Some idle thoughts about the freelancing trade we ply.
Those of you who write government speeches are familiar with the term “Check Against Delivery” that goes on the title page of speeches. In the pre-Internet days it was a signal to the media that there might be a difference between the written speech handed out at an event, and the one that was actually delivered. It also allowed the speaker some leeway to deviate from the distributed text as the mood or circumstance might dictate. And there was no electronic version of the speech. Just hard copies handed out to reporters who usually dumped them in the waste basket on their way out the door.
Fast forward to the common practice of government departments, and private sector corporations to post their speeches on their web sites. Question. Which speech is put up on the site? The speech that was signed off on - the one that cleared all the approvals - the safe speech? Or the one that was really given - where the speaker wandered off to unrelated tangents, told inappropriate jokes, or otherwise went off-message?
Sometimes the matter can be of little consequence. But at the very least it can present administrative headaches for the communication team.
On the other hand, it may be that even the speakers themselves don’t want the “as given” speeches up on their web sites. They might have stuck their political feet in their mouths in one fashion or another and in the harsh light of the following day, they might well want the text as-written to go on-line and pray that no one calls them on the difference. Read more…
February 5th, 2008
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