The news media are a vital link between the University of Georgia's College of Education and the people of Georgia and the United States. The COE's teaching, research and service performed on and off this campus affects thousands of people every day. Use of this guide to Public Information can help assure that news about the College is accurate, complete and available to as large an audience as possible.

I hope you will take time to review this guide and help us spread the news about the good things happening here. There are so many positive and exciting stories at the COE - let's not keep them to ourselves.

Contents
COE in the news -- Who cares and why?
Public Information Director
Reporting COE news
News releases
Dealing directly with the media
Interviews
Television/Radio Interviews
Op-Ed columns
Open Records Requests
Crisis Communications
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

COE educational leadership professor Tom Holmes who has analyzed 63 studies of social promotion was recently sought out by national media, including The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and The Houston Post-Chronicle, to comment on the issue that was brought up in President Clinton's State of the Union Message. The New York Times story was later picked up by The International Heralde newspaper in France.

COE grad Andrea Dunn (Ph.D. '90) was the lead researcher in a study on exercise and lifestyle that was reported in the January 27, 1999 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association which in turn was reported on CNN worldwide and by The Associated Press and hundreds of other newspapers and magazines.

When the U.S. Supreme Court heard a Georgia case about student sexual harassment at a Monroe County elementary school, the COE's John Dayton, an associate professor in educational leadership, put the case in perspective and offered possible alternatives the court might consider in an Associated Press article that was used by newspapers and magazines across the country.

Because the COE is a national leader in research, teaching and public service, developments here are often national news. That's why in the past year, COE faculty, students and staff have been featured in positive stories in virtually every major national newspaper, in widely circulated magazines and on major national and international broadcasts.

Faculty and staff often question the importance of getting news about the COE out to the general public.

Your work is an integral part of the COE's mission of teaching, research and public service. The news media are vital in building understanding and appreciation of the COE among constituents vital to the future success of the College, including: Alumni, present and future students and their families, state and federal legislators, corporate and opinion leaders, current and potential contributors, fellow faculty and staff and colleagues at other institutions.

Public Information Director Michael Childs is the primary media relations officer for the College of Education. The office is responsible for disseminating news about the College and responding to media inquiries. He is the person to send information to and seek assistance from in dealing with the news media. He can be reached at 706/542-5889, by fax at 706/542-0360 or by emailing mchilds@coe.uga.edu.

Public Information services include initiating news coverage; responding to media requests for information, story ideas and faculty experts; producing and distributing news about research activities, people and programs; producing and distributing news and publicity photos; arranging interviews and media visits for faculty and staff; advising colleges, departments and individuals on media and public relations; providing media training to prepare faculty and staff to deal more effectively with the media; assisting in the preparation of publications; and calling and coordinating news conferences, when appropriate.

The COE Public Information Director's office is organized and functions much like a news bureau for a major newspaper or television station. The Public Information Director keeps up with newsworthy developments Collegewide and identifies COE experts with the help of faculty, staff and students.

It is vital that the Public Information Director be alerted to a potential news story as early as possible. In an emergency, we must act immediately. On other news, time is required to gather information and notify the news media in time to allow them to find space for the story.

The effective dissemination and management of news requires planning, which in turn requires advance notice of newsworthy events. Sensitive information will be kept completely confidential, so never hesitate to share information with the Public Information Director. We are all part of the COE family and the university community at-large.

Not all information is news. Each potential story will be evaluated by the COE's Public Information Director who has 20 years of experience as a reporter and editor in daily newspapers. In some cases, further advice may be sought from UGA Communications experts - all of whom have worked in commercial newspapers and television - to determine the interest among the media and other constituents.

Once a story has been identified, the Public Information Director will decide the best ways to disseminate the news. This may include:

• A news release (print or broadcast)
• Accompanying photographs, if warranted
• Tip sheets to reporters and editors nationwide
• Personal contact with reporters and editors
• Accompanying faculty or staff to professional meetings or interviews
• A news conference, when the Public Information Director determines one is warranted
• A faculty- or staff-written opinion piece

The Public Information Director's office has cultivated an excellent relationship with the news media by providing legitimate news stories, written well and delivered in a timely manner.

The chief vehicles for disseminating news about the COE are our local and regional newspapers. The Athens Daily News/Banner-Herald and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution provide the surest and best way to reach Georgians - especially Northeast Georgians - with COE news. Even more importantly, the papers serve as a link to a national outlet - the Associated Press. COE stories are written in the basic AP news style, so wire services and other newspapers that want to use them have to make few or no changes. The stories provide sufficient facts to permit the papers to write their own stories or to serve as background for a journalist's interview.

News releases and tip sheets are created in the same manner as the news media creates its stories, with one important exception. The Public Information Director offers the source of the story an opportunity to check it for accuracy before it is released. Our news gathering steps include:

• Interviews with appropriate faculty and staff and reviews of written source material
• Discussion of content, target audience and timing
• Writing of a draft release and initial editing
• Source approval
• Final editing
• Reproduction and distribution

The COE's Public Information Director often works with faculty and staff to coordinate the timing of a news release so that it will coincide with a publication in a professional journal or a presentation at a professional meeting.

Besides ensuring that the College does not "scoop" a professional publication, this coordinated timing often increases news interest in the story.

In addition to transmitting COE stories to local and regional media, the Public Information Director sometimes sends directly to the Associated Press, the world's largest news gathering and distribution network.

One reason the Public Information Director's office adheres to a strict journalistic style is to reduce the necessity for changes by the media. Often, editors at AP and other media will make little or no changes to COE stories. Others may shorten it, change the style or rewrite it completely. Some may print it immediately, some may save it for weeks, and others file it and contact the source months, or even years, later.

The Public Information Director's office cannot control what the media does with a release after it leaves our office. We can increase the potential for accuracy by giving reporters and editors well-written, factual material at the start.

Many newspapers rely on academics to put world and national events in perspective for their readers through the op-ed, or opposite editorial, page. The name has nothing to do with the writer's opinion, but is derived from the column's position on the page opposite the newspaper's editorial and letters to the editor.

The successful op-ed writer functions much like a journalist, but with a strong opinion about the subject matter. Unlike traditional academic writing, an op-ed should be written in "inverted pyramid" style, meaning that the conclusions or strongest advice appears in the first two or three paragraphs. As an expert, the op-ed writer should not hesitate to forcefully state his or her opinions right away, then back them up with supporting facts in subsequent paragraphs.

Avoid the trap of writing for other experts in the field, since this will lead you to assume a level of knowledge your readers may not have. Remember, the audience is the op-ed editor and the general readership of the newspaper. Explain, however briefly, words or phrases with which readers may not be familiar.

Op-ed editors prefer no more than 800 words (four pages, double spaced), so keep your prose concise.

The first paragraph, especially, should be clear and tightly worded. Ask yourself: If the editor reads only my first paragraph, will he or she know where the column is going? Write in the active, not passive, tense.

While all these strictures may be intimidating, the Public Information Director is available to help turn your opinions into an effective op-ed column and get it to the proper editors.

A news release is often only the first step in a media process that can continue for some time. Often, reporters or editors will call to ask the source to elaborate on the information provided in the news release.

The Public Information Director encourages reporters to contact COE faculty and staff directly if they have a question that requires a specific area of expertise. In fact, the UGA Communications office publishes a "Red Book" for the media that lists the expertise of many UGA faculty including those at the COE.

These contacts may take a few minutes or, on some big stories pursued by numerous media, several hours. Some reporters understand the subject matter and are excellent interviewers; other are generalists and may require significantly more background information to report accurately.

Media interviews can be enjoyable and rewarding, or trying and time consuming. Ultimately, however, the goal is to publicize the research and enhance your personal reputation and that of the university.

Remember, a young reporter from a small newspaper could one day be a senior editor at The New York Times.

Respond promptly to media requests, even if it is to decline or to refer the caller to the Public Information Director. Reporters are usually under extremely tight deadlines, and a delay of a day, or even an hour, can mean the difference between favorable coverage and a lost opportunity or a reporter disinclined to turn to the COE for help in the future. Your courtesy will help the COE now and in the future.

Before the interview:

• Develop concise answers to a few key questions:
• What is the purpose of your work? Why is it important?
• What made you interested in this topic?
• What makes your contribution unusual?
• Who will benefit and how?
• What is your main objective? If you could make only two points with this story, what would they be?
• Have you gathered all the printed materials you need?

• Ask what type of story the reporter is pursuing, the context in which you will be quoted and the reporter's background
• Repeat your main points at least twice.
• Keep your statements clear and concise. Try to provide plain-language interpretations and metaphors.
• Speak slowly and spell difficult words or names.
• Assume everything you say will be quoted. If you feel commenting is inappropriate or outside your area of expertise, politely decline. Beware of going "off the record."
• Don't limit yourself to answering questions. Raise points you think are important.
• Don't hesitate to correct the reporter if he or she makes an incorrect statement.
• Don't let reporters put words in your mouth.

• Don't expect to see the story for publication. Unlike the COE's Public Information Director, most reporters do not let sources review stories.
• Feel free to call the reporter back with further information or clarification, especially if the interview left you feeling uneasy.
• Please notify the Public Information Director about any media contacts you have had, any questions of information generated by it, and any news stories that result.

The same rules apply to broadcast news interviews, but television and radio have their own rules and limitations. Preparation is still the key to presenting your ideas in a concise way.

Other tips:

• Speak in conversational tones. Don't use technical language or jargon. Assume the listener/viewer is completely unfamiliar with the topic and its relevance to their life.
• Use anecdotes and metaphors that help simplify the concepts involved.
• Don't create visual distractions with your clothes or appearance. Dress conservatively, as if you were going on a job interview. Check your hair just before going on camera. If seated, don't rock or swivel. If standing, stand still. Animation and enthusiasm are fine if confined to voice and facial expressions.
• Maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Don't look at the camera. Use small, decisive gestures to make points, not big, sweeping motions.
• Don't betray anger in your voice or appearance at an unexpected or hostile question. Simply say you are not prepared to answer the question at this time. Avoid the phrase "no comment." It has become synonymous with guilt.
• Use every opportunity to re-state your main points. Remember, however, that few "sound bites" are more than 20 seconds long.
• Mention the College of Education in the sound bite to ensure that your affiliation with the COE is not edited out of the story.

Another way you may come in contact with the news media is through a public records request. Since UGA is a public institution and the state of Georgia has a liberal open records law, most of what we do at the university is open to public and media scrutiny.

If you receive a request for public records, please contact the Public Information Director. Many times a reporter or citizen is seeking information from several different sections of the university, so UGA Communications has developed a system for coordinating the release of public information in a timely manner. Our office also works closely with UGA Communications as well as with university attorneys to ensure that we are not releasing information, such as student records, which would violate federal laws.

In addition to communicating positive information about the COE, the Public Information Director is charged with responding to the media and the public when a crisis arises. A rapid, informative response is essential to the reputation of the College. Please include the Public Information Director among the offices to be notified when a crisis arises in your area.
 

How does the Public Information Director decide what is news and what is not?

Public Information Director Michael Childs has 20 years of experience as a news editor and reporter at three daily newspapers in the Southeast, deciding what news does and does not get into the paper.

Ultimately, it comes down to the information that will affect and interest the greatest number of people. If we decline to do a story, it does not mean we are not interested, it just means that we have determined that the story will not do well in the mass media.
 

Besides the mass media, are there other vehicles for the distribution of news about my research?

The COE's Public Information Director disseminates much of the information it receives to the university community through Columns, UGA's faculty-staff newspaper which is published weekly.

We also share information with the editors of Georgia magazine, the Research Reporter and other internal and specialized publications produced on campus. You are also welcome to contact those publications directly.
 

What are those annoying "Media Query" e-mails I keep getting on the COE-FAC list serv? And why should I pay attention to them?

Public Information officers at every college and school at UGA has access to PROFNET through University Communications. PROFNET is a network linking a wide variety of media professionals with expert sources at universities and colleges throughout the country.

From time to time the COE's Public Information Director posts education-related media queries in hopes of matching faculty expertise with a writer's subject matter. COE faculty should respond to these queries as often as possible to maximize recognition for the College.

To keep the queries from becoming a nuisance for faculty, the Public Information Director posts only those queries from nationally-known or high-profile regional media.
 

Should I contact reporters directly?

The Public Information Director encourages faculty and staff to cooperate with the media and you are welcome to contact reporters directly. However, if the story is good enough for one reporter, it is probably good enough for many more. So if you think you have a good story, please contact our office first so that we can help you get the maximum attention for it.
 

When will my story appear?

Once the Public Information Director releases a story, he has no influence over where, when, how, or even whether, it will appear. Generally, the stories we send to local newspapers are released immediately, but versions of the story could appear months later in magazines. The Public Information Director's office receives numerous clippings every month and forwards many of them to the faculty or staff member involved. Please send us clippings or notice of any exposure you or your friends see.
 

What if I have a problem or questions concerning news?

Call COE Public Information at 542-5889 and talk to the director, Michael Childs. He will be happy to advise and help you.