Have three or four people who are not directly involved and who have different points of view read the piece or review the situation that upsets you. Just because you think you’ve been slighted doesn’t necessarily mean you have been.

You can threaten to go to advertisers, but be prepared – the paper’s largest advertisers may well be locked into a long-term contract or simply reluctant to take sides in a controversy. This works best if you’ve can tap a relative, friend or acquaintance to exert pressure behind the scenes on your behalf.

When the bias is clear, go ahead and write a letter to the editor or op/ed. But do yourself a favor – don’t make it an angry diatribe against the biased media or the reporter, editor and newspaper. Use it as a second opportunity to deliver your positive, effective message.

The biggest, most damaging PR mistakes I’ve seen have started with claims of deliberate bias or slanting of a story. Before you get there, make sure you’ve got a case and spend some time thinking about how you can make the situation work for you, instead of just making a point.