…after Fox had “ambushed” Amanda Terkel, a blogger for Think Progress

I originally intended this posting to be advice on what to do when a blogger with a Flipcam “ambushes” you or your client.  Not now.  Not after the recent launch of the new iPhone 3GS and headlines like Flip Has Little Chance In An iPhone World and New iPhone Is The Flip Cam Killer. Or stated another way: YouTube Mobile Uploads Up 400% Since iPhone 3GS Launch.

But no matter.  Regardless of the technology, PR professionals face a new reality.  Inexpensive, light weight devices with video capabilities are turning every blogger with an agenda and a nose for publicity into a potential Michael Moore documentarian or a staffer for Fox News Host Bill O’Reilly.  And with live streaming capabilities, the results can be instantaneous. And sometimes the reaction makes great viewing on YouTube if it involves a public figure or a hot topic. 

Ambushing Michael Dell at the Davos last year

Last year when Robert Scoble cornered Michael Dell at World Economic Forum in Davos.  It was live. Dell was gracious. He made consistent eye contact with the Scoble and stayed on message.  Score one for Michael Dell. 

In the case of Michael Dell, he knew the blogger.  But what happens when you are approached by a stranger.

In a more aggressive interview, Adam Green “interviewed” a Fox reporter covering an event.  He had an agenda. The Fox reporter seemed a little flustered, but I liked that he shifted the focus away from blogger’s focus, which he was not prepared to discuss.  While entertaining, I think everyone seemed a bit foolish.  But this encounter generated more than 180,000 views, nearly 300 comments and exposure not possible in an age before YouTube.  

Tips for Handling a Videocam Ambush

So what do you when confronted with a Flipcam or iPhone?  Some rules of traditional media still apply; others don’t. (Forget off the record.) In the some ways, the camera is really irrelevant unless you are doing something or at some place you shouldn’t be.  You need to focus on the person behind the camera.

Most importantly, as media trainer and communications consultant Nadia Bilchik explains:  DON’T BE A VICTIM.

Given this new version of ambush journalism, media training is critical. Your company needs an approved commenting policy in case you or your executives get cornered. (Nadia and I have joined forces to do a workshop called Media Training in the YouTube Age.)

Remember you have more control of the situation than you think. As Nadia explains, “Where we sabotage ourselves is failing to take the time to reflect.  We tend to react, not respond.”

As with any reporter or blogger, you can decide if you want to do an interview, if the topic is appropriate for you and whether the blogger is credible.  Granted very few interviews are confrontational, but here are some simple rules of engagement.

Straight forward advice.  Sometimes easier said than done.  That’s why you need to be prepared. I think these types of situations will become more commonplace with new technologies and with the growing presence of video on the Internet.

Of course, if you are really gutsy, you can always take our your own video cam and start recording them and ask them questions.

Let me get back to you.

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