Current Events
Press Conference & Media Interviews
What is Good, What is Bad: An Analysis
by AMAN SINGH
When I woke up yesterday and reached for my morning "Toronto Star" newspaper, I came across the following article.
I read it and found it disturbed me to no end.
I couldn't put my finger on exactly what troubled me about it the most, but it lingered in my head like a fishy smell through much of the morning.
I looked at it over and over again - there was so much that was wrong with it. I simply didn't know which was worse, and what in it distressed me to the point of distracting me all day.
So, I took the extraordinay step of calling a friend who works in the media as a corporate consultant - he advises senior executives and corporations on media issues. He is what you call a true "media expert".
I asked him to review the piece and give me his thoughts on it.
He is not a Sikh and is not familiar with Sikh issues.
By the end of the day, he sent me his analysis of the piece ... and I wish to share it with you.
Here is the article itself from The Toronto Star, followed by the media expert's analysis of it.
I offer it to you with a deep sense of concern. We are making the same mistakes over and over again ...
THE TORONTO STAR
SIKH IMAGE 'TARNISHED', GROUP SAYS
August 19, 2010
Amy Dempsey
Tired of being portrayed as terrorists, radicals or extremists, a group of Canadian Sikhs have set out to improve their public image.
"The community image is tarnished," said Manohar Singh Bal, spokesperson for a newly formed Toronto-based working group on the status of Sikhs.
"We as a community need to look at all this and say, how can we make a new beginning?"
At a news conference Wednesday, members of the group announced their plan to produce a report they say will highlight the contributions and experiences of Canadian Sikhs.
Bal said Canadian Sikhs have felt more discrimination in the past six months than over the last decade.
The group traces that surge to public upset surrounding the release of the Air India inquiry's findings in June and other recent news events they feel have linked the Sikh community as a whole to extremism.
"I noticed particularly around incidences that brought awareness about the Sikh community in a negative light that there would be comments made to me," said Jagmeet Singh Dhaliwal, a criminal defence lawyer and community activist who spoke at the news conference.
"[Sikhs] have a very visible identity with the turban and the beard. So it makes the community more vulnerable," Dhaliwal said.
"Comments such as ‘radical' or ‘extremist' - unqualified statements of that nature - can be very inflammatory when you have a very visible minority."
Dhaliwal, 31, said he hopes the report's findings will help promote better understanding of the Sikh community.
"Canadian Sikhs are a vibrant part of Canada and to understand any community you have to look at the struggles they're facing," he said.
The working group will ask for input from Sikh people across Canada, religious and cultural organizations, government representatives and academics.
The report will examine the Air India inquiry's impact, the way Sikh's are portrayed in the media, how human rights abuses in India have impacted those who live in Canada and the Canadian government's response to Sikh concerns.
The working group aims to release the report in 2013.
Satwinder Gosal, a Mississauga lawyer well connected to the Sikh community, says the media in particular is to blame.
"There's a general feeling that there's been a hatchet job done on the way the [Sikh] community is being represented," he said.
"We've gone many steps backwards."
THE EXPERT'S ANALYSIS OF THE ARTICLE
1 To hold a media conference is serious business. The general rule of thumb
is: don't hold one if you don't understand its purpose. A media
conference should only be used to announce something new. That's it,
bottom line. You don't hold a news conference to announce you will one
day - in the year 2013 - possibly have some news to announce.
It's a bit of a joke and shows a serious lack of knowledge about how the
media works and what makes news. You know what the average Joe will ask
himself reading that article? "Why should I care?" And if you don't
have an answer to that, you missed the mark.
2 If you reach a point of taking an issue to a news conference setting,
you had better be sure the person you designate as your spokesperson is
polished (but not too much), knows how to speak in sound-bites,
understands how to build and develop key messaging and sticks to it,
takes total control of the event. Going into a news conference, you need
to have a clear understanding of what headlines you envision hitting
the papers the next morning. If you don't know, you aren't ready to
publicly speak. The soundbites (quotes) used in this piece were weak at
best. A journalist will pull the best quote from a press conference and
if this was the best thing that was said, imagine what the rest of the
event must have been like.
3 You don't change a group's reputation by simply announcing you are
setting out to change it. It's tacky. You just do it. And the 'doing' is
what makes news. You also don't change a reputation by only talking
about the good or the accomplishments of whomever. That is not managing
reputation. Rather, it involves having something smart to say when the
time comes. Not 6 months later. It means being ready and prepared and
understanding the ebb and flow of media and why they care about
something more now then 2 months ago. So ... a report on the successes that
Sikh-Canadians have had is nice, but it's not going to blow anyone out
of the water or, unfortunately, change the general public perception.
Changing public thought is a gradual, strategic game - like chess - and
cannot be won quickly. That being said, don't take it so seriously.
Every group goes through this.
4. NEVER EVER criticize the media. That is the no 1 biggest indicator
that you don't know what the heck you are doing nor are you all that
strategic. When you criticize the media, you make no friends. You need
them more than they need you. You must learn to work to their needs,
speak their language, etc. in order to achieve anything, let alone ask
for their help for changing public perception. It's the worst move.
5. On a personal note, these guys are representing Sikhs in the media?!
They caused more damange then good - just look at how the reporter
closed the story.
How you do it right
A Don't say anything until you have something to say
B When you think you have something to say, ask yourself if it's
newsworthy - i.e., what's the impact, how does it affect the average Joe and
does the timing make sense.
C If you have something that is newsworthy, that does NOT mean you hold
a press conference. Try one-on-one interviews with media outlets first.
D If you have a blockbuster piece of 'new' news, then hold a press
conference BUT only have one spokesperson who has, a) done this type of
thing before, b) is articulate, c) gets what the media is about, d) understands what needs to be
achieved and d) isn't looking for a fast track to fame. If the latter is your goal, trust me, it never works.
E Identify smart people who can talk to media and who understand the issue and the CONTEXT
F Ask for advice
G Don't worry about changing a reputation of a group. Worry about getting an interview right, then the next one, etc., etc.
H Stop complaining. Stop blaming the media. No one cares.
FINAL COMMENTS FROM THE AUTHOR
It is time - or rather, way past time - to resort to professionals and experts for advice. As pointed out, we urgently need to dispense with amateurs and turn to those who have the skills to deal with these things - our challenges are too big and the ramifications too serious for them to be tackled with such immaturity.
Please take this exercise in the spirit it offered ... a genuine concern that we need to start doing things right! NOW, please!!
August 20, 2010
Conversation about this article
1: Daljit Singh (Markham, Ontario, Canada), August 20, 2010, 9:43 AM.
Dear Manohar Singh ji, Jagmeet Singh ji and Satwinder ji: a humble and polite suggestion - please stick to your day jobs and avoid speaking to the media. Please!
2: Kamaljit Kaur (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada), August 20, 2010, 10:19 AM.
Houston, we have a problem! Here in Canada, we've been plagued with fame-seeking, self-appointed, unskilled spokesmen who know nothing about the media or even be able to speak a sentence of English properly or present a point logically. Yet, they gravitate towards microphones like flies to filth, and take us all backwards every time they open their mouths. During the post 1984 years too, we were held back by the likes of these very people. Lord help us!
3: N. Singh (Canada), August 20, 2010, 11:34 AM.
I was going 'blue in the face' trying to convince Sikh professionals in British Columbia (Canada) that we needed to move on this issue urgently. Firstly, there needs to be an equivalent of the 'Sikh Coalition' type organization focused on media issues. I believe there are Jewish organizations who deal exclusively with media coverage of the Jewish community. So, why not a Sikh one? My second suggestion was to use public relations firms to managed the Sikh image issue because that is 'what they do'. I know for a fact that it was the use of public relations firms and their strategy which 'exploded' the crises and genocide in Darfur on to the public consciousness. However, although I found these Sikh professionals to be highly educated and knowledgeable, most of them lack drive, as well as a true understanding of commerce, marketing and public relations - areas often outside of their specialties! The only way I could make sense of it was that most were employed by government organizations or large corporations and probably never had to deal with issues like image management, public relations, marketing and customer service! I am blown away by this young man's perception and the fact that he actually has a 'friend' who isn't in the boring business of law, medicine, engineering. Finally, someone has woken up in Canada!
4: R. Singh (Canada), August 20, 2010, 1:33 PM.
Thanks, Kamaljit Kaur ji. You have said it all. I would add Ujjal Dosanjh to the list, who instead of being the agent for change, spares no opportunity to cook his share of pakoras and savour them. We are just self-orientalizing, and doing more damage to our own cause than anyone out there can inflict on us.
5: Hari Singh (Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.), August 20, 2010, 4:33 PM.
Only 3 years to produce such a report? I'm sure one could easily drag it out to at least ten years. Then, with a press-conference every year - that would make a total of ELEVEN! - these fellas could all become household names!
6: Jaskirat Kaur (New York, U.S.A.), August 20, 2010, 5:20 PM.
Sounds like a scam to me. Bet you there's money - even a government grant - involved in this! Free, non-community money always brings the worst out of people - and the worst people out!
7: Kiran Kaur (Brampton, Ontario, Canada), August 20, 2010, 6:05 PM.
For three decades, T. Sher Singh did yeoman's service in representing our best interests not only in Canada but around the world. And he not only looked after OUR interest brilliantly, but that of ALL minorities and, at times, ALL citizens. Now that he has been retired from public life for several years, isn't there anyone to carry the torch forward? Are we to revert to the same old bufoons as our representatives? What's wrong with this community, for heaven's sake?!
8: Mohan Singh (Toronto, Ontario, Canada.), August 21, 2010, 11:26 AM.
Certainly a scam, and this is not for the first time. There will be fund raising via Punjabi media, but no real or meaningful work will be done.
9: N. Singh (Canada), August 21, 2010, 5:41 PM.
Today, the BBC News did an article on why there has been such a poor response to the humanitarian disaster in Pakistan. I believe one of the main reasons cited is that Pakistan has such a poor media image and has inadvertently been linked to 'terrorism'. The general public world-wide has not been as responsive as they were to the Haiti disaster and the Tsunami. This should concern us because we have not been vigilant in guarding our image and the public's perception of us ...
10: Parveen Dhatt (Brampton, Ontario, Canada), August 21, 2010, 8:28 PM.
On a different note, rather than waiting for a saviour to come striding in (which we desperately need), let's do our small part and start chipping away at our 'tarnished' image by writing letters to the editor of mainstream newspapers when they cover stories relevant to Sikhi and Sikhs. I make a habit of reading the editorials probably as many others do, and pay particular attention when our community is in the media. I am a bit biased since I only read the Toronto Star. When stories such a "Run Away Grooms" (an article pertinent to all South Asians) or the murder of Aman were printed, I scrolled anxiously to read letters submitted by my fellow Sikhs to express their shock, dismay and anger. None were to be found. Does it mean we don't have an opinion? Certainly not, because the Punjabi radio shows were burning with calls from an incensed community. People are more likely to buy into the reactions of ordinary citizens rather than of those who stage press conferences. Everyone discusses the 'news of the day' but it not useful if convened behind closed doors and private conversations.
11: Manohar Singh Bal (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), August 27, 2010, 7:39 PM.
I am responding to this today bacause I did not see this article earlier. Thanks for all the comments/ criticism. But would like Aman Singh to provide some constructive and progessive ideas. (Sic)
12: Aman Singh (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), August 28, 2010, 9:13 AM.
Dear Manohar Singh ji: Seeing that in the three lines you have written above, you have made several errors in spelling, grammar and/or composition, I think you have confirmed the concerns expressed by the media analyst quoted in the article. It also suggests that English is not your forte and that you probably have difficulty in understanding fully what he has said. Here's the solution: please get someone to translate the article into Punjabi so that you can pick up all the "constructive and progressive ideas" he has already presented in detail. But, please also let me answer your request in very simple terms: 1) Considering all the circumstances, YOU should NOT appear before the non-Punjabi media or speak to anyone from the media as a representative of the Sikh community or any Sikh organization, or on any Sikh issues. 2) Please leave the role of a spokesperson or media commentator to one who is fully fluent in English, the local idiom and culture; understands the media and has extensive experience in dealing with the western media; and has a clear understanding of not only Sikh issues but also strategy and techniques of how to achieve both short-term and long-term goals. The whys and the wherefores you will get from the translation of the article. And finally, may I suggest one more thing, please? ... You may want to check out sikhchic.com everyday as a matter of routine. I think you will find it beneficial. Thank you for being open to these suggestions.