Talking to the Press
Advice in response to the question - “A reporter has asked me to send a copy of my (unpublished work-in progress) thesis research they found mentioned in a conference programme - should I?” There is no hard and fast answer, but I wrote back:
You can send it, but the name of the game is that they are gathering material not helping you other than giving you some experience with the press. You are “giving them something to work with”. It might be better to “keep your powder dry” until you have your visa etc and until your research in [country deleted] is complete. You could indicate this to them, even send the paper - their timeline only extends a week or so, however.
Canadian academics usually do these interviews as a form of outreach to the public, for fun or out of a sense of self-importance, but our experience with the accuracy with which research is rendered into news stories is mixed. [Then I thought] You can start a “media interviews” section in your cv, but this isn’t fundamental: it would get you a job neither in a university nor in the media.
A few have a specific message, which is honed into a few sound bytes, possibly a powerpoint which they then stick to, becoming a “reliable” commentator who can be trusted to offer a particular point of view (for or against) on a specific topic. This symbiotic relationship between media and academic is a successful recipe but you need to be committed to this particular point of view and topic - what if you get interested in something else?
So you could say thanks and offer to email them after your research is complete.
May 25th, 2006 at 12:57 pm
I have been wondering about how to become an “expert” in my field and talking to the media, establishing myself as someone with knowledge and a unique viewpoint or talent is essential. I want to get called on for comments to raise my profile, basically on my side as a marketing tool. As an artist I have seen my work interpreted in so many fascinating directions that I never intended when I made “The Thing” that I believe this happens during the process of communication between you, and the writer of the article about you/your information. In many ways becoming An Expert is often more than 50% you saying you are one. The rest of it is up to how much the reporter digs into you or your work. And sometimes they don’t.. check out the cab driver who was interviewed as an IT specialist… http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=386136&in_page_id=1770