Have you ever played that game in which a group of people go down the line whispering a phrase from one person to the next?
Typically, by the time the last person receives the message, it has morphed into something else. The lesson is that the more channels a message passes through, the more likely it will be distorted.
The administration of former Gov. George Pataki never appreciated this lesson.
Invariably, when it came to getting information from a state official, the only people who could talk to reporters were the official agency press officers. You had to ask them your questions, they would then go to the person in their agency with the answers and collect them. Then the press officer would talk to the reporter about what the person who actually knows what's going on said.
Not only does this process take extra time (especially when the press officer is in no hurry to help out), but it also reduces the accuracy and thoroughness of the information that's finally given out. Follow-up questions with this technique can mean having to wait an extra day to get the answers, because the same back-and-forth must take place. And there's also a good chance the press official doesn't understand the questions, at least not in the way the person at whom they're aimed might.
That said, I do believe state agency press offices can be a valuable resource. Certainly there are some cases in which it is more efficient for the press officer to take the questions, get the answer and get back to the reporter. Reporters calling for basic facts, such as statistics, don't need to go beyond the press office.
But when matters get a little complex, it can make a huge difference to speak with the person in state government who is making the decisions or executing the policy.
As we move forward in 2007 with the a new person occupying the executive branch in Albany, journalists are hoping to see a shift in the approach to disseminating information.
There is some reason to have hope. As attorney general, Eliot Spitzer frequently allowed the assistants who handled the cases he settled speak with the media. And his press office generally moved quickly to respond to inquiries.
I can tell you from firsthand experience - and from the stories of just about every reporter I've met who has dealt with Pataki administration press officers - that the underlying approach toward dealing with the public of the past 12 years has been to release as little information as possible.
Of the many things that Spitzer plans to change, I sure hope one of them is the philosophy behind informing the public.
Executive editor Jeremy Boyer's column runs Saturdays in The Citizen and he can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net
The administration of former Gov. George Pataki never appreciated this lesson.
Invariably, when it came to getting information from a state official, the only people who could talk to reporters were the official agency press officers. You had to ask them your questions, they would then go to the person in their agency with the answers and collect them. Then the press officer would talk to the reporter about what the person who actually knows what's going on said.
Not only does this process take extra time (especially when the press officer is in no hurry to help out), but it also reduces the accuracy and thoroughness of the information that's finally given out. Follow-up questions with this technique can mean having to wait an extra day to get the answers, because the same back-and-forth must take place. And there's also a good chance the press official doesn't understand the questions, at least not in the way the person at whom they're aimed might.
That said, I do believe state agency press offices can be a valuable resource. Certainly there are some cases in which it is more efficient for the press officer to take the questions, get the answer and get back to the reporter. Reporters calling for basic facts, such as statistics, don't need to go beyond the press office.
But when matters get a little complex, it can make a huge difference to speak with the person in state government who is making the decisions or executing the policy.
As we move forward in 2007 with the a new person occupying the executive branch in Albany, journalists are hoping to see a shift in the approach to disseminating information.
There is some reason to have hope. As attorney general, Eliot Spitzer frequently allowed the assistants who handled the cases he settled speak with the media. And his press office generally moved quickly to respond to inquiries.
I can tell you from firsthand experience - and from the stories of just about every reporter I've met who has dealt with Pataki administration press officers - that the underlying approach toward dealing with the public of the past 12 years has been to release as little information as possible.
Of the many things that Spitzer plans to change, I sure hope one of them is the philosophy behind informing the public.
Executive editor Jeremy Boyer's column runs Saturdays in The Citizen and he can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net