Why Rick Scott needs the Tallahassee Press Corps
11/22/2010
Tallahassee's press corps (bonus points if you can name everyone in the picture above) doesn't think much of Florida's governor-elect Rick Scott.
They are suspicious of Scott. They don't trust him. And they resent the fact that Scott's team largely ignores them.
Scott violated all of the traditional rules during the campaign. He held few news conferences. He never waivered from his talking points: Question? Hey Rick what time is it? Scott: I made mistakes, I learned from them.
Scott also refused to attend a single editorial board vetting much to the angst of editorial writers throughout the state. Who could blame him....it was easy enough to predict that no matter what Scott said or did no newspaper would endorse him.
Actually, Scott owes the Tallahassee Press Corps a great debt. When Scott started his campaign he managed to spend millions in television ads before any serious story was written about him.
Everyone was too busy chasing the Jim Greer and Charlie Crist drama in April to notice an unknown businessman suddenly announcing his was a candidate for governor.
By the time reporters caught up with the story, Scott had already made his first "let's get to work" impression on voters.
Now that Scott is about to be governor, the dynamic changes. Most of what Floridians will learn about Scott in the coming months will be provided by the Tallahassee Press Corps. The campaign commericals are over.
While the MSM may not be what it used to be, it is still the primary source of information for what happens in state government.
The fact is that Floridians still know very little about their new governor. He needs to tell them more. Scott needs to develop a sense of trust with Floridians. It will come in damn handy the first time he confronts a crisis.
Running government like a business also means dealing successfully with the business of communication. And that means Gov.-elect Scott needs to engage on a more personal level.
Scott should start by inviting a few of those reporters over for a beer. Off the record. A get-to-know-you couple of hours.
He should take advantage of the eagerness most reporters will have to get to know him better.
Really, it is simply good business.
Skip the editorial board (yawn), schmooze the reporters.
Posted by: Abondroit | 11/22/2010 at 05:47 PM