Working with the media

3 hours

Overview

"That's interesting, but it is not news," said the journalist to the academic. This is the answer that leaves many people puzzled-how do I get the media interested in the work I do? Why did my interview never make it into print? Media coverage is an effective and cheap way to get the message you want to deliver out to the wider community. The skills required to achieve this can be learnt, practiced and perfected. This workshop explains how the media works-what is news and what motivates journalists. It covers the basic skills required to work out if your message has media potential or is more suited to other communications tools. It covers the basic skills required to get your message across in print, radio and television-what to say, how to say it, what to avoid, and how to take control of the media interview

Intended Outcomes

• Gain an understanding of what the journalist needs 
• Learn how to better judge what is newsworthy, and what is not, in your work 
• Improve skills in getting the most appropriate message across to the media; taking control of the interview for your own agenda; responding to difficult or irrelevant questions 
• Develop an appreciation of the value of media coverage in relation to broader promotional and marketing strategies

Course Content

Learning Approach