Eleven Points to Remember When Dealing With Press Corps For all of the difficulties embassies face with the Washington media, the task is not hopeless. The following is a brief survival guide for what embassies can do: 1. Have a public diplomacy strategy. Embassies should have a coordinated strategy that integrates communications with the executive branch, Congress, business groups, the press and other groups. The same themes should be emphasized in outreach activities. Press relations should not shape or drive all other embassy activities, but they should be part of a coordinated effort. Embassies that want to be active and visible in Washington will obviously approach the press differently from embassies that prefer to stay below the radar screen. Chris Cimko, a vice president at Edelman Public Relations Worldwide, said embassies should reflect on what they want to say and how they want to be viewed in Washington. "Embassies need to go up to 5,000 feet, take a wide and broad view and really think about what they want to be saying," she said. Matthew Felling, media director for the Center for Media and Public Affairs, said embassy officials should have a coordinated strategy, disciplined message and provide consistent responses to the press. "Itís important that embassies provide a united front and officials offer the same message to the media. There is a double standard in Washington. A discordant voice from an American source is appreciated but discordant voices from embassies are often interpreted as a sign of dangerous internal conflicts or inconsistencies," he said. 2. Know the press corps and how it works. Embassies should become familiar with the various segments of the Washington press corps and develop strategies for targeting them. National Journal publishes a reference book several times a year called Capitol Source. It has almost 40 pages of media listings. It divides the media into helpful categories: television, radio and talk shows, syndicated columnists, news services, publishing companies, magazines and trade publications, newspapers, the foreign press and newsletters. Embassies should also be aware of and reach out to the smaller segments of the press corps that specialize in international issues. Journalists such as Thomas Friedman of the New York Times, Jim Hoagland of the Washington Post, and Robin Wright of the Los Angeles Times help define how the larger press corps sees key issues. Embassies should also reach out to smaller newspapers and publications. "With all the focus on the big national papers itís important not to forget the large and important regional newspapers," said Hinrich Thoelken, first secretary of the press at the Germany Embassy. Itís also advisable to look for opportunities to be heard in the diplomatic columns of the two Washington daily newspapersóthe Washington Timesís column is called Embassy Row and the Washington Postís is called Diplomatic Dispatches. 3. Do the basics well. However commendable it is to have aggressive and intricate press outreach strategies, itís crucial that embassies do the basics well. They should provide solid factual information to reporters, return phone calls promptly and with a keen sensitivity to deadlines. "Itís essential to give swift, prompt and appropriate responses to press inquiries," said Cimko. "We have a few simple rules," said Sandi Logan, a spokesman for the Australian Embassy. "We never say weíre too busy. We never say "no comment." We will always get an answer. We are always available. My cell phone is on 24 hours a day. It may not be next to my bed but itís nearby," he added. 4. Donít bombard reporters with unsolicited material. It is important to provide a steady flow of information to reporters through regular newsletters or other written materials, but it is equally important not to overdo it. "We donít want to inundate people with a great deal of unwanted information," said Thoelken. "If there is something very exceptional we may put out a press release. But the rest is on our Web site," he added. Felling, of the Center for Media and Public Affairs, said embassies should be careful about adding to the information overload that swamps Washington. "Embassies should live by the adage that ëless is moreí rather than crying wolf with every press release. Journalists in Washington appreciate a sense of proportion in the information they receive. A constant flood of information runs the risk of trivializing the things that you regard as important," he said. 5. Consider managed competition with other embassies. While there is inevitable competition between embassies for press attention, diplomats should seek out ways to advance everyoneís agenda. One idea: When ambassadors meet periodically in regional or other groupings, it might make sense to hold a private meeting and then invite C-SPAN to cover the rest of the session. Or various embassies could host policy conferences with ambassadors or other officials playing key roles. In these examples and others it is wise to consider the creative use of C-SPAN. This networkís three stations are on in more pressrooms throughout the business day in Washington than any other network except CNN. 6. Use the embassy, visiting delegations and the ambassador creatively to communicate with the press. Countries should use their embassies as a venue to meet with Washington journalists. Ambassadors should also consider inviting relevant segments of the press corps in for regular briefings or informal gatherings. Walter Cutler, a former U.S. ambassador and now president of Meridian International Center, said ambassadors should make it a priority to engage with the press. "Ambassadors should deal personally with the press, especially journalists with national reach. It is a valuable and productive way to spend some of their time," he said. 7. Travel and reach out to local press. When ambassadors or key embassy officials travel outside of Washington, a special effort should be made to meet with the press in the communities that are visited. "When an ambassador comes to a smaller community, itís a big deal, itís even sort of breaking news," said Bill Frenzel, a former congressman from Minnesota who is now an analyst at Brookings. "We definitely try to arrange meetings with the local press when the ambassador travels," said Miltos Miltiadou, press counselor for the Embassy of Cyprus. 8. Develop a good Web site: There is no more efficient way of getting information out into the public domain than a Web site with solid historical and current information, ambassadorial speeches and other pertinent materials. Logan said a good Web site is particularly useful during a crisisósuch as the Sept. 11 attacksóto distribute information quickly to a large audience. "Our Web site is a crucial part of our [communications] operations," he said. 9. Remember that no news is better than bad news, and that bad news passes quickly if itís dealt with forthrightly. If your embassy becomes part of an embarrassing "story of the day" blitz, provide all relevant information, including embarrassing disclosures, as quickly as you can. The media storm wonít be enjoyableóbut it will pass. 10. If the media gets it wrong, respond briefly, factually and with good humor. Embassies have every rightóand arguably an obligationóto respond to stories about their countries that are inaccurate. Responses should be respectful, brief, factual and good humored. "The only thing we really expect regarding stories dealing with Cyprus is a chance to explain the governmentís point of view. How that view is factored into the story is obviously beyond our control. But we want to express our views, " Miltiadou said. 11. Project confidence. "Washington journalists, like dogs, can smell fear," said Felling.