If a Reporter Calls
If you are contacted directly by a reporter and feel comfortable answering the questions, please call the WSU News office. We're here to assist you.
If you do not believe you are the best source of information on the topic, suggest the reporter seek a referral to another source by contacting the WSU News Office. Either before or after the interview, you may want to notify the WSU News, which can then conduct any necessary follow-ups, such as providing the reporter a photograph or a vita or tracking down a copy of the story when it runs.
If you think some preparation before the interview would be helpful, or your schedule precludes an immediate interview, tell the reporter you need time and arrange to get back together. It is appropriate and helpful to ask the reporter what types of questions will be asked so you can begin formulating answers. You may want to seek the assistance of the WSU News at that point. Because they work routinely with reporters, the WSU News staff can often help you organize your responses as well as better understand what types of information may be of most use to specific reporters and news media outlets.
If you think some preparation before the interview would be helpful, or your schedule precludes an immediate interview, tell the reporter you need time and arrange to get back together. It is appropriate and helpful to ask the reporter what types of questions will be asked so you can begin formulating answers. You may want to seek the assistance of the WSU News at that point. Because they work routinely with reporters, the WSU News staff can often help you organize your responses as well as better understand what types of information may be of most use to specific reporters and news media outlets.
Deadlines
Journalists work under constant deadline pressure. If a story is set to run in the next day's edition or on the 6 o'clock news, the story will usually run regardless of whether you're available. That is why it is critical to understand the time constraints a reporter is working under when you are contacted. This does not mean, of course, that a reporter’s priorities must take preference over your own. If you feel you cannot accommodate the request before the reporter's deadline, please refer the call to the WSU News so a staff member can try to find someone else at WSU who can respond to the request prior to the reporter’s deadline.
Television reporters often face the most immediate deadlines because they need on-the-scene visuals that require equipment setup. Newspaper reporters working on a story for the next day often have a few more hours in which to research their stories and can work by phone. Radio reporters typically want to tape a telephone interview immediately, although talk show guests may be invited to the studio well in advance of the taping or broadcast.
Journalists from weekly or monthly publications and feature reporters sometimes have the most leeway in their deadlines and often arrange interviews well in advance of their publication or airing date.
Television reporters often face the most immediate deadlines because they need on-the-scene visuals that require equipment setup. Newspaper reporters working on a story for the next day often have a few more hours in which to research their stories and can work by phone. Radio reporters typically want to tape a telephone interview immediately, although talk show guests may be invited to the studio well in advance of the taping or broadcast.
Journalists from weekly or monthly publications and feature reporters sometimes have the most leeway in their deadlines and often arrange interviews well in advance of their publication or airing date.
"Off the record" and similar terms
For the most part, any comments made to a reporter, whether recorded in some fashion or not, should be considered public and directly attributable to you as the source. The term "off the record" can mean different things to different reporters and its use does not necessarily guarantee that your comments will be considered confidential, particularly if the term is used without some prior agreement or understanding with the reporter. If you have information that could lead a reporter to an important issue that has been overlooked, but you do not want it directly attributed to you, the best practice is to ask in advance that the information be considered "for background only" or "not for attribution." If you anticipate a reporter may seek information on an issue that you might not be comfortable discussing publicly, you may wish to discuss the matter with the WSU News staff in advance of the interview. The best rule of thumb, however, is not to say anything you wouldn't want to see in print or broadcast.
The phrase, "No comment," can be fraught with unintended meanings. Because it does not convey the reason you choose not to respond, it can imply that you are hiding something or being unnecessarily uncooperative. A better practice is to explain why you would prefer not discuss the matter, such as by explaining that the answer would violate a student's right to privacy or that revealing the results of your latest study might jeopardize publication in a professional journal.
The phrase, "No comment," can be fraught with unintended meanings. Because it does not convey the reason you choose not to respond, it can imply that you are hiding something or being unnecessarily uncooperative. A better practice is to explain why you would prefer not discuss the matter, such as by explaining that the answer would violate a student's right to privacy or that revealing the results of your latest study might jeopardize publication in a professional journal.