11. Look Good on TV

	``THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH JAILS, NOT ENOUGH POLICEMEN, NOT ENOUGH
COURTS TO ENFORCE A LAW NOT SUPPORTED BY THE PEOPLE.'' Vice-President
Hubert H. Humphrey, speech, Williamsburg, Virginia, May 1, 1965.

	When gun control stories are happening, television stations
often come to local gun stores for interviews and pictures. Sometimes
the media uses the gun store footage for anti-gun purposes.

	A typical anti-gun segment might show a police chief calling
for ``strict gun control'' and offering some phony statistic. Then the
announcer would say, ``But not everyone agrees.'' The picture then
shifts to a gun store owner with a two-day old beard and a ratty
shirt, claiming that ``Gun control is just a conspiracy of the damn
liberals.''

	Viewers who are making up their minds about the issue will
find the neat and clean police chief much more convincing than the
slovenly store owner.

	So if you get a request for an interview, accept only if can
make sure that you and your surroundings (such as your body and/or gun
store) are neat and tidy before the cameras roll. And only if you feel
confident that you know enough about the particular issue to speak
persuasively. It's no disgrace modestly to step aside, and suggest
someone else who you know to be a good talker. It is a disgrace to put
your ego ahead of the pro-rights cause, and do a bad job when someone
else could have done a good job.

Preparing your Substance

	Before the television appearance, watch as many segments of
the program as you can. Write down about four key points you want to
convey. The purpose of writing isn't for you to read out loud later,
but to help you organize your thoughts. Think up concrete examples
that support your point.

	Even if the interviewer is sympathetic to your point of view,
he or she will try to ask you challenging questions. That's how
journalists conceive their job. So during your preparation work, think
of the hardest questions that someone could ask. And think of the
questions that someone might asked, based on the other side's main
arguments. Then think up responses to all those hard questions. Have a
friend play the role of interviewer, and ask you tough questions.

	One good way to handle hostile questions is to use them as a
transition to the positive points you want to make. That way, instead
of being on the defensive, you're communicating a positive agenda.

	For example, if the question is ``Why do you support the
availability of these assault weapons which drug dealers like so
much?'' the answer could be ``Actually those guns are hardly ever used
by criminals. Most of the folks who like semiautomatics are target
shooters, or people who want a reliable home-defense firearm.''

Preparing your Appearance

	As we keep suggesting throughout this book in regards to
public appearances, dress conservatively, preferably in a business
suit.  Never dress in hunting clothes, camouflage, or carry a gun.
Even if the station asks you to. The station's interest in
sensationalism is outweighed by your interest in looking dignified.

	For television, there are also a couple other clothing
suggestions. The ideal men's shirt is a light blue one, and the ideal
tie is a conservative one. If you're a male with long hair or beard,
follow your mother's advice (just this once), and get it neatly
trimmed.

	If your ego is too big to let a barber tidy up your beard a
little, then you're putting your personal satisfaction ahead of
everyone else's freedom.

	During the 1968 New Hampshire Democratic Presidential primary,
Senator Eugene McCarthy was helped tremendously by the thousands of
young people who came to New Hampshire to support his insurgent
campaign against President Lyndon Johnson. The youthful volunteers
were mainly motivated by McCarthy's strong stand against the Vietnam
War, and the volunteers, similar to like-minded youth of the era,
sported thick beards and long hair. And the men were even more
far-out!

	Yet when these ``long-haired'' rebels headed off to
conservative New Hampshire to campaign door-to-door, they got
haircuts, following their motto ``Clean for Gene.'' Their objective
was to help Gene McCarthy beat Lyndon Johnson; and if it required a
haircut to avoid alienating New Hampshire voters, they got a haircut.

	And on primary day, little-known, underfinanced Senator Eugene
McCarthy garnered a stunning 42% of the New Hampshire vote. Within
weeks, President Johnson withdrew his bid for re-election. Going
``Clean for Gene'' had knocked out an incumbent President.

	So if a 1968 hippie was willing to get a crew cut, you can at
least ask the barber to trim your beard a little.

	Television stations generally won't offer to apply makeup, but
if you arrive early and ask for it, they might put some on for you.
Makeup is helpful, but not at all essential, particularly with modern
studio lighting, which is much less likely to make you sweat than its
predecessors from a couple decades ago.

	Women can continue to use whatever makeup they feel
comfortable with already, as long as it's not excessive. Use lipstick
and eye liner sparingly.

	If any of jewelry is larger than ``small,'' leave it at home.
Jangly jewelry will distract the viewers.

	Women's clothes should emphasize soft colors. Big prints, big
polka dots, bold stripes, and giant checked patterns are out. So are
pure black, pure white, and pure black and white. Ideally, your suit,
skirt, or dress should come below the knee. Pants are okay too, and
should also go below the knee.

	While dressing conservatively, still pick out clothes that
you're comfortable in and familiar with.

	Obviously there are a lot of television personalities who
don't follow the above clothing guidelines, and who look great on TV.
At the same time, there are a lot of television personalities who do
follow these guidelines, and also look great. The guidelines aren't
intended for Geraldo; they're intended to help someone who's not a
professional TV person look their best the first time out. After
you've done a dozen TV appearances, you'll have enough experience
under your belt to figure out if you can vary the appearance
guidelines a little.

	And remember, gun control is a ``hot button'' issue, and the
other side tries hard to whip up public hysteria. Our job in
communicating with the public is to present the calm, rational side of
things. If your appearance is conservative and dignified, it supports
your message instead of distracting from it.

	When the crew is done taping you, leave the interviewer a card
or piece of paper with your name and phone number, in case they need
to do any follow-up. When you get home, send thank-you notes to the
television station's contact person, and to the interviewer.

On the Air

	Keep your head steady. Don't bob it around, the way you do in
normal conversation.

	Maintain eye contact with the interviewer, not the camera.

	If you're in a chair, sit up straight (but don't be rigid).
Remember what your mother taught you about posture.

	If a mike is clipped on your shirt or tie (which is common in
many sitting interviews), don't play with it!

	SMILE! And then smile some more. A somber face on television
looks terrible. And on television, a small smile looks almost somber.
So let out your natural enthusiasm with a bright smile. (At the same
time, don't make it look forced or unnatural.)

	And just as your face can convey your enthusiasm, so can your
voice--not in an angry or frantic manner--but in a vibrant, positive
way.

	If you naturally talk with your hands and arms, keep on doing
so.  Television likes things that move.

	Be nice. No matter how discourteous the interviewer may be to
you, stay nice, and don't blow your cool. Remember, you're trying to
make a good impression on the folks in television land, who may notice
how you act much more than what you say. If you stay calm while the
interviewer works himself into a hissy fit, you'll score points for
the good guys.

	Being nice, by the way, doesn't mean you can't be assertive.
You just have to be nice while doing it.

	Before answering, pause for a couple or three seconds to
organize your answer. If you're being taped for later broadcast, the
station will edit out any pauses. If you're live on the air, you'll
still sound better with good answers than with hurried ones.

	If the interviewer or interviewers ask you several questions
simultaneously, don't get flustered. This isn't a doctoral
dissertation oral exam, and you don't have to answer every question.
Answer the one that gives you the best opportunity to present your
positive agenda.

	Keep your answers to each question to three sentences or less.
A good format is to give the main point, and then illustrate it with
one example.

	If you keep your answers short, the station will be more
likely to use the points that you wanted to make. If you give
rambling, lengthy answers, the station's editors might pick out the
weakest or silliest statement you made, ignoring the good points that
surrounded it.

	And despite all the preparatory warnings above, relax. You've
probably got a nice personality, a good mind, and a pretty smile. Just
let them shine through, and you'll be fine.

	Finally, when you gather your family around the television to
watch the fifteen minute interview that was taped, don't feel
disappointed when only five seconds of you shows up on the air.
Television stations routinely shoot far more material than they expect
to use. The theory is by shooting a lot, they build themselves a
margin of safety to ensure they'll have all the good material they
need.