News conferences are fraught with danger. Demonstrators or hecklers will steal the thunder of your message and grab the spotlight on the 6 o'clock news. A reporter with an axe to grind may harp on negative issues, which will then be reported by the other journalists in the room. Or your "news" conference may not be sufficiently newsworthy to attract the media.
So before you decide to call a news conference, make sure that the circumstances meet all of the three following criteria:
1. The media will require some form of contact with you -- to ask questions, to take photographs or video or to interact with a new product or piece of equipment.
2. AND a large number of media want to cover the story.
3. AND the media must cover the story right now -- it can't wait until tomorrow.
Unless all three criteria are met, you can satisfy the needs of the media by sending out a news release and setting up one-on-one interviews. This will minimize the risk of losing control and it will give each reporter an opportunity to develop his or her own unique approach to the story. | 
