In The Dark Knight, Batman’s nemesis The Joker likes to ask his victims this: Why so serious?
I thought of that today when idly inquiring of a flak what he thought of the coverage he was getting for the takeover in which he is embroiled.
A deep breath, a sigh: I Worry About Every Word, he said.
Apart from concern for his blood pressure, my main thought was this: don’t take us so seriously.
Hacks can be unpredictable, so I do understand the fear that attaches to coverage of a live bid.
I also think that coverage makes less difference than clients imagine; that one day’s bad press is neither here nor there.
In this specific case, the press has been mostly positive. If you take out the tone of voice of the odd piece, allow for the personality defects of some of us, most of what has appeared has been reasonable.
There’s pressure on flaks from all directions, I know. I still think y’all worry too much.
