The Office of Media Relations at FIU is the official gateway to the local, regional and national media. The staff works to promote and position the image of the University and highlight the good work and research taking place in classrooms and labs throughout the institution.
Media Relations professionals function as consultants and advisors to the academic units and research centers-in a way, becoming an extension of their staffs-to identify newsworthy stories,portray FIU in the best possible light and maximize the exposure potential of each issue, event or announcement. Media Relations staff designs campaigns, prepares press releases, pitches stories to a variety of mainstream and specialty media in English and Spanish, helps clients prepare for interviews and follows up with a daily clipping service available to anyone in the University Community. The team is also experienced in crisis communications; consider calling on us before a sensitive situation becomes a public relations issue.
When planning to approach the Office of Media Relations with a project, it is helpful to have handy the five Ws: Who, What, When Where and How. Also important to keep in mind, are the elements of a successful news story:
• Relevance to the audience
• Unusual aspects or part of an emerging trend
• Controversial/Conflict
• Human interest
• Distinction. recognition. uniqueness.
• Visual element for TV
• Does the project have a Spanish language voice?
• Connection between the project and FIU's mission or strategic themes
An old journalist's saying sums it up: Dog bites man: not news; Man bites dog: news! Even when a story is not ready for media attention there probably is a place for it in the communications produced and circulated among the FIU family.
The Office of Media Relations needs about six weeks of notice in order to fit a given event into its busy story load and do justice to a given piece of news. Most calendar listings are closed two weeks prior to publication. Magazines, or glossies, as they are often called, work with more than three months of lead time.
Any time a member of the faculty or staff receives a call or a visit from a reporter, there are some things to keep in mind. First, determine what the reporter is looking to find out and when their deadline is. We recommend that you then take a few minutes or a few hours, depending on the situation, to gather your thoughts and your facts and to seek advice from the Office of Media Relations. The professional staff may be able to assist with the preparation of a response or remind you of simple rules of thumb-for instance, to stand while doing a radio interview via phone and to wear a solid color for a TV appearance. Pre-arrange a time and place to get back to the reporter and grant the interview only when you feel prepared. Always return a reporter's call as soon as it is practical, even if it is to say that you are the wrong person to contact or simply that you will not be doing the interview. Media Relations staff is always available to facilitate your dealings with the media.
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