the government has had -- and continues to have -- on our society.
No, none of that matters. For in the end, the adrenaline-seeking hardball players will still describe someone with my bleeding-heart ideals as a ‘sucker’ - ‘loser’ - ’naïve’ -‘wimp’ - or, at best, an ‘unrealistic dreamer’.
Well, screw them! I’ve already demonstrated I can successfully play ‘hardball’ if I'm backed into a corner. And those experiences have taught me the gains from 'hardball' are short-lived and largely inconsequential. But the damage? It's potentially devastating for many more people than just the players.
The question isn't whether I'm a wimp. Rather, it should be: Are they capable of playing ‘win-win’ when our entire economic recovery depends on it? Because when everybody is playing ‘hardball’, doesn’t it take a ‘real man’ …with real courage and real strength…to stand up and do the right thing for the most people?
Hey! I’m asking you pencil-dick profiteers a question. Do you have the balls to play ‘my’ game for a change?
And if you don’t -- aren’t you the real wimps?
