I still say if CBS contacted the ECF that Rolygate should do the interview, or an upper ranking member, I have no clue why ECF would push this off to CASSA,,,,, They contacted ECF not CASSA, not vapors, but ECF,, and thats nothing against CASSA but CASSA WASNT the one contacted ECF WAS CONTACTED BY CBS, if they wanted to interview CASSA or vapors then they would have simply contacted them. I also say NOT to let the reporter control this situation and let them tell you everything there looking for, ECF should control this interview NOT the reporter, this way some very good pointS and truths can be heard, instead of just what the reporter want's and reports.
This was an initial Great opportunity for ECF, I have no clue why they shrugged it off
ECF > RE-Think this please, Call CBS back and set up the interview with them, and take the Bull by the horns with this situation and turn it into a great opportunity.
There are good reasons why we wanted CASAA to handle this.
Firstly, ECF is an internet resource, the actual personnel on the ground are the community organizations such as CASAA. We do have between 20 to 25 staff but they are spread across the USA and between Fl and Australia. We don't have a staff member in the DC area.
Also keep in mind our staff are ordinary people and not used to dealing with the media, it is not as simple as you may think. Almost always, the press have an agenda. You might not like to hear that, as a consumer of their output, but they are rarely neutral as it doesn't sell papers or get ratings on TV news. They usually have an angle and they arrange things to suit. An ordinary person will be completely taken in by this and may end up assisting them in their design. Normal people think the 'news' is reported as bare fact, and that if they are 'in the right', then everything will be OK. All that ended decades ago and it's a lot worse now with rating wars.
You need experienced people who understand the nuances of the situation. CASAA has people who are not only familiar with the issues, but also familiar with the different agendas out there, and the players. This is probably even more important than knowledge of ecigs etc, to be honest. You may think that it is just a question of putting the facts over correctly and it's job done - but nothing could be further from the truth - especially in the case of a TV interview, which is the hardest thing of all to manage successfully. A TV crew can make a saint look like a mass murderer if they want to, and you have to be aware of that or you will just be a babe in the woods.
I've been on TV about half a dozen times in the past and the experience was on the whole enjoyable and successful - but I would not do it now, things have changed and it is predominantly agenda-based reporting now. It's too easy for them to manipulate what you say to turn it into something else, and also to make you look less than competent. I've seen that done to colleagues both to their benefit and their detriment; knowing exactly what was said at the time gives you an unusual view of the news, because to be honest, it sometimes feels as if you must have been at a different place. Radio or print are different, and far easier to manage well.
In this particular instance we can already see they have an agenda, mistakenly revealed by the reporter: they have input from the anti orgs but will not allow a balanced discussion by also giving airtime to consumer organizations. Expect a hatchet job. I'm sorry to say this but the news is what they want it to be. And you can't really blame them, if you ever come across some totally neutral reporting, it will leave you with a slightly empty feeling, subconsciously wondering what to think. The media have solved that problem for you, they subliminally tell you what to think, therefore you feel a lot happier, and so you switch that channel on tomorrow and tomorrow.
You'll just have to take it on trust from me, I'm afraid: ECF knows what it's doing
