Faculty are not required to contact a U-M media relations person about every request from a reporter before they talk to him/her, but it’s usually a good idea!
- Here’s a list that will tell you which media relations person covers your area of U-M
- If you need to reach them about an urgent matter, call the main number listed for the news office they're in and explain the urgency. Don’t rely on email alone.
- IHPI-specific support: All IHPI members, no matter where their faculty appointment, may also contact Kara Gavin, [email protected], cell 734 516 5362, about media inquiries – especially if their regular media relations contact is not immediately available.
You should definitely contact your media relations person about:
- reporter requests on sensitive or potentially negative issues;
- any in-person visit by a reporter/TV crew/photographer;
- any news situation involving a patient, community partners or research volunteers; and
- any media interactions arranged by a third party such as research funding sources.
Time is critical! Reporters have tight deadlines & news spreads fast on social media.
- Reporters may contact multiple people at once, and only use information from whoever gets back to them first.
- Please don’t let inquiries sit in your inbox or phone messages! Please also let your support staff know this too - if you are out, or busy with other matters, they may contact your media relations person about inquiries from reporters.
When you talk with your media relations person:
- Discuss what to do about the reporter’s inquiry – including deciding whether to give an interview by phone or by email, anticipating questions (including ‘sticky’ ones) and talking through your key messages/sound bites.
- This is also a good time to talk about possible options for publicizing your work through U-M-generated publicity efforts and news channels, now or in the future.
If you speak to a reporter:
- Prepare a few key points ahead of time and stick to them.
- Avoid jargon.
- Remember that everything you say is “on the record” & can be used.
- Ask to have them read your quotes back to you, and/or explain back to you what you told them.
- Don’t ask to see the entire article before it appears – unless you are working with a trade publication in your field.
- More tips for working with the news media.
If you can’t or don’t want to speak to a reporter who contacts you:
- It’s fine to refer a reporter to your media relations person, or ask the media relations person to answer for you.
- You can also help the reporter (and potentially develop a professional relationship with them) by referring them to others with appropriate expertise, either directly or via your media relations person.
Anyone who is asking for money for the opportunity to be on their show, in a publication or on a website isn’t a reporter. They are selling advertising. Direct them to your media relations person.
You should also call your media relations person if:
- You are aware of a potential “bad news” situation in your area – Anything that could end up making negative headlines. We can’t always avoid negative headlines, but we can manage the handling of a situation for the best possible result.
- You have a highly important/impactful paper accepted. Most journals now post final copies of papers online almost as soon as the researchers have approved the proofs! Papers are most newsworthy as soon as they are published for the first time online – and you may work with your media relations person in advance of publication to plan a communications strategy for your work.
- New breaks on a topic in your specialty – especially if a public figure is diagnosed with a disease you specialize in, or there’s a new national report or controversy in your field.
- Someone else wants to involve you in their communication effort or publicize your work – This could be a company, journal, professional society, patient advocacy group, government agency, funding source, student, primary author of work on which you are a co-author, or patient.
- You have an idea for a feature story or blog post that gives useful information to the public on a health or scientific topic of broad interest.
- You become aware that a patient is reaching out to the news media to get attention for his/her case or something else that might involve U-M.
- You have an idea for an opinion or “explainer” piece. Find tips for writing such pieces here.