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Working with the Media
UNC faculty and staff should contact Media Relations when …
UNC faculty and staff should contact Media Relations when …
• You have been contacted by a news organization or can offer an expert opinion on a current news story
• You use innovative teaching techniques in the classroom or laboratory and want to share them with others
• You or another faculty member has won a major award or recognition
• You have completed a ground-breaking research project and want to announce it
• You want to tell others the "good news" about your students
How to promote your event on campus
Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to submit UNC news items and
events for the daily electronic campus newsletter and the online UNC calendar.
All events — including concerts, speakers, performances, workshops, meetings, celebrations, athletic events and festivals — should be entered directly into the UNC calendar by logging onto http://www.unco.edu/calendar/calendar.asp. Events publicized in UNC Today will be taken directly from the calendar. Announcements such as job openings, policy changes and information about publications should be e-mailed to unc.today@unco.edu. Story ideas for the Spotlight on UNC section of UNC Today should be submitted to http://www.unco.edu/news/highlights.html.
How to promote your event beyond campus
Media Relations writes and distributes
press releases to local, state and national media about campus events
that are of broad, general interest. But we can't help promote you event
if we don't know about it well in advance. We need time to assemble and
write the information and distribute it to the relevant media, and they
need time to format it for their publications. We also use press releases
to pitch story ideas to media outlets, and editors need time to include
your event in their reporters' busy schedules.
• For press releases
doing advance promotion of an event (you want to get the word out so people
will show up), we need your complete information at least three weeks
before the event date. If there is an advance registration deadline, submit
your information three weeks before that date.
• Avoid use of discipline-specific jargon and be sure to accurately
report the names of any organizations - don't use acronyms.
• Remember the media decide what information to use - the Media
Relations staff has no control of where, when or how press releases are
used in any publication. The only way to guarantee your information will
appear when and how you want is to purchase advertising space.
• Include complete information about the event date, time and exact
location, plus any specifics that would help a reader understand the significance
of the event - such as the biography/resume of the speaker, the title
of the presentation and a brief description of what the program will include.
How to promote honors won by faculty, staff and students
Most honors and awards we report are of interest primarily to the campus
community. Generally these include such recognition as departmental awards,
appointments to boards or committees of academic or specialized organizations
and other honors related to the jobs people do at UNC. These are generally
reported in the daily online "UNC Today." See the submission
guidelines for that publication for details.
A few awards and honors, such as prestigious scholarships, large research grants or national recognition by widely known organizations, make appropriate news for the broader community. In those instances, Media Relations will prepare a press release and distribute it to the relevant media outlets.
• Be sure to inform Media
Relations of the specifics as soon as the award or honor is announced
so we can write and distribute a timely press release. It's not news to
any media outlet if it happened months ago, no matter how prestigious
or important it is to you.
• Remember the media decide what information to use - the Media
Relations staff has no control of where, when or how press releases are
used in any publication. The only way to guarantee your information will
appear when and how you want is to purchase advertising space.
• Include complete information about the award, the organization
presenting the award and a brief description of the criteria used to chose
the winner.
How to promote activities or honors of UNC Alumni
Northern Vision magazine, published three times annually, covers the achievements
and activities of university alumni in a variety of formats, ranging from
news briefs to feature articles. To suggest topics, e-mail northernvision@unco.edu.
What to do when a reporter calls
• Return the call as quickly as possible - reporters generally have
deadlines.
• Ask what is the news outlet, what will be the topic and depth
of the interview and who will be the audience. This helps you know whether
you have the level of information the reporter is seeking. If you don't
think you're the right person for the topic, say so. If you know who is
and can put the reporter in touch, do so.
• Because of time constraints, reporters often conduct interviews
by telephone instead of face-to-face. If you need time to prepare for
the interview (such as looking up statistics), you should set a time when
either you or the reporter will call back. Be aware that the reporters
might be working under a tight deadline, especially if the interview concerns
breaking news.
• Contact Media Relations if you need assistance. You are not required
to have any permission before speaking with the media, but we are available
to help you decide whether to participate and to prepare for a positive
outcome.
Preparing for an interview
• Focus on three to five key points you can get across fairly quickly.
If you are being interviewed for radio or television, you should break
up your points into 20-second bites. Make notes on the points you want
to emphasize so you don't leave out anything important.
• Try to anticipate difficult questions that could come up and consider
how you would answer them.
• Compile any statistics or background information you can provide
the reporter to support your main points, and arrange to provide written
copies.
• If the story will be illustrated with a photo, consider what image
would best convey the important points. The reporter might request assistance
setting up a photo or ask to have a photographer contact you. You might
also be asked to provide a portrait "mug shot" of yourself,
so have that on hand if appropriate.
Being interviewed
• Be friendly, but professional. Having the chance to highlight
your area of expertise can be enjoyable.
• Always tell the truth. Avoid the temptation to guess or exaggerate
- if you don't know the answer, say so and offer assistance in finding
it (either by referring the reporter to the person who would know or by
finding the information and calling the reporter back.)
• If you are speaking for the university (or a department or organization),
indicate that to the reporter. Otherwise, be clear that you are offering
you personal opinion. If you don't know the university's official position
on an issue, say so and refer the reporter to Media Relations.
• Keep your answers brief and non-technical. Avoid using discipline-specific
jargon or acronyms that a general audience won't understand.
• Don't feel you must fill in silences, which reporters sometimes
use to get people to say more than they intend. Answer the questions as
completely as you think is appropriate and then wait for the reporter
to ask the next question.
• If the interview strays from your key points, redirect the conversation.
Keep your notes at hand as a reminder and check to ensure you have covered
the information you consider most important.
• Don't go off the record. If you don't want to see it in print,
don't say it. And remember tape recorders or cameras might still be on
even after the interview has concluded. Anything you say to a reporter,
even conversation before or after the interview, could be used in a story.
After the interview
• Don't ask to see or approve a story before it is printed or aired.
Reporters are professionals and will not agree to have you check their
work. Most reporters will, however, agree to contact you after the story
is finished to check direct quotations, especially if the subject is sensitive.
You should set a specific time when you can be reached for this (remembering
the reporter's deadline constraints.)
• Ask when the story will run, but realize reporters aren't generally
in control of this. Media Relations can often contact editors to find
out for you.
• If you find a mistake in a story after it is printed or aired,
contact the reporter or ask Media Relations to do so. Newspapers routinely
run corrections of major errors. If the error is small, it might be best
to let it go rather than call more attention to it. If the reporter does
not respond to your concerns, contact Media Relations to take the matter
to the editor.
Contact
for page: nate.haas@unco.edu
Page last updated: January 12, 2006
Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity/Title IX Policy and Coordinator