Mockery of weatherman highlights good news for PR

Here was my first reaction when I saw the viral video of the storm-chasing weatherman who appeared to be bracing against fake wind:

Great, another high-profile example that people will point at and claim that news media can’t be trusted.

One of my friends used to be one of those guys who stands in front of a camera during a hurricane. He says he hated doing it. Pure theatrics, he called it.

But in thinking further about it, and applying the principles that I teach PR teams, these types of incidents don’t matter. Because there is no monolithic “news media.”

When individuals respond to surveys and say they don’t trust “the news media,” that’s a worthless question. Nobody consumes the entire “news media.”

Individuals are drawn to the outlets and sources they trust. And they mostly ignore the ones they don’t.

The people who read Woman’s Day generally don’t watch MSNBC. Those who subscribe to Precast Concrete magazine generally don’t rely on the New York Times for their information.

This applies even within niches – passionate followers of IFL Science aren’t usually pulling Discover magazine out of their mailboxes.

My guess is that the devoted viewers of the Weather Channel, who treat hurricane coverage like others did the royal wedding, don’t doubt that Mike Seidel was bracing himself on slippery grass against potential gusts after reporting all night, just like the network said in a statement. And those diehards will continue to love the Weather Channel.

All this variety and disruption and “fake news” in the media landscape is “good news” for the diligent PR professional. It’s up to you to zero in on those trusted outlets where your organization’s diehards – and future diehards – gather.

You don’t need to be covered favorably by the collective “news media.” You need to be covered by handful of specific outlets that have the highest credibility among your key audiences.