As a personal follow-up to Fleischman’s "Lord Save Us from the Press Releases of GOP Legislators," some additional input.
Those constituent newsletters and other communications where folks tout how much media attention they’re getting….OK, we know that’s the real reason some go to Sacramento, but do they have to admit it?
If a legislator’s newsletter goes out with any media mentions, it’s preferable to not have headlines such as, “Assemblyman Jones Gets More Press Coverage.” The goal is the legislation – or blocking the bad legislation – not the press coverage.
Sure, if the media coverage assists in achieving that goal – or even in giving the legislator more credibility and more clout – then great. But, the press coverage should be ancillary to the foremost goal of getting the bill passed or the effort concluded. The press coverage should be referred to as a means of showing that the media are focused on the legislator’s efforts, not as a means of proving how much press one is getting.
One consultant advises, "The constituents receiving the communication do not want to know how many press hits you get. It is about how effective the legislator is and what he/she is doing to improve their lives. So, the effort should be the focal point. And this is not only legislation related, but it should include open houses, meetings, community events, pointers to the public, etc."
Another one says, "If the legislator is simply getting sound bites in the media, then having a ‘Assemblyman Jones in the News’ approach is fine and appropriate. If, however, it is a story about the elected offical and his legislation, then the subject-headline should be specific on the issue, not on the media attention, while referring to the coverage in the content of the story."
In a nutshell…show, don’t tell.
BTW, it is ok to let the bloggers and other echo chamber types know the number of hits…that’s for us to tout and something that political hacks do want to know. That’s why we’re hacks. Your constituents, in most cases, are not.