Communicating your Message through the Media

Overview This session will teach you to: – Respond to media requests – Communicate your message in interviews – Help journalists write the story you want them to write – Foster relationships with the media

Preparing for Media Requests Designate one or two site-level staff members to handle media inquiries. Identify back-ups as well. Brief your spokespersons and inform the sponsor or network about all media inquiries.

Questions to Ask Journalists

Preparing for an Interview Familiarize yourself with the journalist. Find out whether the interview will be live or recorded. Know your key messages. Know what you want to say in advance. Do a mock interview with a colleague. Check the news.

Giving a Memorable Interview Be direct. Keep your answers short, simple, and to the point. Do not use jargon. Use language that anyone can understand. Assume that the reporter and his or her audience know very little about your research topic. If you do misspeak, deal with it immediately. You might say, “Let me clarify that... ”

Getting your Message Across Bridging: Using a phrase that moves the direction of the interview into your territory. – Acknowledge the question. – Then switch, or “bridge,” to your message.

Bridging Techniques “What’s most important is…” “That’s not my area of expertise, but I think your audience would be interested in knowing that…” “That reminds me that…” “Let me reemphasize something I said earlier about…”

Answer, Bridge, Communicate Use the ABC Method: – Answer the premise of the question. – Bridge to the most important issues. – Communicate key messages.

Getting your Message Across Flagging tells the reporter that what you’re about say is important. “Let me tell you the three most important things you need to know...” “What your audience needs to know is…” “The critical point is…”

Handling Negative Questions Don’t repeat a negative phrase. Rephrase the question in your mind as a positive question, then give a positive answer. For example: Q: Don’t you care about whether the women become HIV-positive? A: The safety and well-being of the women who volunteer for this trial is our highest priority. That is why we are conducting this research.

Stay “On Message” Tailor your messages to your audience. Make sure your messages are concise. Limit yourself to three or four key messages. Repeat these messages several times. Do not say more than you had planned.

Avoid Being Misquoted To reduce the chance of being misquoted: Conduct interviews over . Speak slowly and clearly. Provide handouts with written information. If you think a reporter is not following your points, try to determine if the cause is confusion or deliberate misrepresentation. Suggest he/she interview a second source.

Avoid “No Comment” Remember that the microphone or camera is always on. –Do not use the phrases “no comment” or “off the record.” If you do not want to see it on the front page of tomorrow’s paper, then you probably should not say it.

When a Reporter Catches you off Guard Determine the journalist’s deadline and see whether you can arrange to be interviewed at another time. Identify the topic of the story. Ask if the reporter has conducted any other interviews and with whom.

Follow up with the Reporter After an interview, send the reporter an . –Thank her or him for the opportunity to speak. –Reiterate points you think the reporter may not have understood. –Offer to help clarify any remaining questions. –Include your contact information.

Helping Journalists Write Good Stories Provide an interesting story. Supply the reporter with several sources. Provide photos or ideas for visuals. Provide sound bites. Make sure your press releases are newsworthy, well-written and informative. Offer briefings before an announcement or event to give journalists the background they will need to cover the story well.

Become A Trusted Source Return calls quickly and respect deadlines. Make yourself available. Provide positive feedback when you read an insightful story. Know the issues Provide written background materials that summarize your key messages. Put reporters in touch with other experts.

Understanding Media Constraints

For More Information