Talking to a reporter should be as natural as talking to any professional. The only difference is, what you say might be recorded in a newspaper story, in a radio report or even on television for a large audience. 

Getting press coverage can be very valuable to your local efforts to support public education. So how do you get from point A, wanting to communicate your news – to point B – getting accurately reported coverage? Here are some helpful hints to get you on the right track.

Preparing for an interview

Find out which media outlets (newspapers, television, radio) are covering education issues in your area and get the contact information for the education reporter or editor.

Monitor the reporting to see which issues are being covered and how they're reported.  Is the coverage accurate?  Does it show support for public education and education reform?  Highlight areas of agreement and disagreement.

Decide where to target your message and do your homework.  Prepare a list of the three most important key messages you want the reporter to know.  Make these messages short and precise.  They will be easier for the reporter to remember and write down.

Use the data (student achievement trends, funding trends, changes in staffing/services) to demonstrate your points.  Gather local stories to reinforce your message.

Identify the common ground (stagnant funding, unfunded mandates, etc.) you share with schools across Minnesota.  Make a list of areas where everybody seems to be in the same boat with brief examples in your local area.

Contact the reporter.  Introduce yourself.  Describe your areas of interests/concerns.  Briefly mention any articles you have read that stand out.

Ask if the reporter is interested in any particular public education issue or is working on a list of article ideas or an editorial calendar.

Offer to be a resource contact

Offer to provide written materials to give the reporter as background information.  This could be a flyer or brochure for your group, information about your school or district, a fact sheet you have prepared from your research, or any other documents that provide valuable information for the reporter to have.

Prepare a list of questions that the reporter might ask. Include the sensitive issues where you anticipate disagreement. Then write down the answers. Be truthful and accurate and only disclose the information you are comfortable giving to the general public. Make sure to include your school's strengths. Doing this will reduce your anxiety because you are preparing yourself for any possibility. 

It helps a lot to involve others in preparing and sitting in on the interview.  If possible, rehearse your delivery.

Invite the reporter to an event or school

If you intend to give the reporter a tour of the school, check with the school principal. Some days work better than others, depending on what's on the schedule.

If you want the reporter to meet staff and students, make sure to brief them in advance on your key messages. 

Conducting the interview

Make sure you have a comfortable, quiet and clean area to hold the press interview. If the interview is by phone, make sure you are prepared and in a quiet area. Bring note paper to take notes and write down action items from the interview. Bring your business card for in-person interviews.

At in-person interviews, make sure to look the reporter in the eyes often.

Always be credible, know the facts, be specific, give examples.

As the reporter asks you questions and you respond, look for opportunities to end your response with one of your key messages.

Example

Key message: “Our student achievement and attendance has improved by xxx%.”

Reporter’s question: “Why do you feel your school is producing results? The state report shows you are failing.” 

Possible response: “Our students have improved their attendance and academic achievement by xxx%."

If a reporter asks you about other schools and their problems (financial, academic achievement, etc.), respond by describing the common ground:

• ALL Minnesota districts are hard hit by stagnant funding that hasn't kept pace with inflation
  
  
• ALL Minnesota districts have experienced the same spiraling utility and health care costs as homeowners and businesses
  
  
• ALL Minnesota districts have deferred maintenance, putting off facility repairs that will only get worse
  
  
• ALL Minnesota districts are reeling from unfunded mandates

Your value as a local resource is that you can help the reporter tell the local story about the local impacts of these larger issues.

Take your time to answer questions. Do not be pressured to answer quickly. To get a little thinking time, use a part of the reporter’s question at the beginning of your answers. This gives you time to think as well as lets the editor know you understand the question.

Example

Reporter’s question: “What has been the most difficult challenge for your school?”

Possible response: “The most difficult challenge for our school has been to increase our students' attendance. We accomplished that by…”

You can also say “That is a very good question…” or “Let me think about that…” or “I am glad you brought that up.  It is very important…”

If the reporter’s question is negative, do not reinforce the negative portion of his or her question in your response.

Example

Reporter’s question: “Why is your school failing?”

Possible response: “Our school is focusing efforts on the few students who need the most help… that's the value of No Child Left Behind.  It helps us know which students need the most help."

If you don't understand a question, say so.  Ask the reporter to repeat the question to help you understand.

If you do not know the answer, say so and offer to find out… then do so!  This shows the reporter you can be trusted to follow through on requests for information.

If you make a mistake, pause and make the correction.  Use humor, if appropriate.

Avoid agreeing with a reporter’s statement or opinion.  Instead, restate the area of agreement in your own words.  This will help the reporter write a stronger article.

Do not make a flippant off the cuff remark; the reporter might use it!

The reporter is mostly interested in writing a newsworthy story, not writing negative things about you or your school.  Support the reporter’s efforts with solid information, statistics and a newsworthy angle.

Educate the reporter on public education issues whenever possible

If you have a feeling that the reporter may not have understood you, don’t be afraid to clarify your statement.

You might want to ask the reporter some questions, like how familiar the reporter is with your schools.  Knowing how the reporter is thinking will help you know how much information you need to give in order to be better understood.

If you feel the reporter is negative about public schools, here is your opportunity to educate and influence his or her thinking with facts. Do not stand on a soap box, just be factual and demonstrate your values and successes.

If the reporter is from a TV or radio station, keep your answers short and targeted, and again, no off the cuff remarks. Typically your comments on TV/radio will be very short. Keeping your responses short in the interview will reduce editing out your important message. At the end of the interview, interject with summarizing you three key messages.

Take the opportunity to develop a relationship with the reporter and invite the reporter to contact you any time for information.

Offer the names and contact information of allies to the reporter in case the reporter wants to get more information from another source.

You can ask the reporter when the story will appear or run to make sure you get copies or can record it.

Thank the reporter for the interview.

Tips for parent-citizen group spokespersons

Choose your words carefully and avoid slang, unrelated remarks, and angry or emotional responses

• Always assume that anything you say is “on the record” and might be repeated in a story
  
  
• Be aware that a media story or headline may be more dramatic than you expect
  
  
• Don't feel the need to volunteer information just to fill in uncomfortable silences
  
  
• Make helpful suggestions to others about what they can do, and encourage your audience to take action that will advance your efforts

Avoid:

• Hearing only a portion of a question and responding to only that portion
  
  
• Changing the subject in the middle of a discussion
  
  
• Criticizing another person’s point of view rather than respecting it
  
  
• Thinking about what you want to say rather than responding to what the other person is saying

Interview Don’ts

• Don’t say “No Comment.”  Instead, say “This is confidential information” or “We do not have that information at this time” or “You would have to ask (another contact person).”  Basically, give the reporter a reason you cannot answer.
  
  
• Don’t speculate, forecast or predict unless you have reliable data and you can be perceived as a reliable source.
  
  
• Don’t say “never, or ever, or forever, or always, etc.”
  
  
• Don’t talk about other school’s problems, focus on your agenda.
  
  
• If you don’t want it printed, don’t say it.
  
  
• Don’t get defensive, emotional, flippant, smug, stuffy, arrogant, sarcastic or hostile.

These basic principals are guidelines to start you on your road to talking to the press so your parent group and school or district can benefit from potential positive coverage.