Dealing with News Media

For those who know how to make the most of it, modern news media  can afford unparalleled opportunities for Getting Your Message Across.

As powerful and influential as any in history - some say moreso with the move to 'on-line' publication and broadcasting - the media can as easily harm as help anyone catching its passing interest.

Editors and their journalists are generally busy people who don't suffer fools gladly, so whether seeking publicity or providing responses to questioning, it pays to be prepared (at least to the extent of the pointers provided on this website). 

It is important to realise that while the media have no special rights to information, failure to deal with journalistic inquiries positively can result in negative coverage in print, on radio, television or online.  

Also important to accept is the fact that the vast majority of interviews are edited - and drastically.  Typically, a 10 - 15 minute on-camera interview is likely to end up as 10 - 15 seconds on the nightly news!

The safest and surest way to ensure a satisfactory outcome from any media interview is to have a succinct message that serves your interests at the same time as satisfying the interests of the questioning journalist.

The most profitable way to proactively promote your interests through the media is to establish relationships allowing you to test story ideas with individual editors and/or journalists.

Whether you are looking to establish an ongoing relationship with particular media, need to manage interviews as part of your role, or have a daunting grilling in immediate prospect, you'll find useful pointers via the right hand panel tabs.