The Commons

It seems safe to say that most Americans have some realization of the fact that when any president and his administration have bad news to deliver, they do a “document dump” on a Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend. The thinking of the White House staff (and many corporations who employ this technique) is that newsrooms will be short staffed and the news will hit the Saturday papers, when almost no one is paying attention.

What is less well known is the big news management opportunity in the Tuesday morning after a holiday weekend. This is when the President can take advantage of a slow news cycle and reset the national conversation to his agenda and his priorities.

President Bush and his PR team were beyond excellent at this maneuver. Please note I’m not passing judgment or sharing my personal opinions about the content of these announcements—I’m referring to the technique. Bush, his press aides, and other staffers would undoubtedly find a way to release major news at about 7:10 a.m. on the Tuesday after a three-day weekend—right during “The Today Show.” I still remember how they rolled out a Supreme Court nominee that way, as well as economic policy announcements and other initiatives.

The advantage is that while the rest of America is still hitting the snooze button Tuesday morning, the President has deliberately said: “Here’s what I think is important. Now, follow my lead.” It also throws a bit of a surprise factor out there.

President Obama has mastered the Friday afternoon document dump, but not the Tuesday reset. He didn’t do it after the Fourth of July holiday. And the Tuesday morning after Labor Day has come and gone without such a move. Instead, Obama presented his new economic plans on Labor Day itself (when no one was paying attention) and will speak further about it tomorrow. That leaves today open to the President’s critics to control the airwaves, newspapers and websites with attacks and criticisms (as was the case during this morning’s “Today Show” news segment).

Does a day or two really make a difference? Yes, in this high-stakes political world it does.

Regardless of whether you are a fan or critic of Obama or Bush, it’s important to understand news management. And news management doesn’t always mean one wins with the public. But a Tuesday morning reset is a powerful tool. The PR team with the current occupant of the Oval Office should consider it when the next holiday weekend presents itself.

While the clients and issues we deal with don’t receive the same level of scrutiny as pronouncements from the White House, they do require the same level of strategic thinking and understanding of news cycles. In today’s competitive media world, visionary people and institutions want to do all they can to ensure they are heard above the news echo chamber.

- Adam Shapiro, Vice President, Public Affairs

Tags: media management, nonprofit communications, public relations, trends