RedTop
Just to set a bit of a balance here - please don't tar the whole outfit with the same brush, just because you had a bad experience with one. Not too many years ago I had occasion to re-write a large chunk of the station crash and disaster plan, since I was designated disaster controller. I was involved in the aftermath of a number of crashes.
One of the sections of the plan was dealing with the media. There was to be a bus positioned at the gate, complete with a fully briefed escort. They were to be taken to the ops main briefing room, where they would be met by the PRO dispensing tea and biccys. As soon as they were settled, OC Ops would give a full off the record briefing of all the FACTS known to us - no holds barred. Questions answered to clarify. Speculation gently quashed - briefing about how the BOI worked. Then a full on the record statement, complete with interviews if requested, and by the time the briefing session was concluded a printed statement was ready for distribution.
One or two 'pool' media reps would be allowed to observe ops room activities, with the PRO prompting what was on or off the record.
The media reps taken to the officers mess, where they were given all assistance possible to communicate with whoever, and those that wanted to stay longer to await developments were wined and dined at our expense.
We had a first rate, well-trained PRO who maintained a network of media contacts. Our relations with the media was always amicable. I even got to know a few of the 'locals', who regularly rang to find out if there was anything interesting happening. We got a huge amount of positive press because of the way we made it as easy as possible for them to do their job.
And in my long experience in Royal Air Force Service, I rarely witnessed individuals being obstructive or unhelpful. The problems usually arose when a media rep was determined to get one of the execs to make a statement that would fit the sensationalist story he wanted to write - actually, the worst was a female, and it wasn't until the Staish threatened to kick her off base that she settled down to listen to what actually happened, unsensational though it was.
Make no mistake, we are well aware that the media has a job to do. Working together to divulge and report the FACTS is in both our interests.