Seat at the Table

As a follower of both business and politics, I’ve come to the conclusion that if political reporters were more like business reporters, the world would be a better place.

Today’s Carl Bialik column in the Wall Street Journal (read it here and in his blog- subscription required until Rupert Murdoch says otherwise) shows how candidates need to pay more attention as well (incidentially, the political consultants/pr pros in politics are, I believe, the biggest over-spinners).   Sites such Factcheck.org and Politicfact.com are now checking the accuracy of candidates statements.  

Reading this reminded me of the key difference between business and political reporting (my subjective view as a reader).  Political reporters seem to focus on reporting a candidate’s position and key messages so that audiences can decide for themselves.  Business reporters focus on what a company says, and then research the facts and reports that research so readers can decide the future of a company’s market position.

Imagine if political reporters were more like business reporters.  They would report not only on what candidate says but how also research its factual basis.  Like business reporters, they would note on an ongoing basis how accurate the facts out of a campaign were and the full context of those facts (e.g., Romney implied that military spending was cut under Clinton…how many reporters noted the spending level cut took place under Regan?…and no, I have not fact checked this fact check).  Or, as many have asked, what if the news media had focused not only reporting but qualifying the facts the Bush administration put forward to justify the Iraq war just as business reporters research the facts put foward in a company’s earnings reports. 

This comparison also reminds me of one of the great ironies of the non-political public relations industry – that PR gets the blame for turning fact into fiction.  In fact, while a few bad apples certainly help shape this reputation, I often find that it’s non-PR executives pushing the fact-based envelope and it’s the PR professional or agency providing warnings on how messages that can’t be backed with facts can backfire.  However, like lawyers, counsel is what we provide and, even more than lawyers, our counsel is often ignored (probably due to the punishment not including jail time…usually).