When I was a Venue Media manager with the Commonwealth Games, I received some of the best coverage of the venues that I was looking after. I had some people ask me what was my secret.

I first inquired what they were doing and found out that some of them had an attitude of seeing the media as something to be suspicious of, to keep at bay and give as little as possible. In turn, the media had little regard for them as well.

There are many people who treat the media this way as well when it comes to their business, and then hope that the media will give them great coverage and a good story as well. This is a receipt for disaster.

First, true media does not have the time or energy to "GET" everyone. Often the people end up getting themselves in their worry or nervousness. They may say something dumb or negative or attack the reporter who is just doing his or her job. In most cases, the media does not have an ulterior motive and is just collecting information. If you do something foolish, remember though that it is not the media