South Australia, don’t tell the media what to do

The South Australia Tourism Commission is in hot water with the media after a comms memo told journalists not to refer to the city as ‘Radelaide’ or ‘the City of Churches’ ahead of the city’s four-day Gather Round footy festival.

Instead of complying with the suggestion, the Aussie media hit back with several stories criticising the memo.

In a 7News Adelaide story, one critic compared the move to the equivalent of stripping Las Vegas of its ‘Sin City’ moniker, or New York of ‘the Big Apple’.

This episode draws parallels to a similar incident involving The Bureau of Meteorology in 2022 when it asked the media to no longer refer to it as the BoM but ‘the Bureau’. “This aligns with the Meteorology Act 1955,” it wrote. “Please update your style guides accordingly.”

Clearly, (R)adelaide hasn’t learned anything from the BoM (sorry, the Bureau’s) attempts at editing the media’s style guides. The problem with Adelaide’s blunder, as with the BoM’s failed attempt at a name change, is that the requests came across as entirely self-interested.

When working with the media, it’s only possible to control the narrative up to a certain point. As much as you or your PR agency can try to closely manage the message on your behalf, at the end of the day, a media organisation will pick and choose the messages they want to include in their story.

When sending a news story or feature idea to a journalist, it’s the journalist’s job to write the story in the best way they see fit, and for their own audience. This might not necessarily mean publishing the story exactly as you expect or want.

Journalists are trained to find the best story for their audience. They have a strong understanding of what works and know how to create the most compelling content possible. A journalist’s goal is for their story to be read and shared by their readers, and to do this, they must write something that is relevant and resonates. So, if they know that their audience regularly refers to Adelaide as ‘the City of Churches’, then that’s how the journalist is going to refer to it.

Educating the media without irritating them is a delicate balance. When done well, it can be beneficial for everyone involved. Educating the media on the responsible reporting of difficult topics like as self-harm, or the terminology used for COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic, are both examples of times that education can be necessary and helpful to the journalist telling the story.

Instead of nitpicking over small details, good PR means putting your time and energy into becoming the most proactive, value-adding person that journalists interact with. It’s all about communication, moving quickly, and always meeting the journalist’s needs – ideally before they’ve even asked.

Yes, you should expect that your brand is spelled correctly and that all information published is factual and correct. But beyond that, how the media chooses to refer to you is not in your control: it’s in the control of the publication’s editors. If the media chooses a widely-used nickname to refer to your brand, you don’t get a say. In fact, any heavy-handed attempt at swaying the way a journalist writes about your brand is more likely to hinder rather than help.

It is also worth remembering that the journalist doesn’t have ultimate control over the direction of a piece – the editor or producer usually has the final say. If an editor or producer has chosen to include or exclude something from a final piece, it is usually for good reason, and brands must learn to trust their editorial license.

Ultimately, winning coverage should never become a battle between the publicist and the media. A great story should benefit both sides equally: the media wants to tell a great story, and you want your story to be told.

Nitpicking over nicknames is not going to get you anywhere.