communication and stakeholder involvement in … documents...iaea international atomic energy agency...

IAEAInternational Atomic Energy Agency

Communication and Stakeholder

involvement in Radon issues

L-08

Media relations

Prepared by Tanja Perko, SCK-CEN, Ivana Fojtikova, SURO

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For successful media communication

You need to work on media relation and

not only media contact.

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Objective

• To learn how to make media strategy.

• The learn how to make press release.

• To prepare a press conference.

• To learn how to give an interview.

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What is newsworthy for a media?

• Tragedy, drama

• New, unusual information

• Event can be personalized

• Evokes emotions

• Presence of elite and celebrities

• Conflict

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What is newsworthy for a media?

• Tragedy, drama

• New, unusual information

• Event can be personalized

• Evokes emotions

• Presence of elite and celebrities

• Conflict

Is radon

newsworthy

for a media?

Rn

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How to get in to a media?

• You need a proactive approach to get in to a media.

Plan it!

• Or crisis (media attention is high during crisis.)

Also a crisis is your opportunity.

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Make media communication strategy

• Identify objectives (e.g. All local media publish special topic about

radon)

• Get to know your journalists

• Identify type of mass media that you want to use

• Organise media events

• Attend media trainings

• Prepare for crisis communication (scenarios)

• Evaluate and improve your strategy

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• Identify objectives







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Get to know your journalists

• Make list of journalists, editors, media (local and national level, new

and traditional media)

• Establish a relationship with them and offer them a training

• Scrutinise how do they report

Golden 5 W:

Who, What, When, Where, Why

+

Framing (e.g.: sensationalistic, scientific, health orientated, sceptic, local, policy

orientated …?)

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Journalists have:

• to cover different topics every day,

• probably low prior knowledge on ionizing radiation and

radon,

• short deadlines,

• space limitations,

• different code of ethics.

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Journalists have:

• to cover different topics every day,

• probably low prior knowledge on ionizing radiation and

radon,

• short deadlines,

• space limitations,

• different code of ethics.They are:

• competitive

• watch dogs of the society.

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Identify type of mass media that you want to use

Traditional media:

• Radio, newspaper, TV

New Media:

• Blog, Facebook, Tweet,

• Social networks..

• National media, Local media

• Citizen’s journalism

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Press conference

Basic things to decide before a conference:

• Who is going to mediate a press conference?

• What messages are you going to say?

• Who will explain actions taken? (identify clear roles and responsibilities)

• What kind of supporting material can you use?

• Where will you organize it and how your message will be supported?

• How long can it be?

• Assess questions, also unpleasant?

• Prepare media kit.

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Media kit

Contains all information and background information important for a

journalist:

• Agenda of the press conference and names with affiliations of speakers

• Information about radon

• Information about radon action plan

• Radon maps (on paper and electronic version)

• Photos

• Graphic/video material

• Detector with demonstration (one for all journalists)

• Facts about you and your institution

• Contact numbers

• Written press release with statements

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Organise a “training” for the conference

E. Jensen, 1996

Impact on the audience

• Prepare ambient, select chares

• Summarise for all speakers what they have to say

• Go through possible questions together

• Identify who answers to which question

• Make clear that moderator is responsible for coordination

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Ways to communicate with a media

• (In)formal communication

• Media briefing

• Press release

• Statement

• Statement with a possibility for few questions

• Interview

• Excursion, field trip

• Press conference

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Press release

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Later in the media

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Media use other language than we do

Anniversary of the Fukushima

Perko T. (2014): Radiation risk perception: A discrepancy between the experts and the general

population, Environmental Radioactivity, (133), 86–91

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Media trainings

What do you ask when a journalist calls?

• Will the interview be live or recorded?

• Who else will be participating?

• How long can the answers be? (20 sec)

• Where and when it will be broadcasted/published?

• What type of program will the interview be used in?

• Negotiate the rules before the interview!

• You always have the right to authorize! If it is possible Do it!

• You don’t need to answer all questions.

• Remember: This is your opportunity – use it!

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Media trainings

Before an interview for a TV

• Talk to a journalist first without a camera.

• Talk to the journalist broader on the topic.

• Ask the journalist to tell you the questions – word by word.

• Not more than 3 questions in front of the camera.

• Take time to think over your answer

• (they can wait for a few minutes)

• Deliver your message.

• Check the background (surroundings are a message too)

• …

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Media trainings

During an interview for a TV

• Don’t run after answers, take time.

• Make short sentences, answers (max 20 sec)

• Don’t say "yes" or "no". Bridge to your message.

• Show empathy for concerns if appropriate.

• It is better to make it standing.

• Correct misinformation in a question.

• Behave as you are - naturally

• You can always ask repetition of shooting. (In the place.)

• The camera may still be running even when the interview is over.

• …

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Media trainings

If you don’t have an answer, answer…

• We are assessing the situation right now, and will share

information with you as soon as we have it.

• This is not my field of competence. You will get the

information …(tel. no., person …)

• Right now we don’t have a full answer on that, as we are

still focusing our efforts on the priority of…

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Negative story

• Media are going to write and air stories with or without your

help.

• It's in your best interest to participate in a story – even a

negative one – in order to have your position correctly

represented.

• The alternative for the media is to write that responsible

“didn’t want to give the information" which only fuels

suspicions and rumours.

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Conclusions

How can you improve you media relation?

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Conclusions

How can you improve your media relation?

• Be proactive.

• Make media strategy.

• Develop relations, cooperate with journalists.

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