Introduction
In order to complete this activity, I reviewed my school’s Communications Plan, paying specific attention to the section dealing with communication with the media. I also met with IL, our school’s Director of Communications, to discuss FERPA’s guidelines regarding “personally identifiable information” and how they inform our school’s policies. We also discussed examples of good and bad communications with the media in our past. Finally, I met with AG, a community report for the Miami-Herald’s website, to discuss the school’s relationship with the media.
Findings
Far and away, the most important guideline I picked up regarding working with the media is the importance of preparation. Every example we could find of a bad experience in our past boiled down to someone on our staff being unprepared for dealing with reporters. Either they didn’t have all the facts or they were misinformed in some important way, leading to coverage in the media that did not reflect well upon the school. The key to avoiding this in the future is to follow our Communications Plan to be prepared.
When I began the process, I felt that the idea that our faculty needed to go through a Communications Office just to get word out about a school program seemed like overkill. After all, I reasoned, all we need to do is spread the word about a student performance, for example, or a fundraising carwash. How complicated can it be?
What I discovered is that, while the media is never nefarious, its goals are often not the same as the school’s. This is not meant to imply wrongdoing on anyone’s part, but rather to describe reality. Reporters want to write sensational stories because that is what sell’s newspapers. However, there’s very little that is sensational about a fundraising carwash, so reporters are conditioned to look for more.
When an organization is as large as our school, there are always things going on that not everyone is aware of. So, for example, if a grade 5 teacher is putting together a Civil War play, he might not be aware of the fact that the AP US History class is studying the Civil War and doing in-class presentations on significant battles. It would be a shame if one was mentioned in a news article while the other was not. Just as cross-curricular activities are good for learning, they are good PR and should be shared; having a Communications Office to serve as a clearinghouse for news helps to manage this.
Our school has developed the following guidelines for when a member of the staff is contacted by a journalist:
- Act with courtesy and professionalism. How this is handled may be the reporter’s first impression of Hillel and may be reflected in any coverage.
- If the inquiry is a phone call, refer the reporter to school’s Communication Office.
- When referring the media to the Communication Office, members should not say they are not allowed to talk to a reporter or have to get permission to do so. Instead, tell the reporter: “Our policy is to refer all media inquiries to our Communication Office. You can reach them at…” Don’t let a reporter compel you to answer questions on the spot. Work with the Communication Office to determine the response best for you and the school.