They're about as jaded as veteran cops. They want you to give them ammunition. Media types need a hook, something that no one else is doing, or something that they have never reported before. Colorful, eccentric or reclusive CEOs often get press simply because they're not like everybody else. Likewise, anything that has to do with the Internet eventually gets some press, especially if the owners are still in junior high school.
Marketing is a bizarre animal.
Unless you understand that, you can waste your time developing the greatest widget on earth. So before you pick up the phone and dial the city desk, make sure you come bearing gifts. Every father or mother thinks their child is the best. The same applies with your business. You and a gazillion others are out there fighting for the same thing.