Indeed. Especially if you, like Frederik, is uncomfortable about being in the limelight and also that he had problems coming to terms with his future life.
He must often have felt like shouting: "Get lost"!
However, that's where the difference between a serious reporter and a gossip column writer comes in. If you treat you victims with respect and build up a mutual trust, then you end up getting the exclusives and in some cases a relationship bordering on friendship is established. Prince Henrik has such a relationship with at least one such reporter. He knows and asks to her family and in return he tells her more than he would perhaps otherwise have had.
Such reporters may sometimes omit writing a juicy article, but that pays off in the long run.
Anna Johannesen points it out in the interview: "Sometimes I have thought, good heavens, that sure is private. But I apparantly have an inbred abillity to make people open up. Perhaps because I'm good at listening. Perhaps because I ask very directly. You have to take action and not being too meek.....".
About getting favors in return. Some of you may remember when M&F visited Australia some years back. They requested Anne Johannesen, who covered the visit, to leave them alone while visiting a zoo. The Australian press however followed them and that's where we got the pics of Christian stealing the show along with the animals.
- I was later told that it had bothered her (Mary) that we had been cheated of these pictures. So she personally ensured that we were allowed to bring the Australian pictures with exclusive right for Denmark. That was really sweet of her". (*)
(*) Of course the cynic might argue that it was a wise move by Mary. Because there was indeed critisism later on of M&F having snubbed the Danish press, but M&F couldn't have known about that in advance. And the BB editor-in-chief came out in defence of M&F. - Mutual co-operation based on mutual respect.
This is what the editor wrote in the editorial:
Annemette Krakau: Sandheden om Marys ”skideballe” – Annemette Krakau: The truth about Mary's ”dressing down”.
03 september 2008 | Annemette Krakau
The headlines have thundered about Mary’s rage towards the press – Read the complete and true story here.
Last week the headlines thundered about how an angry Crown Princess Mary had shown the Danish press the door in Tasmania in connection with the CP couple’s visit in an animal/wildlife park. And Mary were called both “furious”, “snobbish” and a lot more from the bag of words that triggers frowns in the forehead and lots of letters to the editor.
The true story from Tasmania is very different.
The truth is that Mary is both professional and cooperative and that the tone/mood between her and us is really good. When the CP couple and their children were to visit the animal park the journalist and photographer from Billed Bladet lined up outside the gate. When Mary passed we asked whether we could take some pictures inside the park. And Mary answered quite calmly that she dealy wished for a private moment with her Australian family and she asked whether we would please respect that. Which we did. The message was only delivered in Danish, because we were the only ones who asked for permission. The foreign press was already inside the park and were photographing away. In order to get the situation calmed down/less hectic the CP couple agreed – under heavy pressure – to line up for some pictures.
After the visit the journalist and photographer from Billed Bladet were of course annoyed about missing a good shot inside the park, but we had kept our agreement/promise, which Mary knew. She went into action and arranged for her private pictures from the visit to be at disposal for Billed Bladet (these pictures are published in Billed Bladet this week) and a team of Danish colleagues.
Mary could have been indifferent. She could have shrugged her shoulders and acted “furious” or “snobbish”, as it was written that she did. But the future queen of Denmark was everything but that. We are fond of having Mary’s pictures, but we are even fonder of the truth.
Yours sincerely
Annemette Krakau, editor in chief.
