FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT. The way a reporter first hears a story tends to be how the story is eventually told. Reporters pitch editors on stories based on the way they originally hear them. Editors decide if stories are worth covering based on the way they are initially framed and expect reporters to write them in that frame.
YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO BE FRAMED AS A VILLAIN IN A NEWS STORY. The news media tends to tell stories about Victims who were harmed, Villains who harmed them, and Vindicators who act on behalf of Victims. Being defined as a Villain in a news story will affect how the audience views your brand.
GOOD VILLAINS = GOOD STORIES. It is in the reporter’s best interest to tell a story with you as the Villain. More people read and watch stories that have clear and compelling Villains because these stories are more interesting. It’s in the reporter’s professional interest to use well-defined Villains to attract more readers/viewers. You can either choose NOT to be a Villain by speaking first or run the risk the reporter will choose to make you one.
ONCE A VILLAIN, ALWAYS A VILLAIN. If you are the Villain in the first story, you will be the Villain in follow-up stories. The original framing of a story tends to be the framing for future stories. These stories reinforce and validate one another. If you can’t avoid follow-up stories, being the Villain in the initial story means more damage later.
INNOCENT PEOPLE HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE. Your reluctance to talk will be seen as a sign you are a Villain with something to hide. To reporters, silence implies guilt and innocent people have nothing to hide. Appearing reluctant to talk to reporters is like waving a red flag in front of a bull – they charge harder and dig for more.
VILLAINS TEND TO BE CALL LAST BY REPORTERS, when the story is almost completely written. Reporters don’t call so you can persuade them to tell a different story. They call for your reaction to the bad story they are about to tell.
FRAMES (ESPECIALLY BAD FRAMES) CAN’T BE TURNED OFF – THEY MUST BE REPLACED. It is very difficult to change the framing of a story after it is told. The media fights changing the first frame of a story because admitting they were wrong would expose them to risk and undermine their credibility. If you are a Villain in the first story, expect to stay the Villain for as long as the story runs.
THE STORY’S FRAME WILL OUTLAST THE STORY’S FACTS. People may not remember the story’s details in the long-term, but they will remember you were the Villain.
IF YOU ARE EXPLAINING, YOU ARE LOSING. And when you are reacting, you are forced to explain. Reactions/explanations inevitably sound defensive, self-interested and self-justifying and are seen as additional evidence you are a Villain.
YOU SHOULDN’T BET A STORY WON’T RUN. If you care enough to worry about a story, someone else will care enough to tell it. Staying silent and hoping the story doesn’t run vastly increases the odds the story becomes worse, longer, and more difficult to dismiss.
SO, INSTEAD OF WAITING TO BE FRAMED, FRAME FIRST.
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