An interesting thing happened the other day during a face-to-face media briefing with a client. The CEO being interviewed came straight from another meeting and unexpectedly invited the reporter to his office for the interview. During the course of the interview, we got to a point where it was time to demo the client's product. The demo was done from the CEOs laptop which was sitting on his desk. In order to see the computer screen, the reporter moved from his table in the center of the office to the CEOs desk.

I accompanied the reporter to the CEOs desk and was standing behind the seated reporter taking notes and listening in to the demo. As the client was answering a question I looked down at the CEOs desk and noticed a company bank statement sitting on the desk in plain view. I quickly sat on the desk to cover the statement up.

There is nothing better than a face-to-face briefing with the media. However, prior to conducting the briefing take some time to look around the room where the interview will be held. Make sure that confidential or road map information is not written on a white board, chalk board or left out in the open for unauthorized eyes to see.

If a reporter sees it, it's fair game. The reporter does not have to indicate what he's seen but is free to use the information gathered as he pleases. By leaving confidential information out in the open you may give the reporter an unintentional exclusive while exposing confidential information that is not yet ready for public consumption.

Jeremy Kartchner

Senior Account Director