I have not had many requests for interviews, but I work a lot with people
who talk to the media all the time. It's not an easy job, but it is a very
important job. Scott Berry writes about his experiences with discussing
models that predict outcomes in sports with radio talk show hosts and print
media reporters.
The Mainstream Sports Media, Scott Berry, Statistics in Sports
newsletter, Spring 2000: 2(1); 2-3.
[PDF]
and mentions the tendency of reporters to oversimplify and leave out
important qualifiers.
You have to be prepared to summarize things, neatly, and correctly. I
found this to be very difficult--and also very frustrating. In any analysis
there are certain assumptions that are important and they greatly affect
the conclusions. Invariably the sports media is "headline driven." They
want to say... "the statistician found that this player is the best." While
I want to explain how it was found, how best is defined, and what are the
measures of uncertainty, the media is for the most part happy with the
headline. It is frustrating not being able to have more time to explain
things more clearly, maybe I can get a few people to read the original
study, or better yet become interested in this interesting field of
statistics. You should strongly encourage anyone who writes about your work
to let you read it--it will benefit both of you.
The University of Kansas Office of University Relations offers some
do's and don'ts for
media interviews. Here are just a few:
- Do prepare for the interview. Anticipate questions, the hard ones.
What are your key messages? If you feel unprepared when a reporter calls,
tell the reporter you will call back in 15 minutes or so. Collect your
thoughts and then call.
- Do be simple and brief: Short, simple answers are better than long
answers (less chance of being misquoted). Avoid technical terms or jargon.
Note: Eight seconds is the average length of a TV soundbite.
- Don't answer hypotheticals.
- Don't be afraid to say you don't know the answer to the question.
- Don't be afraid to say you need to verify the facts and call back.
The website, about.com, has an article
"Media
Interviews - Are You Ready to Share Your Findings?" which offers similar
advice. Here are two bullet points:
- Speak concisely and minimize the jargon. Know what you want to
communicate about an issue beforehand so that you keep your comments short
and straightforward. Minimize professional jargon by pretending that you're
speaking to a friend outside of your discipline.
- Make you case and restate it. At the end of the interview, reporters
will often ask if there's anything else you'd like to tell them. Use this
opportunity to drive your message home, even if you're repeating what you've
already said. What should the audience take away from your interview?
Redundancy leads to more accurate reporting and more informed audiences.
FEMA has some guidance in
"Media Interview Tips" [Microsoft Word format]:
- Listen to the entire question before answering.
- Avoid speculation.
- Beware of false assumptions and erroneous conclusions.
- Avoid hypothetical questions.
- Be alert to multiple questions, and address them individually.
- Be confident and concentrate on delivering your message.
- Keep your answers simple and direct.
- Speak in 'sound bites' (concise, memorable explanations).
- Never repeat inaccurate or damaging information spoken within a
reporter's question. Instead, state the information in a positive manner
within your answer.
- Treat all questions seriously.
- NEVER speak "off the record."
- While answering questions, be attuned to opportunities to promote
your messages.
- When you have answered well, stop speaking. Resist the urge to 'fill
the silences.'
Some additional comments from other web pages:
Write down the five main points you want to cover. List anecdotes,
facts, or jokes that help you make each point effectively. Rick
Frishman, Jill Lublin, Jay Conrad Levinson,
www.rickfrishman.com/article_eight_tips.html
After the interview, you are rarely given the opportunity to read a
story before it appears in print; even more rare is the opportunity for
editing. Therefore, before the interview, determine if there are any
controversial or easily misinterpreted aspects of your work. Roughly frame
your answers in these areas beforehand. During the interview, emphasize to
the reporter how important such points are. Assert the fact that your
information may be inaccurate if stated another way. California
Psychological Association,
www.calpsychlink.org/news/interviewtips/printtips.htm
Be Prepared. Ask the reporter questions such as: What's your deadline?
What kind of story is it? What's your angle? Who else has been or will be
interviewed? Learn about the reporter's style and media outlet. The
Endocrine Society,
www.endo-society.org/news/InterviewTips.cfm
Try to get your most important pieces of information within your
answer communicated first, before going into less significant details
(reporters are looking for the gist of your answers and are often less
interested in the minor details of an issue). American Colllege of
Sports Medicine,
www.acsm.org/reg_chapters/resources/interviews.htm
07/08/2008.
