From Abortion Forward Communications Director Gabriel Mann:
Years ago, I was working on a campaign that employed a professional blogger. I asked the director why we had a person on the payroll who didn’t do anything other than write a blog, and he replied: “One reason: reporters are lazy.” He explained that packaging ready-to-print content about the campaign gave reporters grab-and-go statements they could plug into stories.
That comment stuck with me; but over the last 20 years, I’ve learned that reporters are indeed not lazy. Any lazy reporter was likely laid off over a decade ago as every media outlet has changed. Newspapers are shrinking dramatically, both in readership and staff. Television spots are covered by field reporters who are their own writer, camera operator, and social media manager. Online freelance writers repackage stories from around the globe to generate ad views. Reporters are overworked, underpaid, stretched in many directions, facing new demands from editors. Most reporters are desperately in need of a story subject with a prepared statement ready to print whenever they call. Hence, our campaign’s paid blogger.
Our goal is to get ready to quickly and professionally respond to reporter calls as they come so that our main message reaches our audience.
Preparation questions
These are questions our team asks to prepare for a media interview:
- What is the media outlet?
- What is the deadline? (First question you should always ask any reporter seeking comment: How long do you have to prepare and respond?)
- What is the interview method? (In person, on camera, zoom, phone, studio, emailed statement)
- What is the final product format? (video to tape, live video, radio to tape, live radio, print, online article)
- Who is the reporter and contact info?
- What do they say they want to ask about? (Don’t necessarily trust this, but good reporters are honest, or too busy to be dishonest.)
- Do we want to be included in the story at all? (AKA, Should we call them back? The answer isn’t always Yes.)
- Who is the other side included in the story?
- Who have they also contacted on our side of the issue?
- What do we know about the outlet and reporter?
- Have they covered abortion/reproductive rights in the past and how was it?
- Do they have knowledge about the topic?
- Do they have bias about the topic?
- What is our main message?
- How long is the interview and how long with our portion be? (55 second radio segment vs. 1,000 word magazine profile)
- What is our secondary message?
- What is our third message?
- Are there key statistics, stories, or talking points that should be included?
- What questions are they likely to ask?
- What questions do we want to answer?
- What questions do we not want to answer?
- What answers should we prepare to respond to bad questions that can redirect to good answers?
- Who should be the spokesperson?
- What role are they representing? (Clinic director, communications director, doctor, board member, patient, community member)
- Are they representative of a key demographic that should be uplifted in the story? (BIPOC, trans, LGB)
- Have we practiced?
Practice before the interview starts
How to memorize a paragraph: write your statement out by hand three times. Then it will be in your head. Repetition is key for remembering main talking points. Incorporate them in staff meetings to boost familiarization.
For staging on-camera interviews: Don’t overthink it. Select quiet, well lit areas. Outdoor shots may be more convenient for camera crews. Backgrounds will likely be out of focus. I’ve given TV interviews in the local library parking lot, outside a church while my kids were playing kickball on the playground, and even in my front yard standing in the snow. You don’t need a perfect setting.
What you say is more important than what you wear. Clothes should be muted, but remember that most local news clips will only show you from the shoulders up. A jacket lapel gives a good place to clip a microphone.
Don’t forget to breathe!
Objectives for the reporter and you
Every reporter comes to the interview with some agenda. Frequently, their agenda is to record a statement from you including a quote they can add into a story they’ve already started writing. They may just be wanting to capture that quote as quickly as possible and move on. Most tv and radio reporters want to find a concise quote that summarizes your position in 5 seconds. Have faith that if you adequately emphasize your main point, they will use it in the story.
Unless otherwise explicitly agreed upon, discussions with a reporter should be considered “on the record.” Anything recorded is definitely on the record, including emails, texts, and audio or video recordings. While on camera, carefully select your words until you have removed your microphone and the camera has been turned off. Only with a reporter you trust can you verbally ask to be “off the record.” The reporter should verbally confirm that request. Despite any agreement, no off the record discussion should include anything you do not want to see in print, either due to mistrust or mistake.
A reporter may have a fairly complete understanding of the topic and want to see how your view compares to the opposition. Alternately, they may have a new entrance to the issue and ask you many questions to get up to speed. We have been frequently interviewed on camera by the station meteorologist who got the assignment on a sunny day because they were just extra hands in the studio. That weatherman might need some extra information to shape the questions he asks in the interview. Ask to have a conversation “on background” to let the reporter know context to a story before they turn on the camera.
When giving a TV and radio interview on tape to be edited before air, the answer doesn’t have to match the question. The questions asked will likely be establishing the situation, asking you to describe what’s going on and give your side of the story. This is a perfect opportunity to give a clean, clear delivery of your main message. If asked a yes/no question, you can give the short answer, pause to breathe, and then give a full, direct statement that can easily be clipped by a producer.
Slow down and speak clearly!
Interview tips and tricks
Here are some tricks to improve your interview:
Bridge statements can connect a secondary point back to your main message. No question has to be answered, but effective transitions can help you redirect from less-desirable topics back to your main message. Use “Yes, and…” or “No, but…” to return to your main point quickly.
Sparklers can give an interview some pizzazz and demonstrate knowledge, frequently in the form of an easy to understand statistic, interesting piece of data, or a very brief story.
Planting a Flag gives a producer a clear indicator that your next statement is important to your side of the story. Imagine a video editor trying to scan through footage in search of what to include in a 90-second story on the 6 p.m. news. Help that editor by saying aloud:“What your viewers really need to know is…” …and then restate your main message.
Avoid sarcasm
Progressives frequently enjoy adding humor to their political commentary, but it’s important to remember that not everyone understands sarcasm. Including sarcastic jokes in your media work instantly alienates a sizable percentage of your audience. Sarcasm may be completely undetectable when a spoken statement on camera is transcribed into a written quote in a print article.
Imagine this statement read different ways with opposite meanings:
- We absolutely love Mike DeWine’s restrictions on reproductive health.
- We absolutely love Mike DeWine’s restrictions on reproductive health.
If your entire quote in an article was the above statement, and the opposition’s quote was “Women support DeWine’s abortion regulations.” then many readers would come away thinking people on both sides of the issue supported DeWine. Just avoid sarcasm.
Handling a bad interviewer
You should feel free to end an interview if you feel that it’s not going well or if you lose trust in the reporter. Phone and zoom interviews can be ended with a short but polite, “I’m sorry, I do not have any more time for you. Goodbye.”
Out-of-bounds questions during on camera interviews can be mitigated by stepping out of the video frame. Most reporters will not use a comment made without you on screen, but remember your audio is still being recorded.
Final steps for the interview
After the reporter’s questions have been asked, they will usually end with “Is there anything I didn’t ask that you want people to know?” This is your final opportunity to deliver your main message again in one clean take. For taped audio or video, you can even ask to repeat the line a couple times to make sure they have the best delivery.
Some reporters will ask for B-roll, which will usually involve repositioning the camera to get a second angle. Frequently reporters will engage in small chit-chat during this camera repositioning. Occasionally, they will throw in a final tough question to see if you make a new statement in an unguarded moment. Remember your microphone is still on and your comments are still being recorded. Once they say they have everything they need, unclip your microphone, return it to the cameraman, and thank the reporter for including you in the story.
You did it!
After the story goes live
Ask when the story will go live online and — if it’s good — post it to social media and tag them in it. Acknowledge them online for the story, but don’t thank them publicly. Reporters are trying to remain neutral. “I was interviewed by @ReporterName about …” By distributing their work in a professional manner, you’ll establish yourself as a go-to contact for expert statements.
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