Glossary of Doughertyisms

Glossary of Doughertyisms

• Dougherty's Dictum
  Always pitch as far away from a media outlet's corporate headquarters as you can get away with. The New York Times Albany Bureau has more time to listen to you than the folks who work at the big building on 8th Avenue. The reporter working the Moscow bureau has more time still (if you call her at 10:00 ET)

• Nascar Reporting

When the same story runs every day with minimal changes. Examples are "The Jobless Recovery," "Congress Questions Ben Bernanke's Latest Move," and "Republicans in Turmoil/Democrats in Disarray."

• Halley's Comet

A Halley's Comet is a news story that recurs in a pattern, little changed. Examples are "Are Management Consultants Worth the Money," "Should Lawyers Charge by the Hour?" and "IRS Cracks Down on Overseas Bank Accounts," Anticipating the return of these celestial bodies leads to news coverage, even with no news.

• Spin-Jitsu

A high/risk high/reward media relations strategy of deflecting negative or hostile questions by stating negatives as positives.  Examples are National Hockey League Commissioner Gary arguing that so many NHL franchises have reorganized in bankruptcy is a sign of the financial health of the league and Craigslist founder Craig Newark’s argument that his site’s antiquated design and popularity among criminals are signs of high-value end-user experience.