The latest trick: the press conference at 7:10 p.m.

All media rush to the scene, no one wants to miss it. Coverage of the press conference is given priority. Frameworks are written. Experts are called. Afterthoughts are prepared. The first 10 minutes of the newscast are at least partially about your news, and from the press conference on, you are guaranteed minutes of coverage. Perhaps still followed by studio debates and analysis for the Web site or newspaper. And tomorrow morning there will be so much fresh information that "your news" will remain hot for at least a few more hours - and who knows, maybe until the end of the day.

Quickie did it recently, Conner even twice, but even the government’s COVID press conferences weren’t scheduled at that time by accident.

Why do they do that? Why do they deviate from a scheme that has worked well for years to everyone's satisfaction? The answer is simple: control. The messenger wants as much control as possible over how his story is represented by the media. Radio, TV and the various news sites bring your statement live into the living room. You instantly reach the great masses. This privilege used to be reserved only for the king, who gets to address his people a few times a year.

This is to the advantage of the messenger: the framing - how the story is put down and thus enters that audience - is no longer in the hands of the journalists. The public hears the news directly from the person involved. That person tells that news how he or she wants, and fills it in with the details, the nuances, the emphases that best fit the chosen storyline. The fact that journalists ask questions afterwards, or give their own reading of that news, is no longer even relevant. Audiences already form their opinions largely the moment they themselves hear the story firsthand.

It is the superlative of a golden rule in crisis communication: bad news is best delivered by yourself, and now also directly to your target audience. In fact, it is a logical extension of the control you already take over your story as messenger by using social media optimally. If your news is important enough, a live broadcast on the TV news is now an additional option.

(Cynical pro-tip: even better than starting your press conference at 7:10 pm is to do so as early as 7:05 pm. Because that way you give the newscasters even less time to consider extensively before the live coverage of the press conference what might be announced. And maybe start a few minutes earlier, just when you are sure the news has started).

Is this a plea to organize your press conferences at 7:05 p.m. from now on? Certainly not. The media won't appreciate it. If your news isn’t big enough or doesn’t come from sufficiently important people or organizations, this strategy won’t work. Then it's best to opt for the classic way of doing things: a press conference at 3 p.m.