It’s
important to remember that journalists and reporters have a job to do, and they
want to do it well. If you can help them to ‘get a good story’, you will become
an ally and this will help you in the first important step of building
relationships with the media.
A journalist’s job is to gather the facts; to inform the audience; to hear from experts; to meet deadlines; and to reflect the interests of their readers. Your job is to communicate the key messages coming out of your research in a way that will engage and inform both the journalist and – importantly – his or her audience. A fruitful interaction is one which allows both of you to get a little of what you want from the meeting!.
So, do your homework! Find out about the reporter and the news outlet they represent. Think about what your research has to say that will be interesting to the audience. At the same time, be clear about your own agenda: follow the interviewer’s lead passively but remember that you are not being examined!.
Remember that you need to start telling your story with the most important information first. Journalists like to use the "inverted pyramid" form of story-telling. Imagine, literally, a pyramid turned upside-down and balancing on its sharpest tip. The widest part at the top represents the most substantial, interesting, and important information you want to convey: this should lead the article or interview. The supporting facts should follow.
Journalists – and editors – use this style of writing so that if the story has to be cut down in size, it is not the most important information that is lost. So, don’t be tempted to start with the methodology used in your research – however fascinating you think this is!
Playing offence: Begin instead with the conclusions or main findings of your research and go on to the facts and evidence which support your main findings. Be brief! And don’t be afraid to repeat your findings when in a broadcast interview, perhaps saying the same thing in a different way so that it can be absorbed.
Playing defence: If the journalist is being mischievous – or you suspect they are about to be – try to anticipate the difficulties ahead. Ask yourself ‘What is the big issue behind the question?’ Avoid unwelcome questions which are controversial, hypothetical, or ask for information you cannot disclose, or lie outside your area of expertise. Useful phrases to dodge these minefields include: “I am not an expert in that area, but ….” Or “‘I think what you mean is….” Or possibly “I am not familiar with that problem, but ….”
A journalist’s job is to gather the facts; to inform the audience; to hear from experts; to meet deadlines; and to reflect the interests of their readers. Your job is to communicate the key messages coming out of your research in a way that will engage and inform both the journalist and – importantly – his or her audience. A fruitful interaction is one which allows both of you to get a little of what you want from the meeting!.
So, do your homework! Find out about the reporter and the news outlet they represent. Think about what your research has to say that will be interesting to the audience. At the same time, be clear about your own agenda: follow the interviewer’s lead passively but remember that you are not being examined!.
Remember that you need to start telling your story with the most important information first. Journalists like to use the "inverted pyramid" form of story-telling. Imagine, literally, a pyramid turned upside-down and balancing on its sharpest tip. The widest part at the top represents the most substantial, interesting, and important information you want to convey: this should lead the article or interview. The supporting facts should follow.
Journalists – and editors – use this style of writing so that if the story has to be cut down in size, it is not the most important information that is lost. So, don’t be tempted to start with the methodology used in your research – however fascinating you think this is!
Playing offence: Begin instead with the conclusions or main findings of your research and go on to the facts and evidence which support your main findings. Be brief! And don’t be afraid to repeat your findings when in a broadcast interview, perhaps saying the same thing in a different way so that it can be absorbed.
Playing defence: If the journalist is being mischievous – or you suspect they are about to be – try to anticipate the difficulties ahead. Ask yourself ‘What is the big issue behind the question?’ Avoid unwelcome questions which are controversial, hypothetical, or ask for information you cannot disclose, or lie outside your area of expertise. Useful phrases to dodge these minefields include: “I am not an expert in that area, but ….” Or “‘I think what you mean is….” Or possibly “I am not familiar with that problem, but ….”
Potential landmines in an
interview include the following journalistic styles:
Machine gunner: the journalist who asks double-barreled questions making it difficult to know which of the two questions to answer. Separate the two questions, repeating each of them out loud in your own words before answering each of them in turn.
Interrupter: the interviewer who doesn’t let you finish the answer to one question before asking you another. Listen to his or her interruption politely, and promise to come back to the question, but go on to finish your original answer e.g. “As I was saying…” The likelihood is that if you do this successfully a couple of times, the interruptions will stop!
The bomber: the journalist who uses highly-charged negative words to question you. The chances are they are looking for an angry reaction from you: this always improves a programme’s ratings. But do not fall into the trap! Try to defuse the angry language, repeating the more moderate question which you think lies behind the challenge and addressing that instead.
The shrink: the professional who is puts words in your mouth for example by re-framing what you have just said incorrectly; “So what you are saying is ….” This is dangerous! You must take charge of your message by politely disagreeing with their summary, and repeating your original statement.
Machine gunner: the journalist who asks double-barreled questions making it difficult to know which of the two questions to answer. Separate the two questions, repeating each of them out loud in your own words before answering each of them in turn.
Interrupter: the interviewer who doesn’t let you finish the answer to one question before asking you another. Listen to his or her interruption politely, and promise to come back to the question, but go on to finish your original answer e.g. “As I was saying…” The likelihood is that if you do this successfully a couple of times, the interruptions will stop!
The bomber: the journalist who uses highly-charged negative words to question you. The chances are they are looking for an angry reaction from you: this always improves a programme’s ratings. But do not fall into the trap! Try to defuse the angry language, repeating the more moderate question which you think lies behind the challenge and addressing that instead.
The shrink: the professional who is puts words in your mouth for example by re-framing what you have just said incorrectly; “So what you are saying is ….” This is dangerous! You must take charge of your message by politely disagreeing with their summary, and repeating your original statement.
OTHER NATURAL HAZARDS YOU SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR
The pregnant pause Beware of a lull in the interview: this could be a trap for you if you begin to fill in the silence with commentary that you hadn’t meant to deliver. Instead, ask the interviewer, “Is that all…?” Or “What else can I help you with …?”
Tags
Media