Participate in Media Interviews, continued

Remain professional. Although a reporter or editor may use a casual interview style, remain formal. Even during interviews over the phone, imagine that you are speaking to a roomful of people. Adopting a casual attitude may prompt you to talk about behind-the-scenes politics or about internal bickering, items that represent getting off message. Also, exhibiting anger, condescension, or flirting can all be reported and backfire. Remain professional and even formal at all times.

Admit it when you don’t know. When asked a question about which you do not know the answer, say that you don’t know the answer but that you will find out. Don’t make up an answer to impress a reporter. There is nothing wrong with simply saying “I don’t know.”

Provide additional resources. Before the interview, prepare a list of individuals participating on the project (with their complete names, titles, and contact information) who can provide additional information.

Speak on and off the record. Within limits, you can vary somewhat the ways in which you are quoted and named as the source of the information that you provide.

Being “on the record.” Most or all of an interview is typically “on the record,” which means that you are explicitly providing the interviewer with permission to print, publish, air, and quote what you are saying.

Speaking “off the record.” There may be times when you want to provide information or a quote but do not want the quote attributed to you. Speaking off the record allows you to provide special insights to a situation, but the quote will be attributed anonymously, such as to “a knowledgeable source.”

Speaking “on background.” There may be times when you want to describe some of the politics or events that led to the current situation, but you do not want the information attributed to you. You may ask the reporter to completely hide where the information was obtained.

Please review how the case study has worked through Step Five.