News Media Policy: The Three A’s

By Craig Miyamoto, APR, Fellow PRSA

(This is an expanded version of the 2001 Second Quarter issue of Public Relations Strategies, a quarterly publication of Miyamoto Strategic Counsel)

Written policies are vital. They serve as lighted paths to an organization’s success, they help us focus on what we believe and need to do, and finally, they are hostages to performance. Consequently, it is imperative that every organization adopt a policy or set of policies that properly determine how the news media will be acknowledged and treated, either when it asks for information, or when the organization approaches them for publicity.

Before a news media policy can be written and implemented, management must first acknowledge, address and codify the organization’s attitude toward the news media, its awareness of its own and the media’s needs, and finally, what actions and procedures will be adopted to ensure that all concerns are met.

Here are some recommendations – some thoughts that will guide you as you formulate your policy:

The first thing that must be examined is that of relationships. Will the organization agree to full cooperation with the news media so that the organization can meet its obligation to keep the public informed of decisions and actions that will affect their lives or their investments? In general, with some exceptions, the answer to this question should be “Yes.”

Assuming full cooperation has been agreed upon, this obligates the organization to commit to giving the news media factual, timely, and accurate information. This should be stipulated in the policy.

In general, the needs of the public will usually supersede the needs of the organization and/or the news media. In other words, the release of information should not be promulgated on whether or not it can be “sanitized” to make the organization look good, but neither should it serve to enhance the organization’s reputation with the news media. It should – as previously noted – be factual, timely and accurate.

Before media policy is formulated, management needs to be aware of needs and realities – of the public, of the organization, and of the news media.

Who determines the “needs of the public”? The news media will claim that it is their responsibility, that they are acting in the “public’s best interest,” and that the “public has a right to know.” Maybe, maybe not. The public has a limited, and perhaps nonexistent, understanding of the organization’s mission, raison d’etre, functions and challenges. It is the responsibility of the organization to frame the issues it faces. Allow the news media to frame the issue, and all control will be lost.

What are the needs of the organization? An organization certainly needs to insist on and to ensure quality and consistency in its public messages that will contribute to fulfillment of the its mission. There certainly will be times when, because of legal or ethical sensitivities, there will be a need for confidentiality. The news media will not like this. And, there are times when there will be a need to withhold competitive secrets, but only to the point where they do not harm the public. The news media will not like this either, and more likely than not, they will seek out other sources for the information.

The media policy should also recognize and be sensitive to the legitimate needs of the news media. It would serve the organization well if the media policy calls for full disclosure of facts – timely and accurate. In this age of instant coverage, the traditional news media still need to meet deadlines and these should be respected and considered when releasing information. The media definitely need help in obtaining a perspective on an unfamiliar subject matter, and if asked, an organization should provide background information, making sure that its briefings are presented in plain, uncomplicated language.

Factual, business-related stories about an organization can be tediously boring – promotions, sales figures, profits, new services – and there will be times when the employee initiative that generates positive stories about the organization will seem like manna from heaven.

And, reality dictates that sooner or later, the news media will approach an employee for an “inside perspective” of an issue or event (usually, it seems, a crisis event). For this reason, it is important that management lay down the rules of what employees should do, and how the contact with the media will proceed.

The media policy should outline general procedures for employees approached by the media. In general, the organization should speak with “one clear voice,” which usually means that a company spokesperson is appointed. However, there may be times when an employee speaking to the news media can be advantageous. In these cases, some common sense guidelines should apply:

• Notify the public relations officer immediately upon approach.
• Do not speculate or offer conjecture.
• Avoid personal opinions.
• Deal with topics within one’s jurisdiction only
• Consult a supervisor if the topic is beyond the level of competence or authority.
• Defer to a “higher up” if the issue or questioning is sensitive or potentially contentious.

Finally, management should not complain about the way a story is written – either because of the writer’s style, or the way it’s framed – unless there are factual errors or a misrepresentation of the facts, which then justify firm requests for corrections.

SAMPLE MEDIA POLICY We acknowledge that our customers, our neighbors, and our other stakeholders have a genuine and legitimate interest in our operations. We also recognize that the news media plays a vital role in our society. Therefore, XYZ Company will make every effort to disseminate information about our organization and our performance in a factual, accurate and timely manner when approached by the news media. At the same time, we will reserve the right to withhold confidential information, which if released would jeopardize our ability to compete in the marketplace, or which would force us to compromise legal and/or ethical boundaries. We encourage our employees to interact with the news media, but under certain constraints, so as protect themselves, their fellow employees, their families, the company and other stakeholders from injurious misstatements. It is the policy of XYZ Company that employees report all media approaches to the public relations officer, who must be present during the interview. Employees being interviewed should not speculate, offer conjecture, or give personal opinions. An employee should discuss only topics that are within his or her area of jurisdiction. If an employee feels that the questions go beyond his or her level of competence or authority, the employee should indicate this to the public relations officer, who will then refer the reporter to a supervisor who is able to answer the questions. All news releases must be submitted for approval by executive management, then distributed by the public relations officer.