Finesse lubricabes your media rounds

Gaston de Rosayro

I believe in objective and truthful journalism. That is not to say I do not admire investigative journalism provided it is honest and well thought out. Journalism, although a related discipline, is totally different from public relations. Because in public relations you are endeavouring to make people look as good as possible while the truth is hidden away.

But at the same time, I believe in courtesy, a trait that elevates both reporter and source to a level beyond their titles. Courtesy constitutes that we should both operate with respect toward the job of the other.

Different branches

Taking an interview

Taking down notes

Journalists covering a situation

Before we move onto the technical skills required by the different branches of journalism, it would be wise to concentrate on some of the ‘soft’ people skills you need to master to become an effective reporter. Good manners and courtesy make life and work easier and smoother. And these qualities are especially important in communications and public relations where we are in constant contact with others.

But sometimes simple etiquette seems to perplex or elude people who work in this industry. Yet we constantly observe mannerisms from today's media personalities that lack basic thoughtfulness and civility. As a journalist you can find yourself mixing with all sorts of people and you have to learn to judge people and places quickly and to adapt your demeanour and approach to suit the situation.

If you are sent into a rough part of town to interview a group of notorious thugs and hooligans, you will speak to them in a different way than you would if you were interviewing a venerable elderly lady about her golden wedding. In most instances, you have very little time to make an impression on people, to earn their trust and to win their co-operation.

That is why it is important to develop and maintain good manners whenever you are mixing with people in a professional capacity. In medical school doctors are trained to develop ‘a good bed-side manner’ and those who do not may well opt for a career in anaesthetics or even pathology.

In journalism, reporters must learn to develop a professional persona, which enables them to negotiate a range of social situations. And while our society may now have become more informal, in many situations courtesy and good manners will still open doors. So here are some simple rules of etiquette for Twenty First Century journalists.

Introducing yourself

If you are arriving for an interview, make sure you always check the name of the person when you first meet them and make a point of calling them Mrs, Miss, Mr or Dr in the first instance. It only takes a split second, but that display of courtesy, respect and deference will make a lasting impression. Accompany that first question with the offer of a firm handshake, a pleasant smile, if it is appropriate to the situation, and confident eye contact, and you will be laying the foundations for a good interview before you have even reached for your notebook.

Introduce yourself clearly with no room for misunderstanding . Give your name, say who you work for and in what capacity. Don't be too familiar, for instance using the interviewee's first name, until you are sure it is appropriate. Yes, and there is such a thing as a stupid question.

Even if you can only ask one or two questions, make sure to ask them genuinely and show you care about the answer. Even if you are just one face in a swarm of reporters, remember that the little things can make a difference to a source and, ultimately,to obtaining the truth. Ask politely for her help, advice or opinion, explaining how helpful he or she can be to you. People often like to help others if they can, particularly if you remember to make them feel important. Unless you are in an extreme situation, you do not need to apologise for being there.

Ask your interviewee to spell his or her name and double-check facts and details, adding that you want to make sure that you get it right. Your appearance and dress can also be vital in this regard. If you dress like a student who has just come from a party, then you may well be treated like one and although that may work when interviewing a night club rock band, it is unlikely to help if you are interviewing a local grandee.

Formal training

When your interviewee has helped you, remember to express your gratitude and don't be afraid to repeat how important he is and to use this final opportunity to make sure you have made an accurate note of his name, title and contact details. When you take your leave, remember to repeat your thanks, using their name and title, and promise to keep in touch, possibly by sending them a complimentary copy of the paper or letting them know when the item will be broadcast. Exchange contact details. Remember to keep your promises to them. You never know when they will be useful to you again.

And finally if your interview is not taking place in ‘polite society’ but in a potentially dangerous situation, I have three tips for dealing with awkward customers as mentioned before. Make sure someone knows where you have gone.

Be open and honest. If you try to appear to be “one of the lads” in the surroundings described above, only to be rumbled as a journalist, you are likely to receive a much rougher ride than you would if you let people know you are a reporter when you first walk through the door.

I would argue that formal training should be given not only to newcomers but also to senior editors and TV anchors on how to speak calmly, eliminate their bias, treat panellists with less contempt and perhaps go back to school to learn basic courtesy and good manners.

Their present attitude does not reflect good management. Once this is done, they could think of educating and training their juniors.

Style, it needs to be said, once meant more in journalism than a keen sartorial sense, although an acceptable dress sense prevailed. Style was a common set of principles around grammar and usage.

They were strictly applied and gave a newspaper a coherent literary and decent form.

It is the memory of the old-school journalism we were part of that gives the modern ‘profession’ its scraps of dignity. Yes I was there at the tail end of journalism's golden moment, the brink of its transformation and decline.

That is why I believe in journalistic courtesy and pray for its revival.

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