July 22, 2009

The Mark Sanford Booking Fight: A Brawl Where Fair is Foul

So let’s be absolutely clear about the ruthless TV News Booking game:
 

- If you aren’t slamming your competition, then you’re not competing.

 

- If you’re not back-stabbing you’re not fighting hard enough.

 

- If flattery will get you everywhere, what the hell, flatter away. Same for sympathy. It’s insincere anyway. Everyone realizes that.

 

- If you have even a passing acquaintance with someone, exploit it every way you can.

 

- If you want sanctimonious platitudes about this, you’ve come to the wrong place.

 

It’s worth noting these self-evident truths because everyone is all a’Twitter about the e-mails sent by television people trying to get the first interview with South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, even before he was caught with his pants down after his pants were down in Buenos Aires.

 

Don’t send e-mails if you don’t want them read by pompous critics who don’t understand the rules of this cutthroat game. Jake Tapper got caught literally sliming his NBC adversaries as they were all chasing after the hapless Sanford. Biiiiiiiig deal!
 

Others phonied up sympathetic expressions. Those who knew Sanford, either from South Carolina or D.C. when he was a congressman, tried to take advantage of it. I’m one of the latter, and I can tell you that, if it would have helped, I would have tried to convince him our superficial friendship had made us blood brothers.

As for Tapper, when he got caught, he apologized to the NBC people (phony) and promised not to act like that in the future (baloney).

- If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.

Obviously that last one is not original. Everyone has heard it, which demonstrates how clear it is to newsmakers that those seeking an advantage cannot be expected to be the least bit friendly if they get the interview. Or at least they shouldn’t be.

- Honor among thieves is a good thing.

The shadiest of areas must have boundaries. Those of us who play on this turf must never ever make any promises about the interview, or pull any punches. From my perspective, paying is also off limits, but that seems to be a battle that’s been fought and lost.

- In the clamor for an interview, you must stand out from the crowd.

Back in the ‘90’s, I was fighting for the first television sit-down with the CIA’s KGB mole Aldrich Ames. He was hot property and I was up against a bunch of heavyweights from the other networks. I was told that these various personalities were all being ooie-gooie sweet with Ames when they tried to sell themselves and that one of them, a woman who shall remain nameless, had even hugged him before they began talking.

Don’t hug the prospective guest when he’s a notorious super spy.

I took the opposite approach. I told Ames that if I did the interview, he could expect me to be really tough. It was a great tactic that had the added advantage of being honest. I got the first shot at him.

Whatever works.