6 Chapter 6 -Working with the Press
Working with the Press
An important part of delivering health services is getting the word out to your community. Many health service delivery units utilize the services of a Public Information Person to make that happen generally the position is called a public information specialist. In an emergency situation this is the type of person that would fill the PIO position. As you have learned the person in this position works directly with the Incident Commander and the media. The accompanying lecture for this module contains a lecture given by a person who was a PIO for the Red Cross and for the Central District Health Department.
In the public health departments the PIO should attend week long training sessions at the CDC. The best way to describe what a PIO does is to look at a job description. Listed below are two such job descriptions. The first is a general description for a governmental agency.
The second one is from the National Park Service in which it is expected that the person will be a part of the ICS and will be reporting on wildfires. Pay specific attention to the training listed for the National Park Service position and how it ties into some of the FEMA training required in this class.
Public Information Person
Job Description [1]
Government public information officers are responsible for creating and enabling communication between a government organization and both news media outlets and the general public. It’s up to them to make sure any statements released to the press and the public follow agency guidelines, are accurate, and adhere to official policy or laws.
Outside of government, in In private organizations and companies, this job is usually known as a public relations specialist or a communications specialist.
Public Information Officer Duties & Responsibilities
This job generally requires the ability to do the following:
- Communicate critical information effectively to the public
- Write press releases and prepare information for distribution by media outlets
- Draft speeches and arrange interviews for government officials
- Respond to requests for information from media outlets
- Be the face of a government organization in the absence of an elected leader
- Help maintain and uphold a certain image and identity for government officials or organizations
Federal, state, and local government agencies have critical information that they need to get to the general public. They disseminate the information through a variety of strategies.
Even when an elected official is out in front of the cameras, the public information officer is working behind the scenes writing speeches, gathering information, and working with other officials to plan what the organization will do next and how information will be handled.
Education, Training & Certification
For positions that supervise a group of public information officers, several years of experience is also required, either in another public relations position or another public information officer role.
- Education: A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college is required for most public information officer jobs. Public information officers typically have degrees in journalism, communications, public relations, English or business.
- Internships: Completing internships at public relations firms or government agencies can be helpful in landing a job as a government public information officer.
Public Information Officer Skills & Competencies
To be successful in this role, you’ll generally need the following skills and qualities
- Interpersonal skills: Public information officers interact with people regularly, from the media and press to the public and government officials.
- Organizational skills: People in this position must be able to effectively work on several projects at the same time.
- Problem-solving skills: Public information officers must be able to handle difficult and sensitive situations with discretion and grace.
- Communication skills: They must be able to write compelling, concise press releases and speeches and also effectively speak in public.
Work Environment
Government public information officers usually work in offices, but they also travel and spend time giving speeches, attending press conferences, and attending meetings. These communications officials tend to work in the upper levels of an organization, at all levels of government. Divisions within government organizations such as police and fire departments may have their own public information officers distinct from those that serve the rest of the agency.
Public information officers are often in the thick of the action during a crisis. A career as a public information officer is often stressful, but with the stress can come excitement.
Work Schedule
Government public information officers usually work full time during business hours but often work long hours and are needed on some evenings and weekends, as well.
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Division of Fire and Aviation
Branch of Communication & Education
Public Information Officer (PIO)
A public information officer discusses a prescribed fire with a
visitor to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. NPS/R. PATERSON
Public information officers frequently conduct media interviews to keep
the public informed during an emergency incident. NPS
Being a public information officer requires a diverse skill set that includes both technical skills and people skills. NPS/M. FIDLER
The Incident Command System (ICS)
ICS is used to manage an emergency incident (like a wildland fire, search and rescue, hurricane, etc.) or a non-emergency event. The public information officer (PIO) reports to the incident commander, who in turn reports to the agency or jurisdictions responsible
for the incident. A good overview of ICS is provided in the independent study course titled Introduction to ICS (ICS-100).
What does a Public Information Officer (PIO) do? A PIO is responsible for the formulation and release of information about the incident to
the news media, local communities, incident personnel, the incident management team, other agencies and organizations. As you progress in your training and development, you may become a lead public information officer, responsible for the management of other PIOs assigned to the incident.
Who is eligible to be a PIO? Technically, anyone can become a PIO, but it does require good interpersonal
communication skills and writing skills to meet the needs of the position. There is training as well as taskbooks associated with the three levels of public information officer positions. You can begin locally at the Type 3 level as a public information officer (PIOF); if you wish to work regionally or nationally, you can begin as a PIOF then take additional training and gain experience to become a Type 2 public information officer (PIO2). After becoming
a PIO2, you can advance in experience and training to become a Type 1 public information officer (PIO1), which is the most advanced level.
What do I need to do to start the process and why do I need training?
First, discuss your interest with your supervisor. Then, contact your local fire or emergency management officer who can initiate your taskbook. PIOs (who work fire and other events) are certified through the completion of requirements listed in the NIMS Wildland Fire Qualification System Guide. At first glance, the requirements may seem challenging, but the
skills developed will serve you well on a daily basis. Training and qualifications are completed through four avenues:
• Training Courses, which provide specific background knowledge;
• Position Taskbooks, which contain tasks, required to perform the job;
• Job Aids, to provide ready reference;
• Agency Certification, which provides the documentation certifying that the individual is qualified to perform in the specific job. (This is the responsibility of the employing agency.)
Training
Some training is available online for free. Other courses are classroom only. See the Field Manager’s Course Guide for more details. Check with your fire management officer for information on upcoming training offered locally or periodically check the National Wildland Fire Training schedule of classes nationwide. If you need assistance with funding for travel and/or tuition, consider the NPS Wildland Fire Workforce Development Grant Program and/or the NPS Albright-Wirth Grant Program.
Information Officer Position Taskbooks
Your home unit must initiate the taskbook. Position taskbooks are available on the National Wildfire Coordinating Group website. Search for “Public Information Officer” to find the PIO taskbooks.
Physical Fitness Requirements
Typically, a PIO has no physical fitness requirements to hold that position, UNLESS that PIO will be expected to visit the fire line unescorted to take photos. This would be a typical occurrence on most incidents; therefore, a light duty fitness test may be required – walking 1 mile in 16 minutes with no weight.
Social media is a tool often used by public information officers.
officer trainee); as a Type 2 trainee, your qualifications card would read PIO2(t), and as a Type 1 trainee, your qualifications card would read (PIO1t). When any taskbook is completed, your home unit will finalize your certification. You should receive an Incident Qualifications and Certification System card (IQCS cardor Red Card) from your park or regional fire management officer to state that you are qualified as a PIO – this will be required to go on the fireline on incidents. You must also be registered in the Resource Ordering and Status System (ROSS). Check with your local unit protocol on how to be added to ROSS.
PIO Qualifications
You can work as a trainee as long as you have a red card, an initiated taskbook and an annual refresher. Training and taskbook must be completed to be fully qualified. Taskbooks expire three years from the date the first task in the taskbook is signed off. PIOs must have an assignment at least once every five years to maintain currency. See the table below for all training and requirements.
| Oct 2018 310-1 | Public Information Officer (PIOF) |
| Required Training | • Introduction to ICS (ICS-100)
• Human Factors in the Wildland Fire Service (L-180) • Firefighter Training (S-130) • Intro to Wildland Fire Behavior (S-190) • ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents (ICS-200) • Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents (ICS-300) • Advanced ICS (ICS-400) • NIMS: An Introduction (IS-700) |
| Training That Supports | • Basic Wildland Fire Orientation (S-110) |
Media Relations – Adapted from CDC Media Outreach Guide for Safe Child[3]
One of the most effective ways to raise awareness about the importance of preventing child injury as part of the Protect the Ones You Love initiative is to work with the media. Media representatives are vital partners that can help raise awareness and knowledge of an issue. In many cases, they are the single most effective mode for delivering key messages to targeted populations.
Getting access to the media is a daunting task with so many organizations vying for publicity from media outlets. What can you do to help create the coverage that will bring the information about protecting children from child injury to the forefront
in your community’s news? You can start by practicing proven media relations strategies. This Media Outreach Guide and its components will provide step-by-step instructions for developing a media initiative and stimulating the public’s interest in learning what they can do to protect the children they love.
What is Media Relations?Media relations is, simply put, building relationships and working with newsmakers (for example, print and television journalists) to seek publicity for your issue, program, or event. As you begin to reach out to the media contacts in your community, you’ll start learning how they can play a vital role in getting the word out about your initiative or event. As a child injury
prevention advocate in your community, it’s your responsibility to let the media know when you have a story that would make good news. You’ll excel in media relations as members of the media come to know you as a responsive, reliable, and credible information source.
What are the Benefits of Engaging the Media?There are many benefits of working with the media to get the word out about your efforts to protect child health and safety. Media coverage will help you make the most of the initiative’s resources. The news media reach more individuals than a single, paid advertisement, and the media can be your most efficient way to get information to the largest audience possible in the least amount of time.
Consider that:
- If a newspaper, for example, publishes one story about your community’s child injury prevention activities, you’ve “earned” media. “Earned media” costs you absolutely nothing but the time it takes to create and share information with your media contacts.
- By comparison, a paid advertisement could have cost you several thousands of dollars and may not have reached as many people in your target audience.
Earned media, or free coverage, is obtained by having good media relations strategies and securing the media’s interest in the activities you are doing, or the “story” you are trying to tell the public.
How Do You Get The Media Interested?
Materials, like press releases and press kits, are important—but it takes more than press materials to generate media interest and excitement. Just because a journalist finds your initiative interesting, that doesn’t ensure that he or she will conduct an interview, write a story, or film an event you’re having and show it on the evening news. Ensuring coverage requires pitching story angles and following up with persistence.
Consider the following suggestions that can help the media view you as a very valuable resource:
- Provide useful, timely, and accurate information that could be used in general news stories or in-depth feature pieces.
- Offer statistics (local if possible) that can help show proof of the burden of the problem. For example, share local statistics on how many children are hospitalized each year as a result of motor vehicle crashes.
- Localize your story. Show how improving child safety and reducing the burden of injury can help and improve your community.
- Provide human-interest story ideas. For example, offer reporters opportunities to interview the parent of a child who was injured in a motor vehicle crash.
Understanding the Diverse Roles of Media Professionals
Once you have thought of the story you want to tell the media, you need to
decide what media sources to reach with your story ideas. Some organizations send press releases to every broadcaster and newspaper in their communities.
One tip: you’re likely to have greater success if you specifically reach out to the news professionals whose papers and programs reach your target audience.
Over time, you’ll begin to understand that your media contacts may vary from story to story. It will require some research to determine the right person, or people, to contact at different media outlets. With print media, like newspapers, you may work with general assignment reporters, reporters assigned to “beats” (or topics of interest, such as lifestyle or health, etc.), or section editors. For radio, you may want to reach the news director or the general manager, depending on the size of the station’s staff. In television, you may work with the public service director, health segment reporter or producer, field reporter, news anchor, or general manager. You can always pitch several different story angles to various editors, reporters, and producers based on their beats. You don’t have to reach just one person at each outlet with one story.
| Who’s Who in Print and Broadcast Media | |
| Position | Responsibilities |
| Assignment Editor | Coordinates the day-to-day assignment of stories and manages random calls to the newsroom. |
| Calendar Editor | Organizes community event listings and announcements. Calendar listings are good sources of free publicity for events that are open to the public. Typically calendar editors are contacts within magazine and newspaper outlets, but they also can be found within radio and TV stations. |
| City Desk Editor | Handle news assignments for urban areas. |
| Editor | Assigns stories at newspapers and magazines. Most assign editors to specific sections, such as education, health, entertainment, and lifestyle. |
| Freelance Writer or Photographer | Writes and produces news stories or takes photographs for a variety of media outlets without being employed by a single organization. Many editors and TV producers have a regular group of freelancers that they work with often. |
| General Manager | Manages and directs the operations of the entire TV or radio station, ranging from advertising to news and program production. |
| Managing Editor | Manages the section editors and operations of the whole newspaper. |
| Producer | Researches, writes, and edits news stories and oversees camera crew for broadcast stories. In network news, this person works closely with reporters, and in some cases does much of the work to create a story. (At local stations, news reporters are responsible for this process themselves.) Producers also decide which stories appear on the news and in what order. |
| Promotions Director | Develops media sponsorships and partnerships to promote the station’s charitable commitment and positive image. |
| Public or Community Affairs Director | Oversees the airing of PSAs and general community relations, such as arranging newsroom tours. In some cases, this person also handles media sponsorships. |
| Reporter | Conducts interviews and writes stories for newspapers and magazines. Broadcast reporters deliver stories on the air. |
Making the Right Connections There is a great variety of media sources, including:
• Daily and weekly newspapers
• Radio stations aimed at specific age groups
• TV stations broadcasting in different languages
To identify the media contacts you’ll want to reach with information about your child injury prevention activities, begin by identifying and prioritizing your best media prospects. For instance, you may want to get messages about the importance of child safety seats to parents of young children. To do so, you’ll want to think carefully about all of the different sources of news in your community and determine where parents turn for information.
Media Contact ListOnce you have identified the media that you want to reach, create a detailed media contact list or database. An up- to-date contact list is an invaluable tool, because media professionals often change beats and positions. Keep notes next to each contact’s name to help identify specific issues that reporter likes to cover.
For each media professional, you should have the following information:
o Name
o Media affiliation (for example, The Miami Herald or The Boston Globe)
o Job Title (for example, Healthy Living section reporter)
o Phone number (office and cell)
o Email addresso Mailing address
o Beat or topic of interest
o Date of last contact
o Articles that have generated from contact
It’s best to update your contact list at least twice a year to keep it current. Often, when a reporter you have built a relationship with is planning to change positions, he or she will let you know before the change. You can always make contact with a station or a publication’s office and request updated information.
How to Make Contact: Action Steps1. Call the Reporter: Introduce yourself, and state why you’re making contact. Ask the reporter if he or she is on deadline. If so, find a time to call back.
2. Have a Good Story: Plan out what you want to tell the reporter carefully. You should know your topic well and be ready to answer any questions.
3. Plan a Good Strategy: Don’t use the same news angle or story for every media outlet. Tailor your pitch to that specific media outlet or reporter. Provide new and fresh ideas about your activities and events related to the preventing child injury.
4. Be Ready to Respond: When local or national stories break on child
injury of any kind, consider writing an opinion piece on the importance of prevention in your community.
5. Keep Your Word: Building a good reputation with media professionals is really important. If you promised that you would follow up with a reporter with local statistics, for example, keep your word and keep his or her deadline in mind. Also, keep business cards on hand when you see reporters, and constantly remind them that you’re a source of information for future stories.
- Send a thank you note: Whether by mail or by email, express thanks when a reporter covers your story.
Some journalists prefer talking on the telephone, while others are comfortable receiving information via e-mail. You’ll learn how to best communicate with different media professionals as you build working relationships with them.
Your Media Contact Checklist:
To wrap up Section 1, refer to the following checklist each time you prepare to reach out to the media and see if your answer to each question is “yes”:
- Have you thoroughly outlined ways that you can create newsworthy events that highlight the importance of preventing child injury?
- Are you ready to offer local or regional news angles and background information for stories on child injury and prevention tips?
- Are you prepared to respond to news stories about child injury when they break, such as stories about a local child involved in a drowning or a motor vehicle crash?
- Before you call a reporter, do you check your media contact list to make sure you are reaching out to the right person?
- Have you practiced your telephone or personal approach to media representatives so that you can be brief and have information that can help reporters make sense of the issue(s)?
- Before you email important materials to a reporter, are you sure this person likes to work with email correspondence?
- When you make follow-up calls, do you have good additional facts or a new story angle to encourage journalists to cover your event?
06.05 Discussion Forum- Press Release-Link to Canvas Site
For this discussion, you will develop a press release based upon the Single Overriding Communication Objective (SOCO) for an outbreak of measles that is occurring in your community.
Pre-Discussion Work
To begin this assignment, review the video on developing a press release
Review the simple
Review information from the CDC on measles:
Signs and Symptoms of measles (Links to an external site.)
Transmission of measles (Links to an external site.)
Vaccination for Measles (Links to an external site.)
Situation in your community
Develop a press Release for the following situation
A teenager with measles was infectious when she visited Roaring Springs, The Eight Street Market Place and other heavily visited sites in Southern Idaho earlier this month, public health officials said.
The teen was on a trip from Upper Slabovia and flew into the Boise Airport. The person visited Roaring Springs and Wahoos, among other attractions from Aug. 11 to Aug. 15. The person also reportedly traveled to The Village Shopping Center, Albertson’s Market Place Grocery Store and the Eagle Island State Park Swimming area during the trip,
Drafting Your Response
Utilize the standard format for a press release that is described in the “How To” video and in the textbook
Be sure to support your responses by referencing materials from this module. Also, once you have answered the questions, be sure to proofread what you wrote before you share it.
Discussing Your Work
To discuss your findings, follow the steps below:
Step 01. After you have finished writing and proofreading your responses, click on the discussion board link below.
Step 02. In the Discussion Forum, create a new thread and title it using the following format: Yourname and the topic of the discussion board.
Step 03. In the Reply field of your post, copy and paste the text of your composition from the Document you created.
Step 04. Add bolding, underlining, or italics where necessary. Also, correct any spacing and other formatting issues. Make sure your post looks professional.
Step 05. If you need to upload a document or image you can do so by clicking on the Upload image (photo image button) or Upload document (Document button) in the text editor and locating and selecting your document from your computer.
Step 06. When you have completed proofreading, fixing your post formatting, and attaching your file, click on the Post Reply button.
Press Releases — Fundamentally Important Outreach Tools A press release is the most efficient and economical way to attract media attention. Press releases have an established format. A template that you can follow is included on page
To help you develop your own press releases, keep these basic format guidelines in mind:
1. Date Instructions:
“For Immediate Release” “For Release Before [date]” “For Release After [date]” “Embargoed Until [date]”
2. Use one of the latter three if your press release is of a time sensitive nature: For example, if you are holding an event, you will want to use the “For Release Before [date]” and make sure you include the date for event registration. Also, ensure that you are sensitive to media deadlines and send your release out well in advance. If you want to distribute the release early but do not want it to be published until a later date, be sure to indicate that at the top of the release with “For Release After [date]” or “Embargoed Until [date]”. For example, “Embargoed Until 11 a.m. EST, Wednesday, July 23.” Receiving the embargoed press release gives reporters a heads-up on upcoming news that allows them to develop a longer, in-depth news story or feature piece by a certain date.
3. Headline: Write an attention-grabbing headline. Make it benefits-oriented (explain why it would be of interest to the local community) and descriptive.
4. Contact Information: Include as much information as possible here. Make it easy for the media to contact you. Include your office phone number, cell phone number (if you have one), address, company name, fax number, e-mail address, and website URL. Include the hours you are available at the listed phone number(s).
5. Content: This is the meat of your press release. Again, be brief, accurate, and to the point. Write a benefits-oriented story that highlights the “news” for the editor or reporter who will be reading the release. The first paragraph should answer all the important questions – who, what, where, when, why, and how. Use the “inverted pyramid format” to answer the following questions: What is the event or news? Why is it being held? Who is involved? What is the local angle? Where is the event taking place?
6. Ending Your Press Release: The end of your press release is shown by adding ### or (THE END) to the last page of the release. If the release is more than one page, type the word “MORE” at the bottom center of the first page.
7. Use Standard Newspaper Style: Use standard newspaper style when writing your release. Keep paragraphs short with an average of four to five lines or 60 words. Avoid jargon. Instead, use layman’s terms or easy to understand explanations.
Creating an Email-ready Press Release
A talented press release writer can capture the media’s interest within a few sentences. Web experts advise that you have only 10 seconds to make your point. Here are some pointers to remember when you are writing your press release to send via the Internet or e-mail:
- Utilize the release as a teaser to entice the reporter to visit your website.
- Introduce the press release in the email subject line with information that identifies what the release is about.
- Don’t send the release as an attachment; send it to your contacts within the body of the e-mail.
- Provide a contact name, telephone number, e-mail address, and URL for additional information above the headline or at the bottom of the release.
- Use bulleted points to convey your key points.
Below is a sample press release that is basically a fill in the blank type press release. At Central District Health Department we would sometimes spend 2 or 3 hours on a press release to get it just right before we sent it out. At the State level there were times it took up to two or three days to get a press release out because of the number of people that needed to approve the release.
Sample Local/Community Press Release[Place on your letterhead]
EMBARGOED UNTIL [insert date]
Date: Contact: Telephone: E-mail: Website:
[Insert organization name] Hosts [Insert event name] as Part of Initiative to Keep Children Safe from the Leading Causes of Childhood Injury
[Insert city/state] – To encourage all Americans to protect the children they love from unintentional injury, [insert organization name], [announced/will host/organized, etc.] [insert event name]. The event will take place at [place] on [date] from [time] until [time/ a.m. or p.m.] and is open to all interested members of the public.
According to [insert your spokesperson’s name], the (event/activity) is an opportunity to inform parents and caregivers in [insert city/state] about ways to prevent [drowning….], one of the leading causes of child injury in the United States.
The event is being held as part of Protect the Ones You Love: Child Injuries Are Preventable, a CDC initiative to raise parents’ awareness about the leading causes of child injury in the United States and how they can be prevented.
Event activities will include [insert one or two lines with more details about your event/activity, if needed].
More than [statistic] U.S. children are injured each year as a result of [injury type], and [statistic] children die as a result of their injuries.
“Data show that [number] children suffer each year from injuries that could have been prevented, and some even result in death,” said [insert name of organization
spokesperson]. “Our goal is to reach out to our community and encourage everyone to take steps to protect the ones they love. When people know the prevention steps they can and should take to make child injury less likely, they’ll be more equipped to help children live to their full potential.”
For more information, go to www.cdc.gov/safechild.
###
Below is a press release format from a CDC website[4]
Writing a press release outline
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(date)
CONTACT: (Name)
(Phone Number)
HEADLINE: SHORT ALL CAPS
1st Paragraph What is happening, who is involved, where and when
2nd Paragraph Why this incident is significant and newsworthy
3rd Paragraph Quote from expert involved that emphasizes how significant this event is. (You can just make up a name and a quote for the exercise)
4th Paragraph More details on where and when it happened.
5th Paragraph Other pertinent details including
Final Paragraph One sentence description of the agency and contact information
MORE ( if release goes to a second page, or;)
### ( to indicate the end of the press release)
- https://www.liveabout.com/government-job-profile-public-information-officer-1669701 ↵
- https://www.nps.gov/articles/upload/become-a-public-information-officer.pdf ↵
- https://www.cdc.gov/safechild/images/SafeChild_MEDIA%20GUIDE-a.pdf ↵
- https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/emergency/dwa-comm-toolbox/tools-templates-main.html ↵
