Spoon-feeding the media

Of course, you understand that the media are always listening for sound bites; crisp, well crafted quotes that help them tell a story.

So, when Kofi Annan left his job as Secretary General of the United Nations, he departed with a roar rather than a whimper. He bashed President Bush and the United States, but pretty much gave a pass to terrorist groups like Hezbollah, for instance. And, not surprisingly, he never mentioned his scandal-plagued administration. The Iraqi oil for food program comes to mind.

In the aftermath, there was barely a ripple from the diplomatic world. Just some polite comments that died out very quickly.

This was noted in an interview of two people who comment often on world affairs. Claudia Rosett and Newt Gingrich were asked about Annan’s remarks on Fox News. Both served up very quotable responses qualifying them for this edition of Sound Bite Spotlight.

The Media Trainers®, LLC, has a Tough Questions eBook on our Web site that you can download free for easy reference.