BY George Merlis IN BLOG On 09-02-2013

[This entry was originally posted on 2/19/13 Many years ago I wrote a political novel called “VP” and the publisher, William Morrow,  booked some promotional media interviews for me.  At the time of publication, I happened to be traveling across the country with a group of ABC News correspondents so the publisher’s publicity department took [...] [...]

6 years ago / No Comments

BY George Merlis IN BLOG On 15-06-2012

[Originally Posted June 15, 2012] I tell media training workshop participants to treat a microphone like a gun.  Safety dictates that we treat a gun as if it’s loaded.  So we should treat a microphone as if it’s always on, recording or live broadcasting.  And we should treat a reporter as if he is a [...] [...]

7 years ago / No Comments

BY George Merlis IN BLOG On 05-10-2011

[This entry was originally posted on October 5, 2011] It may be highly ironic — if not downright hypocritical — to post a blog about the dangers of blogging, but here goes…. Don’t blog anything you don’t want the whole world to read.  While we reach out to the media often, it’s important to remember [...] [...]

7 years ago / No Comments

BY George Merlis IN BLOG On 16-08-2011

[Originally posted August 16, 2011] Here are three lessons I teach in media training sessions: NEVER SAY ANYTHING IN PROXIMITY TO A REPORTER THAT YOU DON’T WANT THE WHOLE WORLD TO READ LEAVE COMEDY TO COMEDIANS YOU ONLY THINK YOU HAVE FRIENDS IN THE MEDIA This trio of cautions are reinforced by Tina Fey in [...] [...]

8 years ago / No Comments

BY George Merlis IN BLOG On 09-07-2010

[This blog was originally posted on July 9, 2010 The philosopher George Santayna is widely credited with the phrase, “Those who fail to study history are doomed to repeat it.”  What he actually wrote was “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  (Perhaps history teachers and historians massaged the quote to [...] [...]

9 years ago / No Comments

BY George Merlis IN BLOG On 23-06-2010

[Originally posted on June 23, 2010] On June 4, 1944, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of allied forces in Europe, gave the go-ahead for the largest military operation in history, the June 6 amphibious assault by 170,000 men at arms against the German-held beaches of Normandy. D-Day was a high-stakes, high-risk massive military operation [...] [...]

9 years ago / No Comments

BY George Merlis IN BLOG On 21-06-2010

[This entry was originally posted on June 21, 2010] In media training workshops, I teach the following: Always treat a microphone as if it is a gun. You treat a gun as if it is always loaded.  Similarly, treat a microphone as if it is always on.  Never say anything in proximity to a microphone [...] [...]

9 years ago / No Comments

BY George Merlis IN BLOG On 10-03-2010

[This entry was originally posted on March 10, 2010] If you followed the public pronouncements of Akio Toyoda, the CEO of Toyota Motor, while he is dealing with the travails caused by instances of unintended acceleration in his company’s cars, you’ve probably heard him speaking Japanese before the English translation takes over. And you’ve doubtless [...] [...]

9 years ago / No Comments

BY George Merlis IN BLOG On 16-02-2010

(This post was originally written in February, 2010) Former Alaska Governor and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s appearance before the Tea Party convention in Memphis [in 2010] brings this question to mind: When are notes appropriate in an interview?  Now Gov. Palin appeared before a live audience and she had written three message points on [...] [...]

9 years ago / No Comments

BY George Merlis IN BLOG On 22-01-2010

(This entry was originally posted on January 22, 2010) In 1949, U.S. Air Force Captain Edward A, Murphy, right, came up with his famous Murphy’s Law, “Anything that can go wrong will.” (The facts behind the legend are here.)  With a nod in Captain Murphy’s direction, I have come up with my own law for [...] [...]

9 years ago / No Comments