Thanks for the replies. hmm.. I wonder has the MyPaper replied him…

No journalist or publication worth their salt will let an interviewee validate their piece. Large publications (.e.g. daily newspapers) typically have a process to fact check *facts*, but in terms of slant and tonality there is no one “correct” way to write the piece.

An article is a *point of view* written by a journalist — they are not written to make the interviewee look good. Gwen mentioned practicality issues, which is true, but a larger part of it is that if you let everybody meddle with the copy it often becomes politically correct and makes for terrible news. The charter of media is not only to inform, but to entertain as well. Where do you think they get ads from?

Tonality and slant is something you can’t avoid whenever you court any publicity. You don’t control the media or blogs that you talk to, but you CAN influence various pubs and channels through PR.

While it might help decrease the number of (obvious) errors in the article, I don’t think they think it’s worth all the hassle without a significant upside and ROI on the part of the journalist and papers. There just isn’t enough time.

Will that helps to reduce errors? Or there are some reasons to why this is not the practice i.e. too much works, confidential?

I read the article, and I don’t think it is that bad. And I’m speaking of this from both as an ex-and-current freelance journalist (Digital Life/Straits Times and trade press) and ex PR person.

You have to get it clear that the media is not there to “paint” you in a good light. They need interesting stories so there is circulation which drives ads (and thus revenue). The voice of who you are — what you represent — will always be up to you to defend. *Journalists are not your friends*. They have a job to do, which is to get interesting content. Period.

In an era of “gold-rush” start-ups not making money, the article mentioned that Tyler cares about the product. Mentioned Leonard’s double degrees. Gave him kudos on him putting in his effort and money, and talked about his failures.

Sure, the main lead was on the money aspect (this is what set Tyler Projects apart from other start-ups so it was chosen as the newsworthy lead), but even the slant is not that bad.

And Tyler Projects has got enough good enough coverage in any number of other pubs in Singapore, so the chances are likely you’ll get a bad one (and this is in no way super bad or terrible. Aiyo, don’t have such thin skin lah!). LIVE WITH IT.

Think about this: it does not make such a big difference to your customers in the long run than you think it does, because your rep is built over a period of time, through ALL the publicity you’ve done.

Take the high road. Use your blog to correct where you feel you have been unfairly maligned. But as Pat said, strip your emotions from your response. Makes you sound whiny, and you never know if a particular media might be useful to you again.

An article is shaped by a number of forces — not just the journalist or pub . It’s written by many hands — copyeditor, sub-editor (for headlines), editor and dinged back of forth until sometimes the copy is not close to what the journalist submitted. It’s shaped by current events and what the editor deems the most newsworthy.

It can be a random crapshoot at a larger outfit (e.g. SPH papers) and on a different day with a different reporter/copy/sub you might get a different result. It’s not about YOU. It’s about what sells the paper. Sorry, but that is the truth.

Always remember that media is a two-edged sword. It could lift you up, but it could also cut you down. And if you want to court them for their power, than don’t have such a thin skin. Sometimes you get good days and sometimes you don’t. Good PR helps to ensure you get more good days than bad, but it’s part and parcel of dealing with the media.

Contacting the journalist personally to clarify should have been the first course of action. If the journalist was rude/snarky/unresponsive/dismissive then go ahead and air your grievances on Facebook by all means.

Journalists are people too, with a writing reputation (and job) to protect as well, and I can’t imagine that the MyPaper writer wouldn’t give him the time of day.

As for a follow-up piece…yes, this is done sometimes if it’s really bad but most times a correction tends to suffice.

Actually…I was chatting with @artiwil (10-year Straits Times veteran journo) about this yesterday and we both don’t think that the piece was all that negative.

Getting his name wrong *was* pretty bad though!

Regarding your point on a follow-up piece, has that been done before?

I’d like to ask if Leonard, prior to posting his thoughts on his Facebook network, clarified with MyPaper about the apparent discrepancies?

I ask because by and large, accuracy is of utmost importance to any journalist, and should he or she make mistakes as herewith highlighted by Leonard, he or she will want to be corrected.

Being a writer myself, I acknowledge editing by the editor in charge is expected, if not mandatory. At times when it gets chaotic and everyone’s pressed for time, mistakes may be made when the editing turns a quote into one out of context. Admittedly, no one likes it when that happens – in my own encounter, I was referred as a Mr! – but you know what? Any reputable newspaper who makes such mistakes will appreciate being informed directly.

While I’m unsure if Leonard spoke to MyPaper before he published his thoughts on Facebook, I’d suggest for all who’ve been misquoted to avoid doing so.

Here’s what you can do when you feel the journalist has misrepresented you:

1. Write to him/ her and copy the Editor in charge.

2. Be objective. Yes, you’re probably upset at this point, but be professional nonetheless. Do not assume that the mistakes made were deliberate.

3. Wait for at least 2 working days for a response. Chances are, they have already crafted their response to you, but they have to clear it with Management.

4. If they don’t respond to you, yes, leverage on your voice online and share your side of the story with the rest of the world. When your reputation affects your business or career, I do think its only fair.

5. Ensure that whatever you share online is objective, stripped away from any emotion. Why? Frankly, it makes you sound more credible that way.