Don't let this happen to you...

Before anything else, take a glance at this Gawker piece on the "laziest" freelancer. Then consider the the message sent to the PR person who forwarded it to Gawker. I noticed a few things:

• On the surface, it largely looks like a call for sources from PR firms.


• She mentions the size of the article and number of tips, but I've seen PR people who ask how big an article is going to be.


• She lists what she's covering, probably a quote from the editor.

It doesn't read all that differently than many requests for sources that I've seen. Now, maybe the writer in question actually is asking PR people to write an article for her. Or maybe the PR person in question has a grudge against the writer and decided to torpedo her career. Perhaps the truth is something in between, or even completely different. That doesn't matter.

What matters is how easily a writer can be tarred in front of potential clients and in such a way that clearing the air and limiting the damage is impossible. This can happen when posting on writers' boards, when either an editor is lurking or another writer decides to drop a dime. It can happen with a whisper into the ear of prospects. And it can happen in a public and particularly brutal way, when the publication, Gawker in this case, has so much taste for venom that it publishes a story on the strength of one anonymous source and apparently without making an effort to reach the subject.

Any writer should know that words can sting. When you're putting a request in writing, in a way that can be distributed and reproduced, take some care and consider how you present yourself. Emails and online posts can be notoriously ambiguous. Be sure you've nailed down the meaning before letting someone else nail it down for you.