Organisations can spend considerable time and money planning an announcement and deciding what they want to say. But it's journalists who decide what the story is — or if there is one at all.

Understanding that from the outset can manage expectations and sometimes change the outcome.

Many businesses and public bodies approach the media only when they have something to promote or defend, without fully understanding how it works. That is where mistakes can be made, opportunities missed and reputational damage caused. But it is also where good preparation can make a major difference.

Too often, resources are spent preparing an announcement without considering how it will be read, where it might be used or what may happen once it becomes public.

Journalists approach information differently. Their first decision, often made within moments, is whether there is a story at all.

A carefully prepared announcement can be ignored.
A minor detail can become the headline.
An attempt to clarify can create a new angle.

Once information becomes public, the organisation that issued it has no control over how it is reported, interpreted or used. That's why it needs to be carefully considered before being released.

What Flag Media Does

Flag Media provides practical advice drawing on more than 40 years' experience in journalism of its founder, as well as almost 30 years as an independent media business.

We help organisations understand how journalists are likely to interpret information, what attracts attention and what might unintentionally create it.

Sometimes the right course is to speak clearly.
Sometimes it is to explain differently.
Sometimes it is to wait and say nothing at all.

Ways We Work

Flag Media provides media training, consultancy, crisis communications and editorial services, drawing on practical experience of how newsrooms work.

Media Training
Practical training for people who may have to deal with journalists, including interview preparation and handling difficult questions.

Media Consultancy
Advice on news stories, announcements, media enquiries and situations where the response may not be as expected or even immediately obvious.

Crisis Communications
Advice when something has gone wrong, or when an organisation needs to respond quickly and carefully.

Experience in Practice
Flag Media is an active publisher as well as providing media training and consultancy. Publishing magazines and working with media outlets keeps our advice grounded in how news decisions are made in practice.

A simple starting point
If you are unsure how something may be received, or whether it should be said at all, you are welcome to contact us. You don't need a plan before getting in touch. All conversations are confidential, informal and without obligation.