Even When You Do Good, the Media Still Gives You a Kick in the Nadgers!

Ah, the media—forever lurking, ready to pounce, even when you’re trying to do something nice. Just ask Nationwide. You can picture the senior leadership team high-fiving over their big announcement: "Let’s give back £12m to our members! What a win!" A rare corporate gesture where the little guy actually gets a slice of the pie.

But no. Oh no. The naysayers weren’t having it. Slowly, smugly, they emerged from the shadows:

+ What about Virgin Money customers?

+ Nationwide members didn’t even get a vote!

+ Four million customers won’t see a penny!

And just like that, what should have been a good-news story turned into a media autopsy.

The hard truth? The media isn’t there to give you a free round of applause or a glowing PR puff piece. If you manage to get a simple “fair enough” from journalists, you’ve basically achieved the impossible.

It’s a lesson PR teams often learn the hard way—if you want to sell your story, buy an ad. Editorial space is still (mostly) sacred, reserved for, you know… the truth. 

Well, unless you're GB News, where it seems the rules are more...er...fluid!