Sometimes the answers are simple: A message not sent, a phone call not made, an e-mail or fax not received or read, too many stories coming in at once, someone on vacation, or poorly executed PR efforts. These everyday possibilities aside, however, just what is it that determines which stories run and which dont? In the end, it is the reporters or editors judgment.

While that might seem obvious enough, theres a lot that goes into making such judgments. On the practical side, one might consider the amount of exposure a company has received lately. For example, if a company gets covered in three successive issues of a publication, chances for a fourth appearance in the next issue may be slim.

In a related vein, some companies are fond of making multiple announcements at the same time, little realizing that editors will most likely choose just one for coverage and ignore the rest.

When I worked in advertising (yes, I was once on the dark side), we learned that the average driver has no more than seven seconds to read a billboard message. The same type of time limitation applies to press releases, e-mails and other communications that pass by the eyes of editors.

Further to that point (and I know some of you may find this shocking), we editors really dont care that much about your companys rich heritage or its world-class leadership. If youre world-class, chances are we already know that. If youre not world-class, a flowery press release isnt going to convince us.

Of course, the editor must also judge how important the message is in the context of the broad spectrum of news in technology, and technology news about this industry in particular. Some companies are surprised to hear that their hiring of a new sales manager isnt as important as a new technology platform that half the industry could use. Imagine that.

Does it surprise you to hear that we might let our personal feelings get in the way of our otherwise good judgment? Well, we try very hard not to let that happen, but why push your luck? While most of the journalists I know are professionals, we are human beings as well. Spitting into the wind has never been an effective persuasive tactic.

The best overall advice I can give is to be real. Dont say something is “revolutionary” if its really just slightly better than ordinary. Dont tell us a story is important when you know in your heart its not worthy to be written on a bathroom wall. And when it comes to offering time and resources to make our job easier, dont mislead us or let us down.

An industry vendor recently volunteered to provide a tech story that I was quite eager to publish. When the time came to get the story, however, the vendorfor rather obvious political reasonsdecided not to provide it, and even tried to make it look as if I had been the one asking them for the story, when they had in fact offered it, unsolicited.

I think I might have made some horrendous faces on that occasionreal Halloween stuff, if you know what I mean.

So, if you take nothing else away from this exercise in basic PR, remember this: Honesty, professionalism, integrity and respect are your best weapons in the battle to have your story heard. These qualities dont guarantee your story will get published, but they do guarantee that youll get a fair shot.

Senior Editor Ara C. Trembly covers the technology beat for both weekly editions of NU. He may be reached at [email protected].

Readers Respond To

Trembly Hacker Columns

The following readers took time to e-mail Ara C. Trembly about his “Tech Guru” columns on hackers and crackers, with the most recent appearing on Jan. 31.

Rob Foster, an information security officer in Wichita Falls, Texas, wrote:

“I think your reevaluation of the previously posted article was a noble step in the right direction (and it was appreciated). I also think that your column may have served to educate those individuals in the world who have no clue of what a true hacker is.

Most of us are highly educated and hold positions of great responsibilities within the information technology infrastructures of the world. The true hackers are the IT security professionals who provide the daily architecture and engineering that keep all of our systems secured and stable.

It is always amazing to watch vendors and consultants preach on the almighty bad hacker. I love nothing more than to raise my hand as the information security officer of a company and let them know what a true hacker is.

Its also a shame that IT world leaders and trend-setters will focus more time and energy on the elusive hacker (cracker) than they will on the security of their companies. Starting with the large expenditures on systems and applications that supposedly (if actually implemented 100 percent) keep their IT borders secure, keep in mind that they are only as effective as the information security staff are educated and able to do their daily functions 100 percent.

Selective information security practices are what enable the crackers of the world to succeed. If company leaders would stop for a moment and realize that information security is a necessity and not there for convenience, the typical cracker would cease to exist as a threat to corporate America.

It is all kind of a do as I say, and not as I do situation. Information security is not here out of convenience. Information security is a necessity and it must be adhered to with a proactive approach that starts with buy in at the top of every company.”

Chester A. Butler, president of The Butler Company Inc. in Brentwood, Tenn., wrote:

“I just want to write to commend you on continuing to shine light on the serious problem of people who invade the privacy of computer users. The destructive nature of what they do goes far beyond the names hacker or cracker…in my book, they are no less than terrorists of cyberspace.

They are indeed social bandits preying on commerce and private citizens alike. These kind of folks have always been with us, but the good news is we are getting better at tracking them down and putting them out of business…Bad boys, bad boys whatcha gonna do?”

Charlie Williams of the Daly Williams Agency in Jennings, La., wrote:

I enjoyed your column on hackers/crackers. Although I consider myself a forgiving person, occasionally I see heinous crimes in the media and confess to being willing and able to be the executioner of the perpetuator.

As for crackers, if they had any idea the level of contempt they createWell, at least they'd be concerned for their own safety. They are low and bring out the worst in us, and in me.”

Reproduced from National Underwriter Edition, March 17, 2005. Copyright 2005 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.