Management and Staff Media Guidelines prepared by the Public Relations Office

1. Refer all media calls to the Public Relations Officer Please do not talk to a reporter unless you have been asked to do so by Management. Referring the calls enables the Public Relations Office to screen them, find appropriate spokespeople, to build relationships with the media, and to coordinate the response. 2. Customer information is confidential. Please do not answer any questions about customers. If an accident or injury occurs, for legal reasons, Public Relations must coordinate the response. 3. Be sensitive to deadlines. The Public Relations Office will always let you know what the reporters deadline is, and ask that you respect it. If you cannot meet it, please let the Public Relations Office know as soon as possible so it can look for another spokesperson. 4. Reporters may know very little about the subject of the interview. You are the expert, and need to judge how sophisticated your answers should be based on the knowledge of the reporter. Reporters usually appreciate the time you take to explain a complicated subject, and will probably give you more quotes or airtime. 5. You are in control of the interview. Reporters may ask questions that wander from the main interview topic. You do not have to answer them. Instead, give answers that lead you back to your main points. 6. Off the record does not exist. Reporters may type or record every word you say. To them, your entire conversation is fair game. At the end of the interview, you can
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ask the reporter to sum up your main points. Please do not ask to see the story before it goes to print or airs. 7. Give short, succinct answers. Reporters sometimes ask a question and wait to see if you will ramble on and say something that would make a good quote. Dont fall for that trap. If you have given a complete answer, stop, and wait for the reporter to ask the next question. 8. Let us know about the interview. Please get back to the Public Relations Office to let them know how the interview went. The Public Relations Office will obtain print and electronic copies of stories to share with the community, as appropriate.