B03 Communicating with the Media - Communiquer avec les médias
Organiser: Sara Seims, Ph.D.
President, The Alan Guttmacher Institute
120 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005
Tel: 1-212-248-1111 X 2200
Fax: 1-212-248-1951
Email: sseims@agi-usa.org
Outline: The media often rely on researchers to provide authoritative facts and analysis regarding a wide range of population issues. One of the best ways to broaden the reach and understanding of research findings by is to attract media attention, which can deliver an enormous indirect audience. In order to foster accurate and sustained media coverage, researchers must learn to identify newsworthy findings and communicate them effectively to journalists. This session will cover ways to work successfully with television, radio, print and Internet media. It will include a general review of media relations techniques, followed by hands-on small group meetings led by representatives of InterScience, specialists in communications and stakeholder relations. Participants will learn how to
  • Maintain good relationships with key news people;
  • Identify the kinds of information journalists are looking for;
  • Understand the differences among reporters in different fields and in different media;
  • Turn research findings into news stories; and
  • Develop successful interview techniques.

Participants should register in advance so that small groups can be organized by topic or experience.