What is media training

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What is media training?
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Goals

• To understand the importance of media interviews
• To understand how to prepare for a media
  interview
• To be able to recognize types of questions that
  could be difficult to handle
• To understand how best to answer media questions
  by media type
• To understand how to keep the upper hand in an
  interview

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Know your media

• Establish a trust relationship with all local
  media dont wait until a crisis or when you need
  something
• Know how each media works, its deadlines,
  limitations AND how/where it excels
• Be accessible 24/7

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Understanding print media

• Newspapers are permanent and tangible
• Stories tend to be long, fact- and detail-filled
• Photos help tell the story
• The local daily is your vital link to community
  (taxpayers/voters/business leaders)

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Newspapers

• Publishers - editor - reporter - copy editor
• Editor, managing editor, city desk editor,
  section editors
• Specific beat reporters
• Higher ed, science, health, arts, agriculture,
  business, K-12, Statehouse, sports
• Columnists, editorial writers

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Television media

• News director - assignment editor - reporter -
  photographer - anchor
• Putting stories together mainly in afternoon
• May have 4 or 5 newscast deadlines
• Reporters most often are generalists
• Stories are usually 115 to 145 minutes

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Radio media

• News director/ reporter
• Have deadlines throughout the day
• Trend is to consolidation and less local news
• Stories are usually less than 45
• Make your soundbite count

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Planning an interview
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What should I know?

• Dont do the interview on-the-spot
• Get help, find out background, make talking
  points
• Understand your medium
• Will it be taped or live?
• How long will the interview be?
• When is the reporters deadline?
• What is this story about (angle)?

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Plan your interview

• Key messages
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.

• Supporting facts and anecdotes
• A.
• B.
• C.

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More interview planning

• Key Messages
• 1. We must bolster our best programs
• 2. All our programs are high-quality

• Supporting facts and anecdotes
• A. cant be all things to all people
• B. only so much funds
• C. competing nationally
• A. nationally ranked research university
• B. halo effect

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Anticipate Questions

• Tailor key messages

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The interview

• Formulate key messages write them down
• PRACTICE delivering key points and answering
  worst possible questions.
• Prepare background, gather educational materials
• Get backup if needed (PR sit in?)

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The interview

• Recognize potentially hazardous questions
• Speculative questions
• IF this happens, what will you do?
• IF he had died, would it have been worse?

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The interview

• Leading questions
• Arent you upset about the budget cut?
• Dont you think this could have been handled in
  a more up-front manner?

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The interview

• Loaded questions
• Ive heard parents say the school board
  purposely set the qualifications for free busing
  so that almost no one would qualify. How do you
  respond to that?

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The interview

• Silence

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The interview

• Labeling
• Wouldnt it be fair to characterize the new
  budget as monstrous in size and an imposition on
  taxpayers?

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The interview

• Naïve
• I really dont know what to ask, so just tell me
  about you and about your business.

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The interview

• Chummy
• Just between you and me, what do you really
  think of the new board member?

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The interview

• False statements
• Since it looks like the building costs are going
  to be 10 percent over budget, what changes will
  have to be made?

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The interview

• Know-it-all
• Im about done with this story, actually, but I
  just wanted to get a couple of comments from
  you.

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The interview

• Good-byes
• Now that were done with the interview, what are
  your personal views about this?

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The interview

• Be concise
• Soundbites average 7 seconds

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The interview

• How should I look?
• Check the mirror
• Dress professionally and comfortably
• Maintain eye contact
• Dont rock, roll or swivel

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The interview

• How should I answer?
• Think before you speak
• Speak slowly but naturally
• Avoid jargon, bureaucrat-eze
• Avoid speaking parenthetically, double-negatives
• Always tell the truth
• then stop talking

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Question-answering techniques

• Q Did you use public funds to buy pizza for your
  staff?
• A I bought pizza with city funds but it was to
  reward the staff for hundreds of hours of extra
  work they did without pay.

• Bridge to positive key messages

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Question-answering techniques

• The best answer to an A or B question is
  often C

• Q Is that stealing money or just exploiting a
  loophole in the law?
• A I was pleased to be able to recognize
  employees for volunteering to help get the job
  done.

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Question-answering techniques

• Dont repeat back an offensive statement or
  unfair language

• Q So, youre a dirty rotten thief?
• A No.
• (Not, I am not a thief.)

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Question-answering techniques

• Bad question turn the tables.

• Q Did you misuse taxpayer dollars?
• A The real question is do employees deserve to
  be recognized for a job well done? I think this
  is one way we can keep our best employees from
  leaving for higher paying jobs.

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Other things to remember

• Nothing is off the record.
• When you finish answering, stop talking
• Never say No comment.
• Instead, explain why you cant answer the
  question.
• Q When will Professor Jones be fired for his
  felony arrest?
• A While we cant talk about specific personnel
  issues, our policy is to review each case after
  it is handled by the judicial system.

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Other things to remember

• Ask for feedback.
• When you make a mistake, say so.
• Its okay to ask for another take in a recorded
  interview.

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Opportunities

• How making friends with, and serving the media is
  in your best interest

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Ideas to serve print media

• Keep PR ideas in mind
• News releases
• Editorial visits
• Write op-eds and letters-to-editor
• Be generous with story ideas be proactive. Offer
  ideas. Dont just react.

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Ideas to serve broadcast media

• Talk shows Go live
• Long form interviews, radio/TV if possible
• Help get something visual or audio for their
  stories

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Plan your interview

• Key messages
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.

• Supporting facts and anecdotes
• A.
• B.
• C.

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Plan your interview

• Key messages
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.

• Supporting facts and anecdotes
• A.
• B.
• C.