There's a great line from Melanie Griffith to Alec Baldwin in the 1988-film, Working Girl, where she tells him: "I am not steak. You can't just order me".
In the past week - attending one of the media launches for a TV show that other TV critics and journalists covering television were invited to - I was just amazed and struck again by the degree to which clueless so-called "publicists" now want results, now want the press to do stuff, and now want journalists to jump and "interview! interview!" people.
Meanwhile, none of the media who attended got any heads-up beforehand as to what will be happening, and more importantly, who would be there.
How on earth are journalists just suddenly supposed to "interview" whoever without any background or preparation whatsoever?
Dear publicist working in television: If you want media to interview members of your show's cast, crew, producers, director, channel head, commissioning editors or talent involved with a programme at your event, the responsibility is on you to tell the media beforehand who will be attending your event, instead of suddenly dumping it on them at the event.
Journalists are not all-knowing, all-informed and just ready at the drop of a hat to suddenly "interview" whoever.
Yes, I will cover your event, yes I will report on what was said and happened but no, I'm not suddenly going to do interviews if I as a journalist or the publicist haven't arranged it beforehand.
A TV show, a TV channel or broadcaster, and a production company will get more coverage, better coverage, and better profile interviews appearing when the journalist is able to actually prepare beforehand, do research, knows that an interview or interviews are required or will happen, and can ask better questions.
It's condescending, stressful, disrespectful and above-all extremely presumptuous to suddenly come to me as a journalist attending and covering your TV media event and ask/tell/order me: "The cast is waiting and seated, do you want to interview them?"
Now I'm suddenly being made to look like the bad one if/when I say "no", as I again did this past week at least once.
Firstly, why didn't you tell me who would actually attend in advance, before I showed up so I can research them, see what articles and interviews already appeared and what I can ask that hasn't been asked before or what would make interesting new stories?
Why didn't anybody email basic character and actor descriptions? Why didn't anybody say and organise beforehand with a simple email saying, "Listen, so-and-so will attend, do you want to interview him/her/them?"
What do or must a cast, actors or presenters of a TV show think when they are circulating at a TV event, and then see members of the press who are there but who don't seem to (want to) engage with them?
It's because I don't know what to ask.
It's because I haven't prepared.
It's because we often don't even know who these people are!
It's because I don't want to look stupid on behalf of the public I represent and ask you insulting, superficial questions like "What's your favourite colour?" showing a lack of knowing your career and background and your involvement with your new or current project.
It's because the publicist supposed to communicate and supposed to be a specialist at communicating, couldn't bother to communicate beforehand and actually organise it.
Dear publicist working in television: Don't come to me at an event and ask me if I want to interview someone if you haven't organised anything beforehand - or tell me that people are ready, waiting and seated "behind that door" for me to now come do a horse-and-pony show performance with a play-play-interview.
I am not steak. You can just suddenly order me.
