ADMINISTRATIVE RULE NO: 8025-01

RELATED TO POLICY SERIES NO: 8025

TITLE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT

PURPOSE

To describe the role of the Advancement Office as the conduit for news media interaction on behalf of the college and to outline the process for communicating with media representatives.

In general, the Public Information Officer (PIO) in the Advancement Office makes contact with the news media on newsworthy items and acts as a liaison between news media and college staff. The PIO is the Executive Director of Advancement or his/her designee. The PIO is responsible for providing background and connecting news media to the best possible sources of information while making best use of staff time. The centralized role of the PIO in relation to news media also enables the college to coordinate news releases, news conferences, and other publicity activities to avoid conflicts.

  1. Responding to News Media Inquiries
    Personalized help in working effectively with news media is available from Advancement. General guidelines include:
    1. If you are called directly by a reporter, please be cooperative. You may answer questions within your area of expertise, or you can immediately refer the reporter to Advancement to ensure you are the best source for that information. If you speak with a reporter, please alert the college PIO of the date and nature of the call.
    2. When speaking with a reporter, it is important never to guess--if you don't know the answer, say so, and get back to the reporter with the information or refer the reporter to the PIO.
    3. All media requests for information about the general administration of the college including budget, contract negotiations, policies, and board actions, should be referred to the PIO. Staff should also refer queries to the PIO if they deal with subjects for which responsibility is shared among administrative or academic departments.
  2. Initiating News Coverage or Publicity
    The Advancement Office serves as the only initiator of external media coverage, though the college community may contact the office any time with suggestions and requests. To best coordinate our public messages, the Advancement Office will approve which stories will be sent, when they are sent, and to whom. Some stories may be sent to external news sources, while others may be developed as features to be used within internal, “LBCC-owned” media such as on the college website, or in digital or printed publications, at the Advancement Office’s discretion.

DATE OF ADOPTION: 08/13/84
DATE(S) OF REVISION(S): 11/04/97; 05/07/15; 1/3/19
DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 12/15/09; 05/07/15; 1/3/19; 12/01/22