I’ve been there. I’ve taught it. I mastered it for so many people.
I am done.
This is 2024, not 1984.
Showing people how to talk into a microphone or face a gaggle of cameras at a news conference is the stuff of antique thinking. Doting on how to wear a tie or what shoes to wear is little more than window dressing. Standing people up in front of a camera and teaching the nuances of reactions and hand movements is akin to unpacking an antique.
This is the era where being prepared is all about being smarter instead of facing a moment like a drone.
This is where “Media Training” comes to an end. This is where we replace it with “Media Intelligence”.
In 2024, the landscape of media and communication has shifted so dramatically that the old methods of media training are not just outdated—they're practically useless. Gone are the days when prepping for a media appearance meant practicing how to deliver canned responses to a handful of reporters or making sure your body language was just right on camera. Today’s media landscape is an unpredictable whirlwind of social media, 24-hour news cycles, live-streaming platforms, viral content, and citizen journalism, where every smartphone is a potential news camera and every social media post can spark a global controversy.
The old-school media training methods are stuck in a time when news came in neat, predictable packages. Back then, and I speak from experience, journalists were the gatekeepers of information, and media appearances were carefully controlled, scripted affairs.
But 2024 requires a whole new set of skills—ones that go beyond smiling politely for a TV interview.
Let’s dive into why those classic media training techniques simply don’t work anymore.
The Rise of Social Media: You’re Always “On”
In the old days of media training, you prepared for a specific interview or press conference. It was a controlled environment, and once the cameras stopped rolling, you could breathe a sigh of relief. But that world no longer exists. Today, with social media, you are always "on."
Every tweet, Instagram post, or TikTok video is a media appearance. Every reply to a comment, every shared meme, every personal opinion is up for public scrutiny. And it doesn’t stop when the news cycle does.
Old media training techniques don’t account for this constant exposure. You can’t simply prepare for a single moment in the spotlight anymore. Instead, you have to understand how to navigate an endless stream of public communication.
You need to think of yourself as your own media outlet—constantly broadcasting, constantly representing your personal or professional brand. The old methods of training someone for a single, high-pressure media event are no match for the day-to-day chaos of social media, where one bad tweet can blow up your reputation overnight.
Viral Culture: Anything You Say Can—and Will—Be Used Against You
In 2024, nothing stays in the past. One of the most significant shifts from the old days is the concept of virality. Anything you say, do, or post online can be screen-grabbed, shared, and distorted out of context in seconds. The speed with which information spreads makes it nearly impossible to control your message the way traditional media training would suggest.
Old media training focuses heavily on preparing for specific questions from journalists and delivering rehearsed answers.
The problem? No amount of rehearsing will save you if someone takes a 10-second clip from your two-minute response and turns it into a viral meme. In today’s media environment, you have to be prepared for how things will be chopped up and shared in bite-sized, out-of-context snippets.
It’s not about answering a reporter’s question anymore; it’s about understanding how every single word you say could be pulled out and turned into something else entirely.
The Decline of Traditional Journalism: Everyone’s a Reporter Now
In the past, media training prepared you to interact with trained journalists. These were professionals who understood ethics, fact-checking, and nuance. But in 2024, you’re just as likely to be “interviewed” by someone live-streaming on their phone as you are by a trained reporter. That guy sitting at the table 10 feet away? That woman conveniently leaning against the wall just into your view? They’re waiting for you to do something, and that phone camera isn’t just accidentally facing you.
Citizen journalism has exploded, and now everyone with a smartphone can potentially become a broadcaster.
Traditional media training simply doesn’t prepare you for the unpredictable nature of this new dynamic. How do you respond when a protester shoves a phone in your face and demands a comment? What do you do when a casual conversation in a public space suddenly becomes content for someone’s YouTube channel? These are not questions that old-school media training even attempts to answer.
Real-Time Response: There’s No “Waiting Until the Next Press Conference” Anymore
In the good old days, you had time. After a crisis or controversy, you could gather your team, craft a carefully worded response, and hold a press conference or release a statement. But in 2024, there’s no such luxury. Social media demands instant responses, and if you don’t respond quickly enough, the internet fills in the blanks for you. Silence is interpreted as guilt or apathy, and the old strategy of waiting for things to "cool down" only makes things worse.
The traditional media training approach of carefully managing a crisis with slow, deliberate messaging is entirely out of sync with today’s expectations. In a world where everyone expects immediate communication, media training has to teach people how to handle these situations in real time.
How do you respond to a PR disaster when the clock is ticking, and every second counts? The old methods simply can’t keep up.
Authenticity Over Perfection: Audiences See Through the Script
One of the biggest reasons why old media training is failing in 2024 is that it focuses too much on perfection. Back in the day, the goal was to come across as polished, composed, and flawless. But in today’s media environment, people are craving authenticity. They don’t want to see a perfectly rehearsed talking head; they want to see someone real. They want to hear someone real.
Old-school media training can leave people sounding robotic and out of touch. Viewers today can smell a canned answer from a mile away, and it turns them off. They want to know the real person behind the polished exterior.
Media training in 2024 needs to focus on teaching people how to be genuine and relatable, rather than just giving perfect soundbites.
How Media Training Should Evolve
So, what does media training need to look like in 2024 and beyond?
For one, it needs to teach people how to manage their personal and professional brands across every platform, from traditional media outlets to social media. It should emphasize the importance of being authentic, while also training people to be mindful of how their words can be twisted in a viral culture.
Media training must focus on real-time communication, preparing people to respond quickly and effectively in high-pressure situations. Finally, it needs to recognize that everyone is a reporter now, and people must be prepared for the unpredictable, unscripted moments that define today’s media landscape.
In short, the old methods of media training are no longer sufficient. We need a new approach that reflects the fast-paced, ever-evolving media world we live in. One that prepares people not just for the occasional interview, but for the constant, 24/7 scrutiny of the digital age.
I was there in the “dark ages”, and took a sabbatical from media training earn it become boring, predictable, and the people doing the training had zero clue as to what was needed in a changing world.
I’m back with a vengeance.
The time is right now for media intelligence.
Ed Berliner has taught thousands of people over his career how to deal with what was the media. Times have changed, and his educational process has changed. Leaner, no more nonsense. It's about making YOU smarter. Ed speaks and teaches in-person or virtually via his studio Master Control. Contact him today fuzzydogsproductions@gmail.com and learn how to bring this revolutionary teaching method to your organization.
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