Acting as A News Source or
Resource
Jim Morris
Associate Director
Office of Continuing Professional Education
Cook College, Rutgers University
jmorris@aesop.rutgers.edu
Acting as a News Source or Resource
• What’s Your Goal?
– Advance publicity of an event? Easy
– Info about ongoing service? Hard
– Coverage of an event? Depends
– Moral: Recognize what resources you
require. The more you need, the higher
the bar for coverage. What’s new,
unusual or different?
Acting as a News Source or Resource
• When the Media Comes to You
– If you want coverage, don’t wait
for them to call. Contact them
first. Get your work number,
home number, cell and email on
their PDA.
• When deadlines loom, they will go
to the sources they know, trust and
can reach.
• Keep an updated file of beat
reporters and their editors. Know
who’s who. Know their preferences
and assignments.
Acting as a News Source or Resource
• Reporters live by deadlines
– Information received after
deadline is worthless. It makes
reporters mad.
– Keep the reporter informed even
if you have nothing to report yet.
– If you can’t provide answers
within deadline, provide a quote
or fact that you can live with.
Acting as a News Source or Resource
• Build Credibility Over Time
– Throw good story ideas their way,
even when it does not benefit you.
– Provide referrals to other good
sources and leads.
– Be accurate. If you are unsure,
resist the temptation to estimate or
project. Don’t be forced or led
into an answer.
– Don’t demand coverage. Earn it
by understanding how news
decisions are made.
Acting as a News Source or Resource
• When the Reporter is on the
Line:
– If you are not ready to talk, ask
what they want to know and call
them back within 15 minutes.
– Organize your priorities. Get
your most important information
into one good, short, colorful
quote. Anything beyond that is
gravy.
– Say the same thing different ways.
The best quotes make the cut.
Acting as a News Source or Resource
• Understand the Rules of
Interviewing:
– Once you give it away, it’s no longer
yours.
– Make any agreements before you say
anything.
– “Even a fish don’t get caught, if he don’t
open his mouth!”
– Statements have to stand alone: do not
rely on context.
– Ask whom else they will talk to.
– Challenge incorrect information –
especially after publication.
Acting as a News Source or Resource
• Television
– Give them a
good visual.
TV is about
the picture, not
the news !!!