Rules when speaking to media

Rules when speaking to the media

General Rules

· Know with whom you are speaking. Get the reporter’s name and telephone number

· Rely on facts, do not speculate

· Know your objective & message, and stick to them.

· If you make a mistake, set it straight as soon as possible. Reporters may give the benefit of the doubt for giving them bad information – once. Provide bad information twice and your credibility will be gone.

· Get to know reporters so you have friends when a crisis appears

· Say something positive in every answer

· Say the name of the organization in every answer so regardless of what they use, the CU's name is included

· Never say any form of “no comment”

· Never go “off” the record. If you say it, reporters can use what you say and attribute it to you.

· Never lie

· Never get angry with the reporter

· Ego is your enemy when talking to reporters. Remember, the reporter gets to write the story and has the last word.

· No takebacks. Once you’ve said it, you’ve said it. It’s too late to take it back – even through a letter from your attorney.

Consider a chaperone – Whoever handles the requests for media interviews and preparations should also sit in on the interviews for the following reasons:

· If you have people talking to a reporter on their own, you’re inevitable going to be surprised by stories that appear about you. And you’re inevitably going to have people speaking on your behalf who tell your story differently than you would. If you have someone coordinating your interactions with the media, you’ll have more control over the message.

· If a reporter talks to more than one person from your organization for any given story, only the reporter knows what everyone said unless you have someone else who also sits in on all interviews. If the reporter knows more about what you’re saying than you do, you’ve lost control of the message.

· If a reporter is working on a potentially damaging story – or one of your people says something damaging to a reporter – you can start taking countermeasures sooner.

· If a reporter is working on a potentially helpful story, you have someone who can help pull together more information supporting your cause.

**Six Response Techniques**
Umbrella – nugget (pre-rehearsed ad lib) · Develop a polished nugget to answer the question, “What do you do?” · Use only 10 seconds to answer. Bridging – gets you from one topic to another (takes you away from the negative to the positive) · i.e., “but, I can tell you this. The fire department said we did a great job.” Bump & Run – quick response (“yes,” “no,” or “too soon to tell” · Use to steer a reporter away from a topic and to one you are interested in discussing. Turning the Tables – ask yourself a question and then answer it. · i.e., ‘People ask me, “How would you handle that next time?” and I respond…’ Hooking – answering a question in such a way that it elicits another question you want to answer. · i.e., “Credit union credit card rates are much lower than bank card rates.” Prompting the question, “How much lower?” Flagging – using phrases that emphasize the importance of the points you are about to make. · i.e., “The most important thing to remember is…There are two things to remember…The key issue is…"

Sources

The Ohio Credit Union League is a state trade association whose mission is to foster
the success of credit unions, and the credit union philosophy, in Ohio.

e-mail the Ohio Credit Union System
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