The Frustration of Tracking Media Coverage

PR is big business. And tracking stories is often difficult. Sometimes the biggest hits don't appear on your radar. I diligently follow up on interviews I give and many of the photos that are taken by photographers from prominent media. But that doesn't mean I can unearth all the publicity.

When I attended the Democratic Debate Scene in Detroit, the Washington Post printed a photograph taken by Jeff Kowalsky (Agence France-Presse/Getty Images).  The print size with short explanation filled a space 4.5 x 5 inches. Did this come up on my radar? It did not. I only found out about it when I visited DC and had dinner with a cousin and her husband months later. She had seen it and clipped it out of the paper. Even after I had the newsprint in my hand I could not locate it through an online search.

When I was in Los Angeles last week for the Democratic Debate Scene there, I was interviewed by many journalists including Angie Crouch from NBC Channel 4. I did a search to see if any of the footage was used and came up with nothing. But a friend of one of my daughters texted her to tell her he had just seen her mother on Channel 4 News!  I called the station to see if they could provide me with a link but was told they did not offer that service.

I guess I have to be content knowing that I am casting a broader net than may initially be apparent. And that's OK!