Media
Formats
Media Relations - Top 10 Tips for Lawyers
What’s the worst case scenario?
Lawyers are increasingly using media relations as
a means of communicating their clients’ messages to the public.
Used judiciously, media exposure can educate the public about the
legal system and establish credibility for your client’s cause.
It is also a cost-effective communications tool, recognized for having
further reach and integrity than most marketing or advertising media.
The following article offers guidelines and tips
for handling a media interview. Rather than panic when you hear a
roving reporter’s voice on the other end of the phone or when
a microphone is thrust at you on the courthouse steps, you can confidently
frame your position, convey your key messages and maintain your professional
integrity.
Two questions are of the utmost importance at the
outset of any interaction between lawyers and the media – do
not proceed until you have carefully considered them:
1) Has my client given me permission to deal with
the media?
2) Will the media further my client’s cause?
1. Be prepared for anything.
Spend time preparing a formal plan, keeping your objectives and the
needs of both the media and its audience in mind. Have background
materials ready – these can include a media kit containing a
press release, background information on the case and/or a Q&A
sheet listing answers to the five questions you are most likely to
be asked and graphics or a photo (please use discretion with photos).
Provide the necessary information in a helpful format.
Remember that they have deadlines to meet. The clearer your material
is, the less likely it is to be misconstrued.
Keep your media kit updated during long trials.
Publish it in print and electronic formats so that it may be accessed
when you are not available for an interview.
2. Who is interviewing you?
Which media outlet is the reporter from? Keep this
in mind and tailor your key messages towards the audience. For example,
a reporter for a legal publication would have different needs than
one for the local newspaper or radio station.
3. Why are you being interviewed?
Speak with the public in mind. Reporters want interesting,
factual information. Think about what the audience wants to hear and
weigh it against the key messages you are conveying. Have you included
a message that the audience can relate to? What’s in the best
interest of your client?
Ask the reporter to specify what she wants. If necessary,
ask for the question to be repeated. Your job is to get your message
across as persuasively as possible, not to please the reporter.
4. Consistently refer to your key messages.
This is known as “flagging” in media
relations parlance. Your points should be concise, simple and powerful.
Write 4 or 5 positive messages that pivot on what
is in the best interest for your client. Review them with a trusted
colleague or a communications professional, memorize them and keep
them in front of you when interviewed (except for television interviews).
Answer each question asked with a version of one of the messages.
5. Under no circumstances utter “No comment”
“No comment” is almost always the worst
response (next to assaulting the reporter or uttering a profanity).
This answer makes you appear evasive. If you are unable to answer
the question, calmly explain why and ask for the next one.
Speculation or spontaneous answers can come back
to haunt you at a later date.
Be polite, even though you might be tempted to be
terse or inflammatory – a negative reaction will not help you
or your client.
6. Make your story compelling
Avoid using legal jargon -lawyers are the only people
who exit from vehicles, everyone else gets out of the car.
Have statistics ready in your media kit and quote
the sources.
Create a memorable metaphor or analogy to describe
your clients cause (avoiding anything too flamboyant).
7. Be ethical
The public can be merciless in its judgment of your
profession; it is always a good idea to be cautious. Investigate the
possible repercussions of what you are about to say before the questions
are even asked. Self aggrandizing behavior is rarely conveyed well
in the media, nor is it viewed favourably by your peers or the courts.
8. Everything is on the record. Everything.
As in the court room, everything you say in a media
interview is on the record. If you think you’ve quoted misinformation,
say so and ensure that the reporter understands.
Print reporters are not obligated to tell you that
you’re being recorded, but under CRTC regulations, radio and
television reporters are.
9. Negative or leading questions are easily addressed.
Do not repeat any negative words from the question
in your answer. Example of a bad answer: Q. Are you a crook? A. I
am not a crook!
Correct biased information posed in a question and
move on to a positive key message about the case. Example of a good
answer: Q. Is your client guilty? A. I am confident that the charges
will be dismissed.
10. Seek professional help.
If you anticipate ongoing media attention for a
high profile or lengthy case, get help. A media savvy communications
professional will coach you, prepare the materials and coordinate
interviews so that you may concentrate on your client’s cause.
top
