Tips for Talking to the Media

Adapted from the University of California-Davis news service

Obtain the reporter's name and publication or broadcast station and ask exactly how you can help him or her. Also get a phone number in case you need to contact the reporter afterward.

Are you the appropriate spokesperson? If you're not, refer the reporter to someone who is or to the Colby News Bureau (207-872-4353), particularly if questions address institutional facts and figures. Try to see the reporter in person rather than talking over the phone. Distance and deadlines frequently make this impossible, but face-to-face communication is preferable, particularly when discussing very complex material that needs in-depth explanation.

Unsure? Never guess. If you don't know an answer, say you'll find out and call back. Refer questions about Colby (enrollment, statistics, etc.) to the News Bureau.

Unprepared? Tell the reporter you will call back in 15 minutes or so. Collect your thoughts and then follow through on your promise to provide an interview.

Have a message. Prepare a single communications objective and two or three secondary points you want to make, regardless of the questions you're asked.

Conflict is news ; the routine isn't. Reporters often frame their questions to bring out the conflict in a story.

State your position in positive terms; don't repeat negative words in the reporter's question.

Anticipate the tough questions you may be asked and rehearse your answers. If they're not the questions you'd prefer to respond to, address them briefly and segue to what you want to say.

Use simple language rather than technical terms, and try to speak in short sentences.

Be brief. Newspaper reporters can take more time and present more information than can reporters from radio and TV. Eight seconds is the average length of a TV sound bite.

Be friendly, but don't be lulled into flippancy, sarcasm or forced humor. Assume everything you say to a reporter (even in a social situation) may appear in print.

Respect reporters' deadlines. Return phone calls promptly. In many cases, reporters need a response in minutes, not hours or days.

Don't expect a reporter to show you a story before publication; it conflicts with journalistic ethics. If you fear a point has not been understood, ask the reporter to repeat it. Encourage a follow-up phone call for further clarification or additional information if needed. If you're still concerned, ask the reporter to read you only your quotes once the story has been written.

If you're misquoted, try to contact the reporter rather than the editor. But don't overreact, especially if the error is minor or not quite the choice of words you would have used.

Avoid "no comment" answers. They suggest that you are trying to hide something or evade the question, so try to explain why you cannot make a comment.

Remember that audiences (particularly television viewers) are won by the attitudes of those interviewed. Be knowledgeable, sincere, compassionate and energetic.

Above all, be honest. In some cases, the truth may hurt, but lies are deadly. And if you don't know an answer to a question, say so.