CADCA - Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America




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CADCA Media

Instructional

Reporters want to hear what you have to say. After all, you're the "source," the expert, the person with the information they need in order to develop their story. In your professional position, or as a community volunteer, you may represent your agency or volunteer group to the media, speaking on your individual area of expertise. Additionally, because of your position, the opportunity exists for the media to contact you directly for comment on breaking news, or in the development of a feature story.

With that in mind, look at an interview as an opportunity to communicate your point of view on a newsworthy issue. If you're prepared to handle the press, you will be in a position to help eliminate any preconceived ideas or misunderstandings about the issue being covered, achieve your professional and personal objectives, and help the reporter develop an accurate, balanced story that the public can easily understand.

Points to Keep in Mind When Talking with the Media:
1. Remember your rights. Just as reporters can ask questions, you too should be prepared to ask for information that can put the story into context. Understanding the purpose of the interview will give you the opportunity to prepare, and PREPARATION is the key to dealing effectively with the press. Some of the questions you have the right to know up front are:

What type of story are you preparing?
What's the angle you are taking?
Where and when is the story appearing?
Are others being interviewed?
What's your deadline?

2. Once you have received the necessary information, ask to call the reporter back in a short period of time. Always honor their deadline.

3. Plan your "talking points." Before you call a reporter back, take the time to prepare three to five points you would like to make during the course of the interview, and use every question as an opportunity (by bridging from the reporter's question to your points) to address your agenda as well as the reporter's. Gathering your facts and thinking about what you want to say in advance will help you stay in control of the interview. Try to summarize your most important points at the end of the interview -- your repetition will build the reporter's retention. Never try to "wing it," no matter how tempted you may be. Remember for a broadcast interview, your talking points should be no more than 15 seconds each to become a “sound bite.”

4. Take reporters' deadlines seriously. Reporters need to obtain information for a story quickly. If you agree to meet a reporter's deadline -- meet it. If you don't, you will ruin your credibility with that reporter and others.

5. Never say "no comment." "No comment" has a combative, confrontational and even suspicious tone to it. There are better ways to avoid addressing a question on which you really can't comment, for whatever reason. Often you can find a limited response that satisfies the reporter without causing you problems.

6. Answer a reporter's question in language the general public will understand. Avoid using jargon. Be prepared to explain terms less experienced reporters may not immediately understand. Remember your target audience and know their limitations.

7. Make short, simple and specific statements. Colorful language with specific illustrations and anecdotes to support your point will make you more "quotable." Since a typical broadcast quote is around ten seconds, learn to talk in sound bites. Keep answers short and avoid the urge to "fill in the space" when your answer is over. Too much elaboration can lead to uncomfortable areas of questioning.

8. If a reporter makes a statement you know to be untrue, correct him or her in a polite and helpful manner. Remember, a reporter consumes a lot of information from many sources in a short amount of time. Clarifying his or her misunderstandings will help ensure the accuracy of the story.

9. Offer to make yourself available for the reporter to follow-up with you to review any technical material for accuracy prior to publication. Many times this offer will result in a reporter calling you to review material, and will encourage the reporter to use you as a source for other stories. But remember, reporters are not obligated to have you review the finished story prior to publication, so don't demand it.

10. Don't try to make serious points through humorous, subtle or wry remarks. They often can be misinterpreted and may translate badly in print. The result can be destruction of credibility for the story and your image.

11. Avoid using absolutes in statements to reporters. The absolute statement can return to haunt you. A cardinal rule is never say "never."

12. Use statistics and numbers sparingly -- only if they are essential to making your point. Too many numbers and statistics can confuse the issue. If you must use them, round them off and use them sparingly. Look for ways to put them into perspective.

13. Beware of manipulation. Never answer hypothetical questions. You can't comment on the hypothetical as accurately as discussing what is known, and specifically what you know. Avoid questions like "what would you say...," or "what if...." Respond by saying "I can't comment on a hypothetical situation, but I can tell you...."

14. It's to the benefit of the reporter and you that the story be accurate. If you need more time to give additional thought to your response, or if you're in doubt about an essential fact, tell the reporter you'll call back with more information and follow through.

15. When you are asked to comment on something someone else has said, be very careful what you say. It is usually best not to answer third party questions. Don't be afraid to say, "I'd like to read the full text of that comment before I respond...."

16. Don't comment on a reporter's facts and figures if you're not reasonably certain that what's said is correct. Remember, the question the reporter asks you rarely gets printed/aired, but your response, more than likely, will. Don't validate a reporter's information unless you know it's true. You may ask, "What is your source for that information?" to verify its accuracy.

17. Stop while you're ahead. Answer a question to your satisfaction and stop. The more time you spend with a reporter, the greater the risk of wandering off into undesirable areas. Don't rush a reporter off the phone because that may appear rude or evasive. Set a time limit for your interview at the start an explain that you have other commitments. Reporters will generally respect your time restraints.

18. Prepare yourself by knowing the media. Read the bylines and watch and listen to reporters' stories, particularly for those reporters that cover your area of expertise. This will give you a better idea of how those reporters use background information, how they quote their sources, what they consider newsworthy information and what kind of questions to expect. The more you know about the reporters you deal with, and their style of reporting, the more you can take control of the interview.

19. Beware of "off the record" remarks. Don't speak "off the record." Only professionals who have established a solid working relationship with a reporter and both have agreed before and after that comments are off the record should ever attempt this. A good rule is not to say anything to a reporter you wouldn't want to see in print or on the air.

Radio Telephone Interviews

The television camera may be the glamour instrument of the media, but the telephone is the workhorse. Radio interviews are conducted by telephone far more often than in person, even at the networks. Thus a few lines about telephone interview techniques are in order:
Ask whether the interview is to be aired live, taped for use in its entirety or used as an excerpted tape. If it is a tape to be edited for newscasts, it is essential to keep answers within 10 to 20 seconds in length. Get to the point and speak in sound bites.
Ask whether you should use the interviewer's name in your response.
Turn off any "noise makers" in your office. Cut off all other phone calls and close your door.
Get your energy level up. Sit up straight in the chair or stand up and sound alert.
Don't shout or whisper. Speak in normal tones over the telephone mouthpiece, not directly into it. Never use a speaker phone unless asked by the reporter to do so.
Watch those vocalized pauses. That "uh" sounds worse on radio than anywhere else. Silence sounds better and is effective for emphasizing a point.
Be sure you have a good, clear telephone line.

If it's a Print Reporter on the Phone
This interview is a little different from radio. The print reporter is likely looking to move deeper into the subject matter than the radio reporter. In print, you have more of an opportunity to be specific on statistics and ideas that are difficult to convey on the air.

Find out when and how the material is to be used so your responses will be appropriate to the target audience.
Remember that a reporter is always a reporter and may use even casual preliminary remarks in a story. So don't say anything you don't want to see in print or hear on the air.
Always get the reporter's phone number so you can call back with new information or corrections.
State your main premise or most important statement clearly and directly in simple language. Then repeat it the same way when summing up.
If you need time to check statistics or facts, ask for it. If new information develops that changes the facts or opinions you gave the reporter, call back and correct them.
Spell out any difficult name (including your own) or terms if they are unusual.
Offer to provide any photographs, graphs or illustrations you have access to that would be appropriate for the story.

Tips for Working With Editorial Boards

Know the newspaper, its position on important issues and how it covers your issue on the editorial pages.
Develop a relationship with editorial writers just as you do with reporters. Find out who writes about your issues.
If you want to pitch a page one story, go directly to the reporters covering your issues. The editorial board does not control the newsroom.
Don't bring too many people to the editorial board. Two is usually enough - the coalition leader and one other member with standing in the community, such as a business leader or police chief.
Rehearse. Anticipate tough questions. Make sure that the members of your group going before the board know their part.
Watch out for too much “hearts and flowers.” Facts about the value of the editorial you want them to write are more useful.
Organize your facts. Be concise. You want to persuade the board. Have a one-page summary of your position and include a list of resources to call in the community. Give these to the editorial writers when you leave and cordially invite them to call. You can be a valuable resource to them.
Remember you're dealing with wordsmiths. Don't use acronyms, section numbers of regulations, jargon and other arcane language used by the substance abuse community.
The quickest way to get on the editorial pages is to write a 25-line letter to the editor stating your position succinctly.

Television Interviews
Although you will occasionally do a live television interview, the majority of television interviews are taped. Although taped studio shows are not normally edited before broadcast, news interviews in the field commonly are. Regardless of the situation, there are several helpful points to remember when doing a television interview.

How you are perceived by viewers is extremely important in television, so first impressions are critical. A friendly smile and a "thank you" to the interviewer, addressing that person by name, immediately establishes your likability. It also associates you with the credibility the interviewer has with viewers.
To retain credibility, it's important to keep eye contact with the interviewer. Maintain it throughout the interviewer's question and into the first part of your response. That "crossover" moment between question and answer can be critical to credibility on tough questions. To lose contact then can indicate evasion, dishonesty or anxiety.
Television appearances should be conducted in a style larger than ordinary life. You should speak clearly and distinctly. Maintain an even pace to your delivery so words will neither be slurred together by too fast a pace nor flow too slowly.
Most of us talk in about a three-note vocal range. You can be much more convincing and interesting by expanding that voice pitch range to color important words. Going up the scale to a higher note is a good way to underscore major points. Then take a slight pause to reinforce the importance of what you've said.
The slight punctuator is the gesture. It's a companion to that high note and actually helps generate it. Remember to keep your gestures high enough to be seen in TV close-ups (shoulder high) and then retrieve them after you've made your point.
If the interview is in a studio chair, curb any tendency to swivel or lean to one side. If you sit fairly erect with a slightly forward tilt, you'll help your energy level and you'll look attentive and eager to talk.
Remember broadcast time is short and viewer attention span is thin. So keep your answers short, simple and free of unfamiliar jargon. Get to the bottom line conclusion first and then explain with illustrations familiar to the public.
Try to work mentions of your organization into your answers. But make them logical and unobtrusive, not hucksterish.
For studio interviews, offer to bring appropriate visual material that could illustrate your points. Film or video tape clips are also desirable.

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