Media Interview Hints

Michael Sheehan is a media consultant who works with political candidates and business leaders to learn how to deal with the media. The information for this paper comes from an on-line seminar Dealing with the Media from the National Conference of State Legislators. The audience was intended to be new state legislators who must be prepared to communicate with the media. I chose Sheehan because he gives practical advice about crafting a message that the media wants to publish. Like legislators, school superintendents are public officials who must be prepared to respond to the media and also create a positive message about their district and education that the media wants to cover.

Sheehan said that the voters, the citizens pay the most attention when there is news. A superintendent must understand that responding appropriately to the media creates positive opportunities. One media story can get more attention than any public relations campaign that you plan. That is where the voters are. Be prepared and understand your message before the news comes. You can either create a sharp, positive image or a fuzzy image.

When preparing to talk to the media, remember that the media has a very limited time to tell a story. Go into an interview with no more than three points. Make it simple. Think about what the media needs and craft your message so they can use it. Be brief and don’t worry about repeating the primary message. An interview is a mosaic and you are looking to reinforce a few main points.

Reporters are not paid to agree with you. They are paid to ask questions that can be used to support their story. Your goal is not to get the reporter to agree with you. Your real audience is the reader or the viewer who will get a short clip of a much longer interview. Keep to your main three points and don’t let the interview wander into areas that could make you look bad.

Sheehan said to be very careful with the message. One bad interview can last forever. There are media databases like Lexis Nexis that collects every newspaper article and transcripts of radio and television shows. So reporters have access to virtually everything that you have said to the public. One bad interview can spread like a virus. More than ever, legislators and superintendents must have a focused, clear message that stays on target.

Before an interview, think about your audience. What 2-3 points do you want to leave them with? The message should be like the message on a billboard. It should be easy to remember. You can’t ask the reporter to share their questions with you first but you can have a warm-up conversation with the reporter to give you a feel for the tone of the interview. Get to the interview early and get comfortable. Don’t be glibe and rush. Don’t talk off the record. If you don’t want to read it in the newspaper then DON’T SAY IT.

Don’t give general, overarching information. Instead give specific examples. Reporters are looking for interesting, specific information.

In a longer interview, a reporter is usually looking for a snippet for the story. An average sound bite is 9-15 seconds. Make it colorful, memorable and vibrant. Sound bites are not new. For example, “Let there be light”, “I think therefore I am”, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes” and “Make my day.” This is usually not an ad-lib. When planning, you need to think through how you can make a sound bite that a reporter will want to use.

As a superintendent, I will plan to respond to issues like limited state funding, No Child Left Behind and advocating for the arts in education. It is important to think through public policy issues before the emotions of a news story that needs to happen now. Like a politician, the message is prepared before the interview.