Here's the reality of dealing with media, and it comes from decades of being both media and also at times, being a spokesperson for an agency.
Unless, say, you're Jennifer Aniston announcing your engagement, you don't get to set terms and conditions. At least not with any ethical reporter. It's very common for people to ask to see the article before publication, and the answer is, and always has to be "sorry, no."
There's also the factor of how people respond to media, especially "big name" media. Many people have no clue how to handle the media, and that fact gets fed on. Many people get so entranced with the idea of themselves in the spotlight--let's say, Ric Mims, Drew Peterson's ol' buddy--that they just go crazy with it.
Someone who knows how that biz works doesn't have to negotiate. You just make darned certain that at some point you take the interview where ou want it to go and make an important statement with good verbs and headline content that you can bet the reporter will bite on and use. But most folks not in the biz don't know how to do that.
In general, a People snippet does not provide us with much to hang our hats on. They're a "gossip and go" publication, and they have that market sewed up.
And, yes, someone could say "If you don't let me make a nice statement about Kyron I won't talk to you." Forgive me, but that's a dumb move. Why? The reporter may say "We can't be dictated to, bye bye now" and the potential interviewee could lose the chance to say something they really really wanted to say in public (whatever that is).
Or, the reporter could accept that term, and boy howdy, could the interviewee be in deep trouible then. When the article comes out, the text includes (because reporters do not like to be dictated to; independence is part of the breed, just ask any editor!) something like this:
Smith demanded that this article include what he called a "nice" statement about xyz. Although normally we do not negotiate with those being interviewed, we felt that this conversation was important enough to provide that platform.
This is being written as quickly as I can type, which is PDQ. Notice the verb: Smith DEMANDED. The use of that word, with its connotations, sends a clear message.
No matter what else Smith has said, Smith now has taken a big hit in more than one way.
Or, let's say that the reporter uses the "nice" statement without an editorial note. Then the reporter uses another quote like this: Despite his vehement statement of support, Smith earlier said "quote that contradicts the "nice" statement.
Always remember that words are weapons, and how they're used, and in what length, and in what setting, can change things signficantly. At one point, when I was doing sometimes literally dozens of radio interviews daily, I learned to ask if they wanted 10, 30, or 60 second sound bites. And I'd tailor my response. I also learned that in a longer sound bite, or in a longer interview, never, ever, to use even one phrase that could be pulled out by itself to say something that was the opposite of the entire interview. The unscrupulous reporters will do that.
Please understand that the sculpting of interviews and then the sculpting of the article, and all the variables, contains many potholes--and many opportunities. But you have to have spent a lot of time on that road to know the differences, and know how to steer things where you want to go.
When you read or hear an interview, please always remember that it isn't the whole interview, that there are connotative words as well as denotative words, and that how it's put together is part of the story that you perceive. A reporter can present a picture that seems good, but isn't complete at all.
Whew. I've also counseled political candidates, and got a longshot elected, and it was hard work to teach her how to handle media and forums. The first hurdle was getting her to accept how the game is played, and it is a rouigh rough game.
I keep swearing that one day I'll write a "how to handle the media" guide for the average person in a crisis, or the average person who's doing community work and needs PR for a group.
