Here’s a quick guide to burying any major news that you might not want to be the first subject of conversation on the Isle of Wight over the weekend … say, the biggest cuts to Island services for a generation.
1 – Carry out a delegated decision about selling a large piece of land (1.Dec).
2 – Despite requests, don’t reveal the name of the supermarket that has won the bid for the land, for over a week.
3 – Hold the cabinet meeting. Unanimously vote through to recommend the deepest cuts to council services, known for a generation. (Tuesday 7th)
4 – Issue a press release announcing the name of the new supermarket to the press (Thursday 9th), but do it under embargo – ie not to be released straight away – instructing them to not disclose the information until 6am on Friday 10th.
5 – When asked why it’s under embargo reply, “We had hoped to make an announcement in a way that no one outlet was disadvantaged.” (More than a little strange, given all the Island media has their own Web site).
6 – By the very best of good fortune, the local weekly paper (The County Press) make the decision to run the supermarket name as the main story on the front page. Details/coverage of the largest-in-a-generation cuts have to wait until page six and seven to first pop-up, with the remainder of the details of the cuts helpfully placed on page 59.
7 – By equal – and we’re sure – completely unrelated good fortune, the on-Island radio station carry the story as their lead item for most of the Friday, devoting a full six minutes of their 1pm news programme just to that subject, despite running the story the day before.
8 – Most of the Island – unaware of how they’ve had their attention manipulated – meet up with their friends over the weekend with the supermarket opening at the front of their minds (which, by the way, hasn’t even got a chance of opening up until the end of 2012! … if it gets planning permission), rather than the massive cuts to council services.
9 – Job done.
10 – Guess all of this did indeed turn Friday into, “a very good day to bury bad news.”
Image: passionbmx under CC BY 2.0
