Pitch on Time
Every reporter can tell pretty much the same story. She gets a breathless call from a public relations person who says she has a story idea. Let’s say it’s a law firm that is touting a corporate deal it closed. The first question is: When did this happen? Oh, the reply goes: It closed last week. If a lawyer wants the recognition he feels he deserves for his work for his client, he is a week too late. There is a reason reporters call it news: It has to be new, and these days, one week, or even three days, is not considered new. Before the Internet, it was at least conceivable that a reporter would consider a pitch regarding a matter that was a few days old. Today, that won’t happen. Most reporters are on a 24-hour deadline to produce or update their stories for online consumption. Their news…
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