Before the mainstay of learning about working in journalism was, "How many times can I use artificial intelligence to write a story before being outed as a fraud?", there was a simple set of questions that would, or at the very least, should answer everything.
We called them "The 5 W's", and I can remember having them drilled into my noggin on the first day as a radio news reporter for WIOD-AM in Miami FL by veteran News Director Chuck Dent.
Who? What? When? Where? Why?
With those 5 questions asked about any story, of any type, and under any circumstance, one could properly report the entire tale and do so correctly and accurately. If a news story was being properly written and executed, the reporter will have answered all 5 of those questions. Sadly, in much of today's local news and blowhard phony news "platforms", the only questions often being asked are how little actual information can be imparted while the search goes on for video that will deliver the most clickbait.
Whether it's broadcast TV, radio, podcast or You Tube. Whether written in the socially unfit for factual consumption media or even in what remains of newspapers. Whether its scribbled in social media platform posts right next to the ad for the latest diet pill. Even if you pay little or zero attention to the manner with which information is delivered here on the cusp of another media revolution, one thing has us all in its grip.
The media is intertwined with our lives at every step. Our opinions are more slipped and bent by what someone is saying publicly more than at any other time in our existence. The media's interjection and interference in our personal and professional lives has reached the point where no one is safe. Were you to shut yourself into a locked room with no external sources slipping in, with no ability for you to utter a single phrase that would be heard outside those walls, the media is still deciding your brand, your reputation, your fate and possibility of success.
Which is why in today's media maddening society, you must ask yourself a new and "cohesive for our times" set of 5 questions.
WHO needs to understand the influence of the media in their daily lives? Everyone. We are bombarded by posts, tweets, "BREAKING NEWS", instant sports scores, accolades, insults, rumors, innuendo, fake news, propaganda, and every other form of primal scream. Your opinions, comments, actions and reactions are tweaked dozens, perhaps hundreds of times every single day. What is being said and shake is influencing your life, and as thus, you have to be cognizant of that impact. You must remain guarded so as to understand your surroundings and not allow certain influences to impact your personal and professional brand. Everyone else is listening, comparing, judging what you say and how you say it. You must stay in control and not allow these influences and influencers to destroy everything you've worked for.
WHAT is the media impact on your potential for success?
Makes no difference which end of the political or social structure you believe it's coming from, the ease of which certain people and groups use the "cancel culture" of our times to their screeching advantage and destroy everything you've worked for is here to stay. Therefore, you must be ready to deal with it when, not if, it arrives on your virtual doorstep. Whether from a biased news sources or something slipped under the digital map on any one of the many social media platforms, when something is said or implied about you, even without a single shred of discernible evidence, the hammer of judgement will fall and you often won't be able to shield yourself from the blow. Where once someone might say something about you in "confidence" to a co-worker, a school friend or a family member, now it is instantly globally blasted for all to note and opine on. You therefore are the only stopgap in this insult play, and you better know how to deal with it, and successfully escape it, before the actual blow is struck.
WHEN do you need to take action in protecting your reputation from incursions?
Every single second of every day. In this society of immediate opinion, you need to be prepared for whatever might come your way. You need to know when and how to react, and more often than not, that means not taking the "knee jerk" path and just as immediately lashing back at the source of your hammer. You need to develop a "6th sense" as to what might be coming. You need to be on your guard and, to that effect, not putting yourself into a situation that could snap back at you. You are the starting point for your reputation, your brand, and your success. Don't leave that to anyone else, because there's always the chance they will let you down. Preemptive action in protecting your future is now a necessity. It's not easy to learn, often it's the most difficult thing you will ever do. However, it is in our current culture a necessity.
WHERE can this understanding of how the media works take you?
To a level of success, if you pay attention. Rumors, innuendo, lies, jealousies, they are all part of what can derail you in every walk of life. However, once you know how the game is played, and once you dedicate yourself to not just knowing the rules but understanding how they work against and for you, you can short circuit any attempt to ruin what you've worked so damn hard for. While the first part of this is getting to know the attacks before and when they occur, the second equally important part is knowing how to them use the media in your favor. While some of the wealthier and more influential people will employ high powered public relations firms to dig them out, you can be on the defensive at your own level and still have a good measure of success. Social media is where this happens, and it's definitely a 2-way street playing this contest. It takes patience and time, something we all could use a better grasp of. I go back to staying clear of the "knee jerk" response. Keep in mind that while in some cases you can't just sit back and be silent, but you do need to realize that payback is a dish best served cold. You need to be frosty in your preparations and executions.
WHY should you give a tinkers damn about anything said about you in and on the media?
Because we live in a society that now, more than ever, thrives on gossip, innuendo, propaganda, salacious lies and crafted tales of anything from sex, drugs, rock and roll to financial ruin. The key here is being aware of what is said about you in any form of media, but having your guard up to not allow it to drag you down. Look, there are people who will use whatever tools they have at their disposal to destroy you. It's a fact. Remember in grade school when there were just kids you didn't like, or who didn't like you, for whatever insipid reason? Welcome to your adulthood. It's still out there. Also, those who will be jealous of your success, your good fortune, even in the fact you have a good head of hair. We live in a society that is more mean than at any other time anyone can remember. We are torn apart by social, economic, political and nonsensical issues every day. It is up to you to get ahead of what very well may be coming. Even if all is excellent, you need to be mentally prepared that someone, somewhere, could be looking to make your life unhappy. It may not be something you want to consider, and you may chastise me for addressing it in this manner at all, but it could happen. You need to be ready when it does.
There are many other ways and ideas behind "The 5 Media W's" as I've detailed them here. Each question can, and should, be asked in many different scenarios. The base elements are the same, with innumerable twists along the way. That's what I teach in my speaking appearances and seminars. For now, ask yourself "The 5 W's", and gain that start on being ahead of the game.
For all of life is a game, so why not seek to win?
Ed Berliner is an Emmy Award winning communications expert and media analyst. He's been in the weeds and watched it all happen while helping to start 7 broadcast networks. His speeches include a lot of references to his experiences, and plenty of people in the media wish he would be less open about who, and what, is really behind broadcast and social media.
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