ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 4 0 8 / C&RL N e w s Your responsibilities os a media spokesperson 1. Y ou m u st tak e th e in itiative. The m edia will no t beat a path to your door­ step. It is your job to reach out and let them know you have a story o f interest to their read- ers/view ers/listeners. To do this well, you must know and understand the different needs of different media. 2. Y ou m u st b e a n educator. It is your responsibility to educate the reporter so sh e/h e can com m unicate your message to others. Provide w ritten background materials but do not assume the reporter has read them. H arried reporters often do not take the time to read these materials but instead expect you to m ake the issue understandable. Watch the re­ porter to be sure that sh e/h e is understanding the points you are trying to make. 3. Y ou m u st b e qu otab le. Statistics are useful as background information but they are generally not quotes. Reporters, especially radio and television reporters, are looking for “sou n d bites”— a 12- to 20-second statem ent that puts an issue into perspective. And they are looking to you to deliver it in a w ay that will m ake it interesting and alive for their readers/listeners/view ers. Keep in mind Put C&RL N e w s on your m ailing list C&RL News likes to include short, practi­ cal ideas o f interest to our readers. Many of these items are picked u p from brief n o ­ tices read in library new sletters, e.g., the items about parent and staff fundraising on page 373 and Post-its™ (February 1992) w ere found in a library newsletter. Grants, acqui­ sitions, and personnel changes are also of­ ten picked up from a library newsletter. If your library o r institution has a new sletter (print or electronic) please be sure that C&RL News is on your mailing list. Newsletters should b e sent to: Editor, C&RL News, 50 E. H uron St., Chicago, IL 60611; o r e-mail: U38398@UICVM.bitnet. that your audience m ost likely will not retain facts o r figures; they will retain a feeling about you and your message. The goal is to have that audience respect, believe, and trust you. 4. Y ou m u st b e p rep ared . Before any interview, prepare a “mini-speech”— a concise message that you can deliver with feeling, a statem ent that sum marizes the m ost im portant idea that you w ant to communicate. Always b e p rep ared to answ er the 5 W’s and H and variations o n them. Make a list o f all the questions you can im agine the reporter will ask. Make note o f w hat questions you w ould most like (and least like) to be asked. Prepare answ ers in advance. Review you briefing m a­ terials. Have your “quotable quotes” ready. Call ALA if you need additional information. 5. Y ou m u st b e In co n tro l. Being in control m eans taking proactive steps to ensure that your message is heard, that you get the questions you w ant an d avoid the ques­ tions you d o n ’t want. Remember, you have not s ig n e d a c o n tr a c t p ro m isin g to m e e t th e reporter’s “quotable needs” w ithout getting your ow n needs m et as well. H e/she can ask the questions an d you can answ er the questions you choose to hear. 6. Y ou m u st b e accessib le. Reporters w ork o n tight deadlines and d o n ’t always call at the most convenient times. If you develop a reputation for always being in m eet­ ings or not returning p h o n e calls prom ptly, they’ll soon stop calling. Make it clear that you w ish to b e notified im mediately if the media calls. 7 . Y ou m u st b e cred ib le. The reason som e people are quoted over and over in new s stories is that they have earned a reputation as being a reliable source of accu­ rate information on particular issues. They are accessible to the m edia and “g ood for a q uote.” You w ant to b e one of those people. E d note: These tips are reprinted with per­ mission fr o m the handouts prepared by ALA f o r a m edia training workshop. ■