Special events and public meetings often have very little effect if the media don't cover them. In its simplest definition, I like to tell my seminar groups, public relations is two things. It seems so simple. But the simplest things are often the most complex. If you're skillful, the answer to the major questions reporters ask will be contained in one sentence, without taking a breath.
Most people know too much.
They tell the reporter too much. The most powerful messages are brief and incredibly eloquent. When Bill Clinton became president in early 1993, he set out to reform America's healthcare system. The media's coverage of the issue and the debate in forums of every kind was massive. The commercials were sponsored by insurance companies who were desperate to keep the status quo.