MESSAGE
| DATE | 2002-09-11 |
| FROM | Ruben I Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [hangout] A Press Agent Recommendation
|
On 2002.09.11 13:41 dplist-admin-at-danielpipes.org wrote:
My Media Year
by Daniel Pipes
National Review
September 11, 2002
http://www.danielpipes.org/article/461
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-pipes091102.asp
I learned that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center when a
television producer urgently called and invited me right over to the
station. It's been a near-blur since then, busier than any other period of
my life.
Statistics give the story in brief: My one-year mark tally stands at 1 book,
8 long articles, 80 short articles, 110 television appearances, 120
in-person lectures, 360 mentions in the media (that I know of), and 450
radio interviews. The daily visits to my web page increased from 300 per day
before 9/11 to 2,000 after it. The recipients of my articles by e-mail
increased from 2,000 before to 14,000.
Partly, this surge is due to my specialty, what with terrorism, Islam, Iraq,
the Arab-Israeli conflict, and Saudi Arabia dominating the news. Partly, it
reflects a recognition that, pre-9/11, I saw the danger that militant Islam
poses to the United States.
Here are some insights gleaned from my media year:
* Don't bother fighting your reputation — you can't win. My reputation is of
having been ignored before September 11, 2001 (an example, here).
Admittedly, it makes for a good story — a voice in the wilderness, a prophet
unheeded — but it happens not to be true. Yes, my media profile increased
many-fold post-9/11, but I did head a think tank before then, write a weekly
column, appear regularly on television and radio, and lecture around the
country. That's now down the memory hole and there is nothing I can do to
shake the perception that life for me began when the planes struck.
* Take half of Gore Vidal's advice when he says "never miss a chance to have
sex or appear on television." Going on television regularly really does
improve one's status in life. Because it enables viewers to become familiar
with one's face, voice, mannerisms, and persona, next you know, people call
out your first name on the street, hostesses honor you at dinner parties,
and businesses pay higher speaker's fees.
* Sundry television advice: Smile the whole time on the set — you never know
when the sneaky producer will put you on air. Try for "one-on-ones" with the
host, which permit for a real discussion (I even had a good one with Pat
Buchanan.) Think twice about accepting an invitation when producers match
you against your arch opponent; and if you do accept, take a shower
afterwards.
* Pick fields other than the Arab-Israeli conflict or Islam if you want
polite and reasoned discussions. Discuss my subjects on television and you
soon enough have the joy of clashing with a lout like Hussein Ibish or with
one of the Islamist motor mouths like Ibrahim Hooper or Sarah Eltantawi.
* Be careful with facts and ideas. From the get-go, I found my statements
carefully parsed. Being careful is harder than it sounds, for caution is the
enemy of eloquence, and the temptation is always to soar, not plod. One
example: I was slow in public to hold Osama bin Laden responsible for the
September suicide hijackings, needing to be certain not to be caught out
blaming Muslims for an atrocity they would later be absolved of.
* Repeat yourself without fear of anyone noticing. On December 3, I sent out
a the Wall Street Journal Europe version of an article about the
Arab-Israeli conflict. As an experiment, on January 18, I resent it,
slightly altered, when it came out in the Wall Street Journal's U.S.
edition. To my surprise, not one person wrote me to point out that it was a
duplicate mailing.
* Beware of getting submerged by e-mail. On an average day, I respond to 80
notes and on a busy one it can reach 120. It's wonderful to have a far-flung
network that includes all the inhabited continents but it threatens to
overwhelm the rest of one's life.
* Pay close attention to questions and insights from reporters, audience
members, and e-mailers, which can bring new issues or ideas to the surface.
I have written several articles in response to such comments, most recently
my column last week on the dangers of a collapsing Temple Mount, which was
spurred by a resident of Jerusalem who pointed out that this subject
deserves more coverage in the United States.
Looking ahead, it appears that the next year will be as busy as the last
one. That suggests to me the good news that Americans understand that they
are in this war for the long haul and want to discuss alternate approaches.
To subscribe to or unsubscribe from this list, go to
http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/dplist
Daniel Pipes sends out a mailing of his writings approximately twice per
week.
To comment on the article, please go to
http://www.danielpipes.org/article/461#comment
Most articles are also available online at: http://www.DanielPipes.org
To receive television alerts, event invitations, lecture summaries, and news
releases from the Middle East Forum, please sign up for the MEFnews mailing
list at: http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/mefnews
Please note: these do not duplicate the DPlist mailings (such as this one).
Also, you are invited to visit the MEF site at: http://www.meforum.org
--
__________________________
Brooklyn Linux Solutions
__________________________
http://www.mrbrklyn.com - Consulting
http://www.nylxs.com/radio - Free Software Radio Show and Archives
http://www.brooklynonline.com - For the love of Brooklyn
http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software
http://www.nyfairuse.org - The foundation of Democracy
http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/resources - Unpublished Archive or stories and articles from around the net
http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/mp3/dr.mp3 - Imagine my surprise when I saw you...
http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/downtown.html - See the New Downtown Brooklyn....
1-718-382-5752
____________________________
New Yorker Free Software Users Scene
Fair Use -
because it's either fair use or useless....
|
|
