Implicit Muscle

Jack Flack has already commented on Jack "Not-a-Flack" Shafer's riff on Robert Gate's media instincts. But Shafer's observations apparently also prompted Matthew Felling of CBS to pursue a specific spin concept -- "implicit muscle."

The concept is simple, and applies just as well with business as it does with government. A reporter calls, and the inquiry sounds like it's going to lead to something ugly. Do you engage, or seal off the vents and hope the lack of access will suffocate story?

Well, it depends if you think the story will be written whether you cooperate or not.

Seasoned journalists often work this dynamic to their advantage, sometimes even bluffing their way to access. The master of the approach, of course, is Bob Woodward who famously plays to fears that you, lonesome you, will be the only one who isn't saying your peace in the story.

Thus, Felling says:

"Let's call this the Woodward Rule: Cooperate and Navigate. Only by working with media members can you direct the coverage."

"Felling calls this 'implicit muscle,' and compares Woodward to Tony Soprano, the character on the popular TV show. He does not look frightening, says Felling, but he wields great power and everyone knows it."

CSM sharpens the point with a quote from Edward Luttwak of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

'If you don't talk to him, you get slammed. If you talk, you get your perspective in."

Returning to here and now, Felling ties a bow on the lesson:

"The story is getting written, with or without you. Boycotting the media or stonewalling doesn't obstruct journalists from their work, it only keeps you from having your say."

Good flacks have known this forever. There are rare times when opening up can only make the story worse. But in most situations, the ostrich pose does not deliver optimal results.

Over the years, Jack Flack has noticed that business reporters are less likely to use their implicit muscle than their political counterparts do, often underestimating just how motivational the tactic can be. Even if you're name isn't Woodward.