5 reasons the reporter didn’t quote you

However, when the story comes out, your name is nowhere to be found. You feel rejected by the reporter, who clearly didn’t deem you worthy enough to be included in the story.

Few things frustrate media spokespersons more than providing the reporter with loads of information only to be omitted from the final story. It may not have been your fault, though.

Here are five reasons, most beyond your control, that the reporter may have dropped you from the story:

1. The storyline may have changed. The reporter may have started with a certain story in mind, but shifted to a different one upon learning new information. There’s little you can do differently in this case: Reporters should be open to changing the story as they dig into it, and that means that quality sources sometimes get left behind.

2. The reporter may have upgraded the source. Let’s say you’re a spokesperson for a government agency. If the reporter gets access to the agency’s director prior to publication, you’re probably going to get dropped from the story. Same thing happens if you work for a mid-size group specializing in healthy oceans. If you’re a no-name spokesperson and the reporter suddenly gets through to a Cousteau, he’s probably going to get quoted instead.