“A reporter’s on the phone!” What to do? What to say? How to say it? Talking to a reporter can be stressful, but the following tips may be useful to keep in mind before, during, and after an interview.

First of all, reporters are not the enemy. They have a job to do, and they take their responsibility to inform the public seriously. Your job is to help them because, if you don’t, you abdicate your opportunity to get your message out.

Before an interview:

1. Learn as much as you can about the reporter and his/her organization. Find out the focus of the story, who else will be interviewed, the reporter’s deadline, the interview format (live or recorded), where/when/how the interview will take place.
2. Prepare: Determine likely questions and prepare appropriate responses. Ensure that you know the message(s) that you want to impart in coordination with your organization’s communication goals.
3. Rehearse: Conduct mock interviews with coworkers, friends, and family.
4. Establish ground rules for the topic and length of interview.

During the interview:

1. Focus on what you can say, not what you cannot say.
2. Talk about what you are responsible for or are a subject matter expert in.
3. It’s ok to say that you don’t know, but offer to research the question and get back to the reporter (and then make sure that you do get back to the reporter).
4. Speak in terms that the public will understand. Avoid techno-speak.
5. Look for opportunities to “bridge” to your message, such as “That’s a good question, but first let me explain . . . .” Caution: do not overly bridge to your message(s) because you will come across as evasive. It’s important that you answer reporters’ questions as fully, truthfully, and accurately as possible, but segue to your message(s) where appropriate.
6. Do not say “no comment.” If you won’t tell a reporter something, explain why, such as it’s against our privacy or security policy.
7. Always tell the truth. If you don’t, it may come back to haunt you.
8. Do not speculate.
9. Remain calm and focused.
10. End the interview with a recap of your message(s).

After the interview:

1. After the interview, ask the reporter for feedback to ensure that you were understood.
2. It’s a good idea to record the interview and review it following the interview. You may have neglected to impart important information that you can provide the reporter in a follow-up call.
3. Read, listen to, and/or watch the interview.
4. Determine whether the message(s) was communicated.
5. Determine what can be done better next time.

Remember that a news media representative is seeking an interview from you, that you are the expert, and that you have the information that he or she needs. That situation puts you in control.

These tips are for those not familiar with dealing with news media representatives. Most organizations, however, have designated media relations personnel whose job is to conduct media interviews or to prepare those designated to speak to the media. In general, no employee should speak for their organization without prior approval.

Jon Tomes here: First, my thanks to Janet Wray for writing this blog item. She is a retired federal employee who worked more than 30 years in media relations for the U.S. Army. She and I worked at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, together almost 30 years ago. She has taught to classes of U.S. Army field grade officers what she has written for you here. She knows whereof she speaks.

If you need a policy regarding how to talk to the news media, I have developed one for you with Janet Wray’s help. The new Sample Disclosures to the News Media Policy is now available for you on the Premium Member section of our Veterans Press website at www.veteranspress.com. Again, as a reminder, if you bought the HIPAA Compliance Library that includes my 5^th edition of the Compliance Guide to HIPAA and the DHHS Regulations, you received with it a one-year free subscription to the Premium Member section. If you need help setting up your account to access the Premium Member section, please call our marketing director, Patrick R. Head II, toll-free at 855-341-8783 or email him at patrick@veteranspress.com.