Roger Abramson defended the business practice of threatening to fire employees who asked for a raise. Phillips wondered why, and then she was hooked. Journalists can't ignore such hooks. Surprising claims interestingly defended make compelling copy. No one should own life insurance.
Diversity training is a mistake.
Companies that spend millions seeking new customers are bleeding their bottom line. Another method of generating newsworthy angles involves taking off from current headlines. In the winter of 1998, Barry Murray landed his company, Truly Nolen Pest Control, in practically every major newspaper in the United States and on more than 70 television stations by issuing a news release tied in to that year's newsmaking weather pattern. The release quoted noted entomology professors predicting that El Nino would cause an increase in termites and other unwelcome insects, and provided perspective from Murray's pest control company. Keep in mind that when a natural, political or social event remains in the news for a while, journalists become especially desperate for a fresh angle on it.