I always advocate to clients the need for media training. Even if they are never interviewed by the press, it’s still good to learn how to speak on message in front of other audiences. And most importantly, you don’t want to miss an opportunity to say something positive.
The last point is clear in The New York Times Magazine‘s interview with Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder. The billionaire has been a constant target of criticism by both fans and the media since buying the team in 1999.
Snyder certainly didn’t make things better for himself in the article. He comes off as defensive and uncaring; I can’t imagine he’s ever had any media training. For example:
- He babbles when asked why as a Republican is he going to install solar panels and plug-in stations at the stadium. A better answer would have been, “We care about enhancing the fan experience at FedEx Field, and this provides us the opportunity to do so.”
- Snyder becomes irrational when asked about his lawsuit against a newspaper and admits he did not read the (entire) article. First of all, I can’t believe his lawyers agreed to allow him to sue, since those cases usually favor the medium. Still, he could have said, “There were many factual errors in the article, and we have repeatedly asked for a correction. That is all I can say.”
- He says “the media overblows most things” when asked about the constant drumbeat of negative stories about him. Dan should have said, “Winning is always the cure. We are putting the team in a position to have success. For example …”
It gets worse in the online extension of the article. See for yourself: http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/12/daniel-snyder-owner-of-the-redskins-keeps-on-talking/?ref=magazine