a guide for members of the british psychological society - guardian

Working with the media:

A guide for members of the British Psychological Society

Working with the media: A guide for members of the British Psychological Society

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1. An introduction to media work for psychologists 3 What makes a good media psychologist What are the benefits of media work? What are the possible risks associated with media work? How the media find out about you 2. How the media works 6 How TV programmes get made How print articles are commissioned How radio features are made 3. Ethical issues associated with media work 7 Before you start Responding to an approach from the media Dealing with the proposal Retaining control Payment Legal Issues Why problems arise Fulfilling your duty of care – confidentiality and consent Manipulation Remaining within professional boundaries Maintaining a professional perspective Post recording follow up Useful information Links 4. Information for journal authors, contributors to The Psychologist and speakers at conferences

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News releases Hints and tips for journal authors and contributors to The Psychologist Hints & tips for conference authors 5. Being Interviewed 24 The basics Press Radio Television 6. Working as a volunteer press officer for the Society 28 News releases Running a conference press office Working with radio Supporting people being interviewed 7. Further Media involvement 44 8. PR Team contact details 44 9. Sample form for obtaining informed consent 45


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1. An introduction to media work for psychologists What makes a good media psychologist? Anyone can do it – it isn’t a genetic trait or a science – working with the media is a craft skill. So, it can be learnt and practiced, and with practice you get better at it. So, what are the skills and attributes you need: - You have to want to do it. You have to decide that taking psychology to wider,

external audiences is a good thing. - You have to decide what are the limits of your competence. In other words, what

can you talk about given your own expertise, and what are areas where you will be in danger of ‘busking-it’?

- You need to understand the audience. The mass, lay media in the UK is very

careful about writing and talking at the right level for their audience. The national speech radio attempts to work at a slighter lower level because it is a real-time media. The object of the exercise is to be easily understood by all readers, listeners and viewers.

- You need to communicate for the audience. All forms of communication are

more effective when the communicator does it for the audience and not for themselves. So, whatever you are trying to, or have to, get across think about the audience and tailor your messages and your language for their benefit, enjoyment and understanding.

- You have to look upon every media interaction as an opportunity – not a challenge

or threat. What are the benefits of media work? It is worth standing back and thinking about the overall benefits and risks of working with the media in its various forms. There are two broad sets of benefits you can expect to accrue, those for you as an individual and those for psychology as a whole. Personal benefits include: 1. You can encourage public interest and understanding of your work 2. You can build your own reputation, not only as a good researcher or practitioner

but also as a good communicator 3. You can bring your work to the notice of other professionals who might otherwise

have never known about you and your work 4. You can use the media to get study participants for your next piece of research 5. Increasingly grant awarding bodies expect some kind of 'public understanding'

work to be undertaken as part of a study - the media is a great way to fulfill that requirement

6. You can use the media to help attract future and further funding for your research


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7. You can get immediate feedback - you can be on the radio in minutes and in print the next day - whereas academic publication can take months and sometimes years.

8. You can have some fun - interacting with the media really can be an enjoyable activity.

Benefits for Psychology as a whole are: 1. Both research and practice are about human beings and therefore human beings

(in the form of the general public) have a right to know what it is we've found out or what we do – it may even help them!

2. The great bulk of research and practice is carried out from public funds so, again the public have a right to know how their money is spent.

3. We know that students are attracted to come and study the discipline by what they see in the media, so we all have a responsibility to ensure the general health of the discipline by attracting the next generation.

4. And last but by no means least because the Royal Charter of the British Psychological Society requires all its members to promote, advance and diffuse knowledge of the discipline.

What are the possible risks associated with media work? There are of course generic risks which go with the territory of media work. They include: 1. Being ridiculed by your peers (they may not understand the audience you are

addressing or they may be jealous). 2. Devaluing your expertise by being drawn into talking about issues beyond your

competence and so excited by a media invitation that you will agree to do almost anything.

3. Being drawn into talk about individuals (usually celebrities) who you have no direct knowledge of (and even if you did you couldn't talk about them because of confidentiality) and worse yet being drawn into making statements, which could be libelous or slanderous.

4. Losing control and finding yourself involved in a project where you have a duty of care to participants which is over-ridden by the format of the media programme or being misquoted, quoted out of context, or even quoted when you haven't actually talked to the journalist.

These are all real benefits and risks, they have happened and some will continue to happen in the future. But once we accept that interacting with the media is not a perfect science and that as human beings are involved there will be mistakes - it is clear that the benefits vastly outweigh the possible risks. How the media find out about you Sometimes you will actively seek out media interest, to support your work or research. In this case you might work with your employer or place of work to issue a news release designed to attract the media. The Society also promotes Psychological research through its conferences and publications sending news releases and providing facilities for the media at conferences to encourage them to run psychology stories.


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However it happens, when you actively seek media interest you are setting the agenda. You will have a clear idea of the messages you wish to communicate and a fair degree of control over things like timing of the coverage. The other scenario is that the media have an idea or a story that they approach you with, seeking your assistance. This can range from a simple comment on a news story over the phone to a large TV project involving months of work. Sometimes they will find your name from web searches, sometimes from references from colleagues they have spoken to and sometimes from seeing previous media work you might have done. Around 1000 chartered members are also on the Society’s media data base as experts willing to speak to the media about psychology and their areas of expertise. Each month around 350 media enquiries are dealt with by the Society’s Public Relations Team and forwarded to these members, with many becoming regulars in the media. In the case of these reactive opportunities the agenda is, to a certain extent set by the media, and because of this you will need to be ready to steer them towards the best outcome for you as well as for them.


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2. How the media works How TV programmes get made The first stage in the making of a TV programme is getting it commissioned. This normally takes place well before a script is even written. It is essentially the process of seeking a contract from a broadcaster to buy the concept of a programme for transmission. With so many broadcasters and available channels with the advent of digital TV, the market for programmes is wide. This market is increasingly met by independent production companies, although the main broadcasting companies still have considerable in-house production capabilities. Often the first call to you will come from a production company working up an idea. They are in effect working up a pitch to convince the broadcaster that they have an idea for a programme which would work on that particular channel. At this stage they may merely want advice or assistance with background research. They may however have already decided that they want to involve a psychologist in the making of the programme and that your involvement (or that of another psychologist) is essential to the fabric of the programme. In this case they will already have a firm idea of what they want from you and your role. When a TV producer or researcher calls about a programme that has yet to be commissioned there is no guarantee that it will ever make the screens. The industry standard for the ratio between ideas and programmes is less than 1:100. Almost no programmes are ever made without having a commission; the expense of production, without a guarantee of a market, is not something many companies will risk. After commissioning usually comes a period of further research and the organisation of the practicalities of filming. The length of time this takes depends entirely on the scale and type of production. A documentary such as ‘Panorama’ might take a matter of weeks Whereas a series such as ‘Big Brother’ need sets, promotional packages and web sites to be created, taking months and months. You may get calls from TV producers who are at this stage and have already had their programme commissioned. In this case the programme is already in production and is certain (baring extreme circumstances) to be broadcast. Programmes being produced by the broadcast companies themselves who contact you are likely to be at this stage of development already, as they will have the project already commissioned in-house. In these circumstances they may be seeking assistance at short notice with filming or the screening of participants. It is fair to say that as a general rule, the later in the process they contact you for your input the less significant your part will be in the overall programme, and the less likely it is that you will be able to influence it. How print articles are commissioned Whilst TV production can take months (and in some cases years), print features tend to have much shorter lead times. At the shortest, this might be an hour or so with them merely wanting your perspective or comment. Other opportunities, such as magazine


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features, may be written a few months ahead, and for the most part will involve the one journalist writing the feature interviewing you at some point. Like TV, there is a commissioning process which either involves the editor of a publication making a decision to carry a story or feature, or a freelance writer “selling” a feature idea to an editor. Then researching and writing a piece. It can differ slightly from TV because writing for print is less cost intensive than TV production, meaning there is a market for journalists writing features without having a specific commission. How radio features are made Radio programmes are produced in a similar way to TV, in that proposals are reviewed through a commissioning process which culminates in an idea being accepted for production. The timescales and production schedules are much more like those of print however as the process of creating a radio programme is much more immediate and likely to involve only a handful of people. Like TV you may get enquiries at the stage when a proposal is being worked up. Once agreed however recording can take place very quickly.


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3. Ethical issues associated with media work Over the past five years the increase in “reality” TV and personality focussed news reporting has changed the media environment. The result is many more media opportunities that feature the behaviour of individuals and groups and the ‘need’ for psychologists to comment and explain. TV Game shows, where contestants are placed in extreme surroundings or required to carry out stressful tasks; “experiments” where behaviour is manipulated in “controlled” circumstances; and observational shows where participants have every move they make filmed and analysed have become a broadcasting phenomena. Elsewhere in print, more and more coverage is given not just to the actions of individuals but also to analysis, in depth or otherwise, of their motivations, lifestyles and decision making. News is no longer only a matter of reporting what has happened in the world, increasingly it is about why events have happened. This often means examining the actions of individuals. These developments have led to journalists and programme makers turning to psychologists for both assistance on existing projects and inspiration for new ones. In the context of opening up the discipline to the public, increasing understanding and spreading wider awareness of psychology, this rise in interest has to be seen as a positive opportunity. However, whilst there are many benefits for psychology in the development of a relationship with the media, there are also risks, stemming predominantly from the differing ‘codes’ that psychology and the media work to. In 2002 the Society established a working party drawing on expertise from its ethics and media committees to look at the issues surrounding the involvement of psychologists in a range of media activities. This section offers guidance to good practice within the wider Society agenda of ‘Bringing psychology to society’. Before you start The main purpose of this guide is to support and encourage you as a psychologist to work with the media. In doing so however it is essential that media work is undertaken with a firm eye on the ethical foundations of the discipline as a whole. To this end it is recommended that anyone undertaking media work ensures they are fully aware of The Society’s Code of Ethics and Conduct and that they have thought through the code in the context of the media work they are undertaking. A considered understanding of the Code could save trouble down-the-line. It states;

“The aim of the Code is that it should apply to all psychologists, with the focus on the quality of decision making allowing sufficient flexibility for a variety of approaches and methods, but providing ethical standards which apply to all. Psychologists will also need to familiarise themselves with the legal framework, regulatory requirements and other guidance relevant to the particular context in which they work.”

The Code is based on four principles, which can be applied to media work as they are to other areas of research or practice.


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Respect Psychologists value the dignity and worth of all persons, with sensitivity to the dynamics of perceived authority or influence over clients, and with particular regard to people’s rights including those of privacy and self-determination. Competence Psychologists value the continuing development and maintenance of high standards of competence in their professional work, and the importance of preserving their ability to function optimally within the recognised limits of their knowledge, skill, training, education, and experience. Responsibility Psychologists value their responsibilities to clients, to the general public, and to the profession and science of Psychology, including the avoidance of harm and the prevention of misuse or abuse of their contributions to society. Integrity Psychologists value honesty, accuracy, clarity, and fairness in their interactions with all persons, and seek to promote integrity in all facets of their scientific and professional endeavours.

The Code also specifically addresses the issues of confidentiality and consent, and this guide will go on to consider these in more detail in relation to working with the media as they are the two areas most likely to be problematic. It is also well worth revisiting the Society’s Ethical Principles for conducting research with human participants which may also shed light on some of the issues raised by proposals for psychologists to get involved behind the scenes in TV programmes where they may be shaping the environmental influences on participants and observing behaviour. These are mentioned in more detail in the section on manipulation. Responding to an approach from the media Approaches come in various guises: a request for a comment on a news item; to appear on a local radio show; or to participate in a TV programme. The first reaction is often to feel flattered; this is followed by an agreement to appear, to talk, to participate. However, there are more sensible first reactions and responses. By all means feel flattered, but there are a whole series of questions you should ask of the person who contacts you: !" What’s the story/programme/show all about? !" What do you actually want from me? !" Are other ‘experts’ involved, and in what way?


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!" Who is the audience for the ‘show’ and what can I assume they know/will understand?

Once you feel you have enough ‘background’ then …………. Ask yourself a number of questions

!" Am I the right person - do I have the appropriate expertise to contribute? !" What will it do for my reputation and the reputation of psychology and

psychologists? !" Does it fit within the boundaries of the code of conduct? !" How much can I influence the shape of the proposal and how receptive to

suggestions are the people who have approached me? !" What is the basis of my expertise, and have I made it clear to the

journalist/researcher? !" Is my decision likely to be influenced (or perceived by others) to be influenced

or biased by factors I should declare? In order to make an informed decision about a specific request or enquiry you do need to have an understanding about the way programmes get made for TV or radio and how stories end up in print. This is not easy however, as even within a single section of the media such as TV there will be a wide variety of output across the genres, from drama to documentary, from news to game show. Dealing with the proposal Whether for TV or print it is essential that before getting into the detail of the proposal you clarify what stage the process is at. By building up a picture of what stage of development the process is in you can inform your decision making and even steer the programme in a more positive direction. It is also essential that you are completely clear and at ease with what they expect from you and whether you have any influence over the shape of your involvement. There are two broad forms of input the media seek from psychologists.

1. They may require you as an expert figure in the programme or print article actually featuring you in the piece.

2. They may seek input from behind the scenes using you as an expert working as part of the production team.

Sometimes, in this latter case, the boundaries between these roles can become blurred. The psychologist employed to look after the well being of participants in a game show for instance being asked to comment publicly on their progress as the show develops. Retaining control Psychologists can influence the content and conduct of programmes and features through early involvement and active participation in planning. The relationship with the media should be one which allows you to suggest ideas and offer suggestions. As the “expert” you can be in a position of considerable influence, particularly if the media have approached you early on in the process. Whilst you certainly have a


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responsibility to your discipline to flag up any potential problem areas to the producers, researcher or journalist you also have an opportunity to offer suggestions as to how things might be done differently. Whilst the researchers/journalists may have a brief clearly established there are also times when the brief is still quite loose. This is when you can make suggestions and actually influence what direction the programme or article might take. But, having said all of that, final editorial control is in the hands of the broadcaster, programme maker, editor, producer – unless, of course, some level of power has been vested in you via your contract. Payment You should clarify as early as possible what any payment and contractual arrangements are. If you are approached very early on when an idea is being first shaped, and the request for information is very general, it is unlikely you will be paid – despite the fact that these early soundings can be time-consuming. If you are asked for a brief quote or comment for a print article or radio piece you may also be expected to give your time for free. However if you are being asked to carry out research or you are expected to spend a significant amount of time working on the proposal you can expect to receive payment. This should be a matter negotiated between you and the programme makers or journalists. One of the keys to payment is how much of your time the media want – so be as clear about this as possible at the outset. You should also be clear about how much you want and how you want it calculated – by the hour, the day, the project. Work out your ‘day rate’ based on your existing salary – this should help you to get a feel for a piece of negotiation. Just remember that all such payments will have to be declared to the Inland Revenue. One area of media activity where you will never get paid is news, whether its print or broadcast – your ’15 minutes of fame’ is deemed payment enough. Legal issues There are a number of important legal issues you should be aware of. 1. Your own contract of employment If you are a contracted employee you need to check that your terms and conditions of service allow you to undertake external employment, or indeed allow you to ‘talk’ to the media. Some employees see this kind of activity very positively as it can bring direct benefits for instance by getting Institutional ‘name checks’ in the media. Others allow it as long as you make no comments about the employer or its policies. Others allow it as long as you keep your line manager informed. Others allow it as long as it is done in your own time.


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The bottom line is that it is your responsibility to check what your contract/employer allows.

2. Contract with broadcaster/production company If a broadcaster or a production company wants your involvement in a project beyond the odd ‘advisory’ telephone call or meeting, then they should offer you some kind of contract. This should specify exactly what they expect of you and exactly what the broadcaster/production company will do. Never sign any contract blithely or without checking it carefully – ensure that what it states you will deliver you are able to comply with. When evaluating your contractual obligations, remember to check with the Society’s Code of Conduct and especially the section concerning ‘working beyond your competence’. If you are unhappy with the contract as presented, you can always negotiate.

3. For Reality TV programmes there are other contractual issues which you need to consider: !" Do the participants know about your role and have they agreed? !" Have the participants given informed and written consent to whatever the

programme is proposing? This should include the potential post-programme effects on them and/or their family members.

!" Do you have the right, in your contract, to pull participants out of the programme based on your professional judgement and duty of care?

!" Do you have the right, in your contract, to refer participants to other professionals, such as counsellors, other psychologists or medical doctors, if you assess that there is potential harm?

!" Do you have the right, in your contract, to see, comment upon and advise about the contract the participants are to sign?

!" Exactly what, in your contract, is your responsibility for the ‘mental health’ of the participants?

!" Does your contract continue any of your responsibilities after the programme is made or broadcast?

4. Defamation Another legal area that needs some consideration is defamation – slander and libel. When working with the media you need only be concerned with libel as this covers the written word and material broadcast on television and radio. If you are producing written articles for newspapers or magazines, they may ask you to indemnify them against libel and indeed copyright. Copyright seems fair. i.e. you have not ‘ripped-off’ someone else’s words as is they were your own. But libel is a different matter. In this area you are an amateur and the print media always have on-tap (or even on-staff) legal specialists to check whether any copy contains libellous material. It is easier to make libellous comments when doing a live radio or television piece, because your potential enthusiasm to answer the questions or make comment could lead you to make personal criticisms or accusations which are simply based on your own opinions rather than any hard evidence.


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So, a good guiding principle is by all means criticise the idea(s) of others, but not the individual – if you think they are wrong, say so, but back it up with evidence. However, a general awareness of the laws of defamation are useful. Why problems arise Problems usually arise either through the different language used by the media or the cultural differences between them and psychologists. 1. Differences in language There is a real difference in the way people working in the media talk and the language they use. Many problems with psychologists and the media have been caused by one or the other party discussing something without checking that the understanding of the other is correct. Assuming that the person you are talking to has the same level of background knowledge and uses words in the same way is a common fault of us all. When dealing with the media this is compounded by the additional issue of people not wanting to seem ignorant or unsophisticated. The media too can make this mistake. The best course of action is to constantly check that understanding is mutual and to ask even the most obvious questions without worrying about how it might appear. It also helps too to encourage any media contacts to feel at ease so they can ask questions of you too. An important example of this is the word “consent”. In the media consent is an issue, but often only as far as the actual broadcasting or printed use of material. In contrast the psychologist’s general understanding of the word “consent” is likely to be used in the context of a participant agreeing to take part in something before it commences. Psychologists are also likely to be more concerned about consent being “informed” issues surrounding consent are explained in the section of fulfilling your duty of care. 2. Differences in culture There is no doubt that the media work at a different pace to many other professions. The pressure to come up with a fresh new idea, to be first with the story, to make a name for one’s self pervades every section of the media. Deadlines are sacred, there is no room for manoeuvre when a journalist is working to a deadline. A 10am deadline is just that, 10 past 10 will not do, the paper may have already gone to print. Another big difference between psychologists and the media is that the media’s primary aim is to entertain and make money. If they educate it is as a by-product of these first two aims. They cannot therefore be expected to hold the same set of values which drive many psychologists particularly in the academic field to seek media attention. Whilst this does mean you have to be aware that the media may not share the same agenda as you, it does not necessarily mean that your aims and theirs are mutually exclusive. An understanding of the needs of the media opens up a host of positive


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opportunities to help the science to be safely placed in the spotlight, and by allowing both media and psychology to develop a shared language. Fulfilling your duty of care – confidentiality and consent 1. Confidentiality Confidentiality is an important issue but the impact is particularly strong in respect of participation in television programmes. Those who take part must be made aware that being in the public eye may significantly reduce rights to privacy. This is where the Code of Ethics and Conduct should be re-visited as it reminds us as psychologists of our understanding of confidentiality. However, there are additional factors to consider particularly in relation to TV programmes. It is important to make clear, both to participants and the television company, the demarcation between public and private issues, related to communication with the psychologist. This should be done both verbally and in writing. Participants who are working with a psychologist as part of a programme should also be clear if and when their communications are confidential. Ideally there should be a separation between what is said to a psychologist in public and what is said in private. This means participants know if they speak to a psychologist confidentially, this will be treated as absolutely confidential. A good way to ensure this is to allow people to switch off microphones and to move to an area without a camera. Arrangements should be clearly made that allow confidential discussion between participants and the psychologist. The production company will need to agree to this and not assume that they will be told of every meeting and concern raised by participants. It is therefore a good idea for the participants and the production company to set out details of confidentiality both verbally and in writing to avoid confusion.

Hint: A technique used successfully with participants in some television shows including Castaway 2000, The Heat is On, and in Tonight with Trevor McDonald was that if at any time they wished to speak to the psychologist on the programme confidentially, they knew that all of the discussion would be treated as absolutely confidential. This was also agreed in writing with the production team and the participants before filming commenced. So successful was this approach that the psychologist had at times to remind participants who wished a confidential discussion to switch off microphones and to move to an area without a camera. This did however involve the psychologist having to work in a variety of settings from talking to a distressed man in a men’s lavatory in an outward-bound centre, to walking up hill and down dale in the pitch dark with a concerned participant. Such is the variety of media work.

The media do of course have their own codes of conduct which touch on confidentiality. The press work to the code of the Press Complaints Commission and broadcasters have OFCOM. At an organisational level there will also be codes of conduct such as the BBC’s producer’s guidelines which spell out what is acceptable


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for broadcast and what is not. Contact details on these are listed at the end of this section. 2. Consent As mentioned earlier, in the media consent is an issue, but often only as far as the actual broadcasting or printed use of material. The activities carried out to obtain the footage, recording or story in the first place may not need “consent” as far as the media are concerned. Think of all those fly on the wall documentaries - consent is retrospectively sought for the broadcasting of the gathered footage, not for the taking of it or the creation of situations in which participants were placed.

Another area where there are differences in understanding of consent is that psychologists are aware that consent has to be informed if it is to be valid.

Hint : Research carried out on participants of Castaway 2000, has shown that informed consent is a complex issue and more than oral information regarding repercussions may be required. Despite having been anxious to take part, and freely giving consent after having been given verbal information regarding possible implications some participants still felt unprepared. Particular areas of concern related less to the programme content than to newspaper articles, which on some occasions involved criticism of the character of participants and/or of participants’ family members. People taking part in reality television programmes in which the involvement of a psychologist has worked well were clearly told at a meeting addressed by the psychologist (and usually filmed) of the implications of taking part. In order for them to give their informed consent it was important that issues surrounding the making of the programme were raised and discussed with them. Sometimes the issues were clear to them from the start, for example they were aware that they were losing their right to privacy and that any part of anything they said on camera might be used. However there were also issues which they had not thought of when they had first applied to take part, This is why they were told about how other participants may talk about what they have said and that they might criticise their character on camera.

It is important that participants are clear that they have no control over what may be used and/or said by others. They should also be told that it is possible, if not likely, that when under stress, they will produce behaviour that they will be embarrassed about and regret. They also may not get a chance to see the programmes before they are relayed to the public.

The creation and use of an informed consent form assists in that it shows the potential participant in ‘black and white’ the repercussions of becoming a public figure for even a short time. This reinforces oral information given to those considering being part of a reality TV or documentary programme. It might be worth noting that this approach has been found to work and as a result of this form which states clearly the


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potential problems facing participants, one person changed their mind about taking part in a programme. A draft form may be found at the end of this document. Manipulation Many reality TV programmes are based on shaping or changing environmental influences on people’s behaviour. In most cases this leads to responses that are non-threatening and often entertaining but sometimes this manipulation causes volatile reactions. The Society’s Ethical Principles for conducting research with human participants outlines principles that should be considered which can be a useful guide to members assessing a television project. Substituting the words “research” or “investigation” for “TV show” illustrates how easily the principles can be applied to media work. Amongst the principles which may have a bearing on TV work are the following. !" “In all circumstances, investigators must consider the ethical implications and

psychological consequences for the participants in their research. The essential principle is that the investigation should be considered from the standpoint of all participants; foreseeable threats to their psychological well-being, health, values or dignity should be eliminated. Investigators should recognise that, in our multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society and where investigations involve individuals of different ages, gender and social background, the investigators may not have sufficient knowledge of the implications of any investigation for the participants. It should be borne in mind that the best judge of whether an investigation will cause offence may be members of the population from which the participants in the research are to be drawn.”

!" “Investigators have a primary responsibility to protect participants from physical

and mental harm during the investigation. Normally, the risk of harm must be no greater than in ordinary life, i.e. participants should not be exposed to risks greater than or additional to those encountered in their normal lifestyles. Where the risk of harm is greater than in ordinary life the provisions of 3.8 should apply. Participants must be asked about any factors in the procedure that might create a risk, such as pre-existing medical conditions, and must be advised of any special action they should take to avoid risk.”

!" “If harm, unusual discomfort, or other negative consequences for the individual's

future life might occur, the investigator must obtain the disinterested approval of independent advisors, inform the participants, and obtain informed, real consent from each of them.”

!" “During research, an investigator may obtain evidence of psychological or

physical problems of which a participant is, apparently, unaware. In such a case, the investigator has a responsibility to inform the participant if the investigator believes that by not doing so the participant's future well-being may be endangered.”

!" “The withholding of information or the misleading of participants is unacceptable

if the participants are typically likely to object or show unease once debriefed. Where this is in any doubt, appropriate consultation must precede the


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investigation. Consultation is best carried out with individuals who share the social and cultural background of the participants in the research, but the advice of ethics committees or experienced and disinterested colleagues may be sufficient.”

!" “Intentional deception of the participants over the purpose and general nature of

the investigation should be avoided whenever possible. Participants should never be deliberately misled without extremely strong scientific or medical justification. Even then there should be strict controls and the disinterested approval of independent advisors.”

!" “At the onset of the investigation investigators should make plain to participants

their right to withdraw from the research at any time, irrespective of whether or not payment or other inducement has been offered. It is recognised that this may be difficult in certain observational or organisational settings, but nevertheless the investigator must attempt to ensure that participants (including children) know of their right to withdraw. When testing children, avoidance of the testing situation may be taken as evidence of failure to consent to the procedure and should be acknowledged.”

However in the media setting psychologists should also point out that once people have signed to take part in a programme and have been filmed, the rights to the footage may rest with the production company even if they withdraw – explaining this would be part of the process for gaining informed consent.

Because psychologists need to bear in mind these principles, there are certain manipulations that psychologists should not endorse or support. As one member said: "Media companies frequently don’t understand that ethical considerations prevent psychologists from causing distress, being judgmental or setting up scenarios that could anger/endanger participants - all the things they see as making good television!" Often these areas of conflict can be identified and addressed if you work them through with the producers at the ideas stage rather than later in the process. To assist, the Society holds annual briefing sessions for TV Production Companies to explain why the ethical dimension is so important to its members, and the PR Team are always available to chat through such issues with you or your TV contacts. Remaining within professional boundaries Sometimes the media are not aware of the distinctions between different types of psychologists. If there are questions regarding the mental health of a participant then it should be arranged with the production team, in advance, that appropriate professional psychological assessment and, if required, treatment should be available.

Hint : A psychologist on one reality TV programme did have to ask a clinical psychologist to see a participant about whom there was concern. The programme’s psychologist was not qualified to make a competent professional assessment and therefore asked for assistance from the appropriate area. Fortunately, their ‘personal’ assessment was supported and there was no significant problem. Programme makers may not always be as aware of the


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professional differences between psychologists as we would like and without good communication expect more of you than you are qualified to provide.

Maintaining a professional perspective It may be impossible to avoid suspicion from some participants taking part in programmes who might regard the psychologist as an untrustworthy part of the production team and therefore to be more than likely to disclose anything said by participants. Trust building can therefore take some time.

Hint : On occasion a participant may actively dislike the psychologist. This means offering the support of some other psychologist if psychological care is required.

Post recording follow up Most would agree that it is inappropriate to enter intimately into people’s lives and then withdraw suddenly when the project is at an end. There may be serious and extended repercussions, and it is useful if participants can feel that they have a willing and understanding person to speak to. This can, and does, in the experience of psychologists who have been involved in reality TV programmes, extend into personal matters unrelated to the programme itself.

Hint : It can be useful to remind participants that the media attention is often short-lived and that they will surely be the only ones up during the night worrying about something that has been written about them or said on television. People think of themselves more often than of others.

Useful information Links The Press Complaints Commission (sets the code of conduct for news papers and magazines http://www.pcc.org.uk BBC Producer’s guidelines http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/editorial/prodgl/values.shtml OFCOM - sets standards for programme content, advertising, sponsorship and technical quality on independent television http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/ifi/codes/bcode/


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4. Working with the media – information for Journal authors, contributors to The Psychologist, and speakers at conferences Although all media work is based on the same principles the Society does offer specific guidance for members they are working with to seek media coverage of the discipline. The Society’s journals, The Psychologist, conferences and events all provide a wealth of useful material to highlight the work of psychologists to the media, and through them to the public and the Society has tried and tested systems in place to make the most of them.. The Society’s Public Relations (PR) Team and the many volunteer Press Officers working in the member networks of the Society are always on the look out for new material to take to the media to illustrate what a valuable and interesting discipline psychology is. If you are an author of a paper being published in any form by the Society there is a possibility you work may attract attention. The main established way of attracting media interest in a paper is to send them a news release. News releases are stylised letters designed to give journalists a snappy summary of the “story” which will entice them into speaking to you directly for more information. News releases The heart of our proactive media work (that is to say the work we undertake to actively attract media interest in psychology and the Society) is the news release. Depending on who you talk to, it also goes by other names such as press release, press notice and media release. No matter what they’re called they are the same thing – a way of attracting media attention. News releases are designed to give journalists a pithy summary of the “story” to encourage them to get in touch, to further research the subject and then write a piece or conduct a broadcast interview on it. They typically consist of a couple of hundred words outlining the main points of the story, enough information for the journalist to decide whether or not they are interested in covering the it. We use news releases for three good reasons 1.They are an accepted method for the media to receive stories. 2.They are efficient - one piece of paper can be distributed to many targets. 3.They force the writer to distil and make accessible what can be complex and lengthy base information. The ultimate object is to produce a set of words which can be used “as is” by the target journalists. The ultimate accolade is to see a release just about word for word in print.


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What can be news released? Any activity of the Society can be news released as long as it is news worthy. The subjects most often featured are papers being presented at conferences, papers featured in journals and public events.

The process of writing the news release is a co-operative process which involves whoever is writing it working with you, as the author of the paper, to condense the findings of your paper into a media friendly style whilst ensuring that the facts remain true to the original subject matter. The process should bring two elements together, their knowledge of what works with journalists and your expertise of the subject matter. We will never send a release out unless you are completely happy with it. The other important task to be completed at this stage is to gather your contact details so the PR Team can refer journalists on to you once the news release is sent out. A contact sheet is compiled listing the contact details for you and stating your whereabouts prior to and immediately after the publication of the Journal or event. The PR Team keep a copy of the contact sheets, and only pass your contact details on to journalists enquiring about your paper, though this can mean dealing with enquiries months and even years after. All news releases ultimately pass through the Society’s PR Team in Leicester. Here they are given a final check for clarity, accuracy and English by the Society’s full time public relations officers. Some changes may be suggested before a release is issued but if they are major they will always be checked with the other people involved in the story. News releases are usually sent out around ten days prior to the publication of the Journal or event by the Leicester based PR Team which handles all the targeting of the releases, printing, packing and postage. When the news release is sent out As described above, before the release goes out you can expect to have had some discussions with whoever is writing the release. Your real input however comes once the news release has arrived with the journalists. This is the stage you can expect to be contacted by journalists wishing to discuss the story further or conduct an interview with you (and why your contact details are so important). There is more detailed guidance on being interviewed in the section called “Being Interviewed”. The Society also provides training in interview skills. The news release may be given an embargo, that is the earliest time that the media are requested to print or broadcast the research. The embargo is nearly always the day that the journal is published or the time and date the research is delivered at the conference. Exceptions to this can only be made by the PR Team. You are allowed to talk to the media before the embargo date, but it is important to remind journalists that nothing can go into print or be broadcast before the embago. It is important to note that whilst press releases are targeted at relevant publications, programmes and correspondents, sometimes they fail to raise interest within the


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media whilst other stories will be all over the press and radio. Predicting a media release’s success is extremely difficult, and reliant on many factors, so the best advice is to be prepared for any eventuality Information for journal authors and contributors to The Psychologist The selection of which papers from journals should be news released by the Society is a task jointly undertaken by the members of the Society’s Press Committee and the staff of the Public Relations Team in Leicester. This is undertaken when the journal is at page proof stage, usually a couple of months before its publication date. The aim is to catch the media’s attention and so any papers chosen have to be both newsworthy and clearly communicate something positive about psychology. Often this means they have relevance to a topic regularly in the public eye or have some direct relevance to the normal life experience of the public. Usually it is the member of the Press Committee who has chosen the paper who will then write a draft news release, although the staff of the Public Relations Team also write news releases on journal papers from time to time. In the case of articles for the Psychologist, the PR Team works closely with the Editor to identify newsworthy stories. As the production schedule is much shorter than that for Journal papers the turn around time for news releases may be as little as a couple of weeks. In either case it will be essential for the PR Team to have your contact details to provide to any media wishing to follow up the story.

Information for conference authors Before the conference Early involvement to allow the maximum time for the writing of the news releases is essential. In the case of the Annual Conference the Society’s Public Relations Team and Press Committee decide several months prior to the event which papers are to be news released, and this model of early involvement is applied as far as possible to all of the Society’s other conferences. Once the papers to be news released have been identified there will be a division of labour as to who actually writes the releases. In some cases the PR Team does all the work, in others it is shared with the volunteer press officers of the Divisions/Sections/Special Interest Groups and Branches (see the section on being a volunteer press officer). In the case of the Annual Conference for instance the writing of the 20 or so news releases is divided up between the Press Committee members and PR Team. News releases are sent out a week or two prior to the conference. If your paper has been selected to be news released, and is regarded as research that will be of particular interest to the media, it is likely that journalists will want to interview you to gain further information.


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It is essential for the PR Team to have your contact details (as outlined in the section on what can be news released). It is particularly important for conferences that this information contains details of your whereabouts prior to, during and after the conference so journalists can catch up with you to conduct interviews. The press release may be given an embargo, that is the time that the media are allowed to print or broadcast the research. The embargo is almost always the day that the research is presented; often the same time that you’re paper will be delivered. With all other conferences the section, division or branch conference Press Officer is in charge of selecting papers to press release and write. Typically there are no more than 6 releases for each conference. These conferences, being on a much smaller scale than the Annual Conference, gain varying degrees of coverage. Sometimes a general release about the conference rather than specific research is press released. It is important to note that whilst press releases are targeted at relevant publications, programmes and correspondents, sometimes they fail to raise interest within the media whilst other stories will be all over the press and radio. Predicting a media release’s success is extremely difficult, and reliant on many factors, so the best advice is to be prepared. At the conference At the conference an on-site press office may well be set-up. This room will be staffed by the Press Officer for the relevant member network and on occasions an assistant, or in the case of the Annual Conference several members of the PR Team and members of Press Committee will work in shifts. The staff are there to help you and any journalists who attend the conference. When a journalist wants to interview you, which is typically on the day that you present your paper, press office staff will alert you by placing notices at several key points around the conference building. The notice will simply ask you to go to the press office, which will be well signposted around the conference. Please keep an eye open for the notices. Increasingly the press office is also using text messages and mobile phone messages to ask speakers to come to the conference as well. If you have a mobile phone please let the press office know and check it throughout the conference for messages. Once there you will then be interviewed either by a journalist at the conference, over the phone or in some instances by ISDN line (a studio quality phone line with an attached microphone). If your research is particularly popular you may be interviewed by a group of journalists at once (a mini press conference), this is often the case at the Annual Conference as the majority of journalists in attendance are from the national press and are often interested in the same research. Throughout the day you may have to make several trips to the press office for telephone interviews. If there are any times that you are unavailable it is useful to let the press office staff know at the beginning of the day (on the day that you are presenting your research) so that they can schedule interviews for the times that you are free.


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It is essential that you are available during this time as most journalists will have very tight deadlines and there is less chance of your research being disseminated by the media if they do not get a few vital quotes.


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5. Being Interviewed

An interview by a professional from the media need not be a nerve-racking experience. With a little preparation practise and planning being interviewed can not only become a useful element of your overall practice, but an enjoyable part of your professional life. The basics There are some simple hints, tips and rules which can help you make the most of the opportunities presented by media interviews and help make the journalists happy that they’ve got a good piece of tape or copy. The basics are:

1. Know the purpose of the interview 2. Anticipate the questions 3. Know your subject 4. Stay within your area of expertise 5. Relax

Although these basics are the same for all sections of the media, there are some minor differences between the different media. For ease of explanation this guide deals with TV, radio and print separately. 1. Know the purpose of the interview The first thing to ascertain is who is doing the interview and what angle/editorial viewpoint or aspect of the subject they are interested in. Often your subject area will be linked to other issues in the news and it is always worth thinking about the possible links to what else is going on in the world. 2. Anticipate the questions Whilst no-one has a crystal ball you can often think through the likely areas you might be asked about. When doing this it is advisable to think of the most basic issues. Unless you are being interviewed for the specialist science media you should go right back to basics – why is the subject important? What relevance does it have? How might it apply to every day life? Is it new? Why is it different? 3. Know your subject You know the subject, that is why the media have chosen to interview you. Draw on this for your confidence, but don’t hide behind it. Your aim in an interview is to share your knowledge, to open up the understanding you have gained from years of research and study to people who have not been as lucky as you. Think of examples to illustrate what you have to say. 4. Stay within your area of expertise The journalists who interview you will never have as much knowledge about your subject as you do, and sometimes this means they make assumptions about it or think you have even more information than you do. Never be afraid to say you don’t know the answer, especially if it lies outside your direct knowledge.


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We are all human beings with free will and the capacity to hold views about topics we know little or nothing about and being interviewed does not affect your position as an individual. However you do need to be clear about the boundaries. You will be seen as a representative of the whole discipline of psychology meaning you may have to temper your personal views in interviews or at least qualify what you say to ensure the readers, listeners or viewers are never mistaken about whether what they take from you is scientific fact or personal opinion. 5. Relax Nothing affects an interview as much as nerves. Take a little time before talking to the journalist to gather your thoughts. Get yourself organised, take a few good deep breaths and make a conscious effort to un-tense your body and speak clearly and slowly. Finally, you will sometimes be asked by journalists to comment on a person or event in the news. Psychologists’ input into the media very often has a ‘peg’ of this kind; without them, the diffusion of psychology to the public would be very much lessened. We believe that the best way to deal with these requests is to say either that psychologists cannot know the state of any individual’s mind (unless we are seeing the person in a professional capacity, in which case of course we are gagged by confidentiality); or we can’t be sure we know all relevant details about a specific incident. Either way, this means we should only talk in generalities. If a politician has been caught out in an adulterous affair, say, a psychologist can use this as a peg to talk about psychological research on adultery, not the politician. If there has been a suicide, psychologists can discuss evidence on suicide and the support (or lack of it) available for those who are feeling suicidal, not why this particular individual killed him or herself. If, for instance, a member of a pop group has given an intimate TV interview, psychologists can use this as a jumping-off point to talk in general terms about specific issues mentioned in the interview (e.g. depression), but should not comment on the specific pop star’s state of mind, or the effect of the interview on his or her family. The press The printed media comes in so many different forms that separate sections could almost be written in each of them. There are however some core shared features. Journalists, and especially those on newspapers, may not know anything about psychology but they are very skilled at asking pertinent questions and extracting information. The printed press usually has ‘an angle’ – an editorial point it wishes to make. Always ask what the angle is; if you don't like it, either attempt a renegotiation or simply say no thanks. Print journalists tend to collect their stories and comments over the phone, and it is very easy to be more forthcoming than intended down a phone line. Remember you


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don’t have to answer questions on the spot. It’s OK to ask for all the questions, then agree to call back in a few minutes – but you must phone back at or before the agreed time. This technique gives you chance to sort your thoughts, work out the most important points, and write down a few direct quotes. Of course there will always be subsidiary questions and points of clarification but if you have done your homework these shouldn’t be difficult or embarrassing. A final point: Off-the-record is a means for you to provide information without being quoted. You can be 95 per cent sure that a journalist will not break this convention but if they do break it, you will never speak to them again, and as journalists live by their sources this is a serious repercussion. The safest course of action is to never say anything to a journalist you would not be happy to see in print. Radio Radio is a medium you may well encounter as it can respond quickly to events and possible stories and, because it does not have the costs of television, tends to cover a great deal more individual stories overall. Radio interviews can be live or recorded. They can take place in a radio studio or at any other location and can even be done over the phone. Because it is not a visual medium you can use simple notes, but make sure you don’t just end up reading them. For a phone-in, a pad and pen are essential. (First write down the callers’ names and then the pertinent point(s) of their questions, but try not to rustle.) Radio interviews can also be done down a phone-line. If possible avoid this as the sound quality is never perfect; always try to get to the studio, or get the reporter to come to you to tape the interview face-to-face. A further possibility is an ISDN line – this is a studio-quality phone line to which a special microphone has been attached. This is very convenient, as it means you don’t have to travel to a studio. The press offices at larger Society Conferences may be equipped with an ISDN line. Increasingly, universities and conference facilities also have ISDN lines which you may be able to use, but check that they have also got the relevant microphone attachment. Television TV interviews come in three types – the live studio interview, filmed studio interview and the location (usually your place of work) interview. Find out beforehand the purpose of the interview – in other words, why you are there (this may sound obvious but many interviewees are thrown by questions because they haven’t checked on the ground rules). Also find out at least the first question you will be asked – more if possible. If you can, chat to the journalist or presenter who will be interviewing you. Not only does


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this give you an idea of the questions they want to ask, but it also helps you build up a rapport with them and can even help you steer them in the right direction with their questions. Don’t be afraid to tell them that a really interesting aspect of the research was such and such and how this has significant implications for their viewers. Other things you should find out and do:

!" Is the interview live or recorded? If it is recorded will the tape be edited? If it will be, you know you can apologise and ask to do your answer again if you get something wrong.

!" How long is the interview to last and if recorded how long will the finished piece be? This will give you a good guide as to whether you must be succinct or whether you can be slightly more leisurely. As with radio it is always worth having a simple punchy “sound bite” already in mind as this might be all they can use.

!" Are you to be interviewed alone or is there another guest? If there is someone else, get a breakdown of their position so you know if the interview is going to be mutually supportive or confrontational.

!" Get to the studio a good hour in advance. This gives you chance to calm down, have a coffee, check about questions and become familiar with the studio.

!" How are you going to be introduced? Saves you being called a psychiatrist or psychotherapist or even a ‘medical’ doctor. Also saves them getting your name, title and place of work wrong.

If you have followed the pre-interview rules, the event itself should be painless. A few tips may help further during the interview:

!" Don’t attempt to pack your answers with a welter of information. Try to work out in advance the three or four most important points you wish to get across and say them in the simplest way you can. It really doesn’t matter whether you directly answer the question; the object of the exercise is to get your points over.

!" Your language is vital: your audience will not understand “psychologese”, so find simple alternatives.

!" Although your audience could be several million, the best interviews are those where interviewer and interviewee are in conversation. So don’t declaim, patronise, or lecture and don’t look straight at camera unless the situation dictates – your eye contact should be with the interviewer.

!" Try to dress “quietly”. Busy patterns are accentuated by TV and the audience may remember your check shirt, striped tie or floral blouse rather than what you said.

!" In a studio, with its bright lights, photo-chromic glasses will darken significantly, tinted spectacles are therefore best avoided unless you want to look like a mafia don.

!" Don’t take notes into the studio – you will be forever looking down or sideways to check if you have made all your points. If you have only got three points to make you should be able to remember them.

!" Try not to jump about, or wave your arms; even a small movement can mean you disappear out of shot.


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6. Working as a volunteer press officer for the Society

As a voluntary body the Society relies on members freely giving their time and enthusiasm to further its aims. In the media field this input comes from the many volunteer press officers who help identify media stories, co-ordinate events and work with the Public Relations Team (PR Team) to get stories to the media. To support this important role the Society’s PR Team provides extensive media training packages to impart the skills required to spot stories and develop them. One of the key roles of the volunteer Press Officers throughout the Society is the production of news releases. News releases Time is of the essence The more time you can build in to the process the less problems will arise. From start to finish you might have to plan to allow at least 12 weeks for a set of news releases for a conference to allow you research time, writing time, time for authors to comment and time for the PR Team in Leicester to do its work before the news releases actually arrive with the journalists. In the case of member network conferences the choice of topic is often made by the Volunteer Press Officer or a committee of people, perhaps with discussion with other members of the conference committee. The earlier this takes place the more time can be allocated to the development of the news releases. Some sub system conferences may be on a much smaller scale than the Annual Conference, and rather than identify individual papers to news release you may decide to just issue a general release about the conference. Typically there are between six and ten releases for each conference, but in the case of large conferences this figure may be exceeded. The important factor in choosing the number of papers you want to news release is factoring in the time which will be required to get them all produced. Before you start writing the release The key question to ask yourself before even picking up the pen is “Is it news?”. The cardinal rule of media work is make sure the information you issue is news worthy. Would it be the kind of thing you see reported in the papers? Is it new or different, how does it impact on people’s lives, is it topical?


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There are no easy answers to deciding if something is news worthy or not, but news sense – the ability to spot stories – improves the more newspapers you read and the more TV and radio you make time for. If you think the subject is news worthy and worth writing a news release on, you need to ask yourself which sections of the media might be interested in the story and are there perhaps different aspects to it which might work with different media? A conference on school bullying for instance might be of interest to the education press. But a session within it on coping strategies for children might also run on its own in the youth media. With rough target media identified you can tailor the style of writing and content accordingly. This helps raise the chances of the news release being picked up because you will be offering the media something clearly of interest for their readers, viewers or listeners. The news release process As a divisional, section, branch or special interest group press officer your primary task is to identify possible stories and work up a first draft of a release. This entails working with the authors, speakers, conference organisers or whoever else is involved with the story to get the core facts. You can of course discuss ideas with the staff in the PR Team in Leicester before you even put pen to paper, to discuss the subject or subjects you have and the possible angles of interest the media might have. The process of writing the news release should be a co-operative process which should involve you as the press officer working with the author of the chosen paper or organiser of the conference, to condense the information into a media friendly style whilst ensuring that the facts remain true to the original subject matter. The process should bring two elements together, your knowledge of what works with journalists and their expertise of the subject matter. Your aim is to gather the appropriate contact details and work up a first draft of the news release which can then be sent to the PR Team in Leicester. Here the release is given a final check for clarity, accuracy and grammar by the Society’s full time public relations Officers. Some changes may be suggested before a release is issued, but these will always be done in consultation with you and the authors in the case of a research paper. As all news releases go out on Society headed paper, the PR Team reserves the right to alter copy and if necessary decline to issue the release. When your draft arrives at Leicester we can polish up the language if necessary and make minor adjustments to style, but we can’t make something which isn’t news worthy work without major reconstruction. Remember all this takes time. Getting contact details It is essential that you get anyone featured in a news release to complete a contact sheet. This lists the contact details for them and their whereabouts prior, during and


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after a conference or event, so that journalists can track them down. You will need these details to respond to request from journalists wanting to interview the people concerned, and a copy should accompany the draft release to the Leicester office so the staff there can also assist journalists who call it directly. Writing your release When you start writing the release you will certainly have to compromise on detail, and work the information into a news story format. You have to tell a story succinctly, accurately with short sentences and clear English. Your role is often one of distilling information down to the bare essentials – then explaining to the authors or speakers why their life’s work has been summed up in 250 words! The most important elements of a news release are who, what, when, where and why. If you can get that into the first two short paragraphs – no more than 30 words in each – you have a potential winner. The first paragraph is crucial and should summarise the whole story. As you work on it ask yourself “If all that gets printed is this first paragraph will we get the message across?”. Language Make your creative mantra “Keep it short and keep it simple” and be as critical of yourself as possible. Read and re-read your copy and don’t worry about working up a series of drafts on the way to the copy you send to Leicester. Writing creatively isn’t something most of us can just turn on, it often needs plenty of perseverance. A few pointers to look out for though are;

1) We have to use the active voice in our writing. No- “New observations were made by a team of psychologists” Yes – “A team of psychologists made new observations” No – “The effects of the behaviours were assessed by Dr Smith” Yes – “Dr Smith assessed the effects of the behaviour”

Tell the reader what happened rather than what didn’t happen. No – “The experiment was not a success.” Yes – “The experiment failed” No – “The Society say they will not proceed with their plans” Yes – “The Society say they have dropped their plans”

2) Science likes long words We all have a natural inclination to use long words when we are speaking publicly – it forms a kind of protective blanket of credibility for us and science adds plenty of extra long words and concepts to the bag of tricks.


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Resist the temptation! A good test is to imagine you are talking to a stranger in the pub, you have to assume they know nothing about the subject or the language it uses. Write about it as you would speak about it, and keep the words as short and simple as possible. 3) Keep sentences simple The complex sentence has one main statement, but one (or more) subordinate and qualifying clauses. For instance “The researcher who works in Liverpool, one of several centres where such investigations are carried out, tested the effects which, in other studies, had proved to have only limited efficacy, though, it must be said, the circumstances were not exactly replicated.” The simple sentence has one subject and one statement. For instance “The researcher tested the effects.” The compound sentence is two simple sentences joined together (usually with the word and).For instance “The researcher tested the effects and showed it reduced crime.”

In news releases you should emulate the style of writing seen in newspapers where simple and compound sentences are the norm. If you read newspapers, listen to the radio and watch TV news you will find there is a preponderance of “simple” and “compound” sentences. There are relatively few “complex” sentences. This is very deliberate. The journalists know their audience. Ape their style and you won’t go far wrong. The best way to think about it is “one idea per sentence”.

4) Double negatives Double negatives should be avoided at all costs. As well as being difficult and confusing to read they take up more precious word space than the clear statement of fact. No – “It is unlikely that the employers will not meet the claim for flexible working hours” Yes – “The employers are expected to meet the flexible working hours claim.” No – “These results are not unambiguous” Yes – “These results are ambiguous.”

What the Leicester PR Team does with your draft release When you are happy with your draft release e-mail it to the Leicester PR Team we’ll always allocate a member of the team to be your key point of contact and co-ordination within the Team). Here the staff will sub edit the copy (checking any major changes with you and /or the author), put the copy into the Society’s house style for news releases, create a mailing list (in discussion with you) print, pack and post (or e-mail) the release. Depending on how complicated the release is, how many changes are required and how many other releases are being worked up at the same time, the PR Team aims to take a maximum of 20 working days. Releases requiring few changes can however be


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turned around in a matter of days and in exceptional cases where a swift media reaction might be required it is possible to turn news releases around in the space of a few hours. A release is a functional document and how it looks and the elements it contains are vital to the communication process. The house style ensures it is in a form that journalists will be familiar with and can use easily. As well as ensuring that the content and style of your release are correct, the PR Team will also ensure that it is presented in the right way. Printing it onto Society headed paper ensures the release has a “Masthead” which clearly identifies its origin. The organisation’s name carries with it the organisation’s reputation. We know from talking to journalists that the Society has an excellent reputation in media circles so as soon as the masthead is seen journalists know the story comes from a credible source which is geared up to helping them follow the story up. We also ensure a number of key elements are included to make the task of the journalist as easy as possible. The dateline is the date the release is issued ie when it was sent out. This shows the information is current, vital information for the journalist trying to persuade the editor that the story is worth running. We might also set an embargo in consultation with you. This is the date and time you aim to have the story appear. Not all news releases need an embargo but they can be useful when you want to cluster coverage around a certain time or when you want to give journalists some time before an event to do their research and interviews. The embargo is a request to the Journalist to not publish or broadcast the story before the time and date stated. We will often also work on the title of the release. This has to attract the eye of the journalist in the few seconds between envelope and bin, so has to have impact. We try to keep the short and snappy whilst accurate to the story. The title on the release very rarely gets used in the final article in the papers, where headlines are written by the sub editors after reading the copy the journalists have submitted, so concerns from authors less familiar with the ways of the media can some times be encountered. At the base of the release is perhaps the most important factual information on the page, the contact Information. Without this the journalist cannot pursue the story. Again this is something the PR Team will agree with you, whoever’s name and number appear at the end has got to be ready to take the calls from the media generated by the release. Targeting and timing of releases The targeting – where the releases are sent - is something the PR Team will do for you, but it helps to think about this when the release is being written. The staff in the PR Team are always happy to discuss the possible targeting of news releases.


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They have access to a data base of thousands of UK media contacts, and can create mailing lists for your releases based on subject, target audience and geography. With this system they can also ensure releases are not mailed to media or journalists who might not be relevant. A paper about crime reduction in teenagers in inner city schools through sport, might for instance be of interest to the social affairs editor, the education correspondents and the sports correspondents. It is unlikely to be of interest to the fashion editor, film reviewer or foreign affairs editor, and the list would be built accordingly. The system also has a geographical capability allowing stories to be targeted right down to town level. If the scheme is in central Newcastle, or the person who dreamt it up is from the city, or the scheme was inspired by Biker Grove, it is relevant to all the Newcastle news media and a regionally targeted release can be issued. The targeting of the release is something you may want to discuss, you can help by gathering contacts of your own to add to the lists and keeping abreast of the media you feel your stories might appeal to. Your suggestions can then be included in the mailing list. A copy of the mailing list for your release can be sent to should you want it. The timing of your release will be influenced by the time it takes you to produce it. More planning and checking leads to better results, but this takes time. The release must ultimately arrive in time for the journalists to do something with it and has to take account of the time lag between sending and receiving and the media being able to react. Radio can react within hours, TV slightly longer, newspapers need at least a day, magazines may work three months in advance. The PR Team normally issues embargoed releases for conferences and publications ten days before hand to give the journalists time to follow up their angles on the story and gather additional information, quotes and photos. The PR Team will discuss the timing of any release with you. Once a plan of action has been created you will then need to make sure everyone else involved with the story knows what the timings are and when things are likely to happen. What happens when your release hits the media? The ultimate aim is to see the story in print or get it broadcast, but there are stages before this. Some news releases make it into the media almost unchanged, but this is not the norm. Usually a journalist will follow the release up, for confirmation of facts, extra information, quotes from the people involved. This is when all that information you didn’t have space for comes in handy as it might be useful for the journalist to expand the story. If other people are involved you will need to have their contact details readily to hand, and they will have to be ready to take calls from journalists. At this stage your role


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becomes one of “dating agency” putting the journalists in direct contact with the key figures in the story. You may also have to guide and support others who are less skilled and experienced in working with the media at this stage. In particular you might have to ensure they recognise that deadlines for journalists are sacrosanct and a promise to reply has to be honoured. Once the journalists have made contact with the people at the heart of the story it is very much up to them to communicate clearly and the journalists themselves are well skilled at getting people to explain ideas and facts in ways which their readers, listeners or viewers can understand. No Guarantees It is important to note that whilst press releases are targeted at relevant publications, programmes and correspondents, sometimes they fail to raise interest within the media whilst other stories will be all over the press and radio. Predicting a media release’s success is extremely difficult, and reliant on many factors, so the best advice you can give the people you are working with on the conference is to be prepared and see every interview as a bonus. Running a conference press office Conferences provide an ideal platform for highlighting the work of psychologists to the media, and through them to the public. Our aim is to use them to illustrate what a valuable and interesting discipline psychology is. In the course of doing this however we can also help you communicate more widely the core messages and findings of your Division, Section, Branch or Special Interest Group. The PR Team of the British Psychological Society provides media support to the Society’s Annual Conference and the many conferences run by its members, and these feature heavily in the catalogue of media coverage psychology receives each year. Even if your conference is quite small, it’s worth thinking quite carefully about providing some level of media support as it is the only way of ensuring media interest can be properly dealt with. Sometimes media interest stems from papers being presented being pro-actively flagged up to the media. Other interest may come from subjects being picked up by journalists attending the conference or from receiving the programme beforehand.

The basics So, what do you need when you’re planning a press office? The first thing, is a good relationship with the conference organiser. If possible, try to be involved in the conference planning committee, and explain to those organising the conference the basic facilities you will need.


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The next thing you should make up is a “conference box” to contain and organise all of the materials you will need for the smooth running of the press office. Finally in your preparations, find some keen assistants to be available to become the press team for the conference. The room If you can, get a room to yourself for the press office. This is particularly the case for larger conferences. You then have somewhere to keep your copies of releases, papers, and all the other stationery you need. You also have somewhere journalists can feel at home and you have somewhere where journalists can interview paper authors, and where phone interviews can be conducted. Ideally you want somewhere easily accessible, easy to find and big enough for both you and your team as well as however many journalists you hope to attract. You also want somewhere if possible with good mobile phone reception. You really do need this base - if you think about trying to carry out press office activities in the middle of registration or in the corner of the coffee area you’ll immediately see this could cause problems. Make sure the room is equipped with tables and chairs well before you arrive. The last job you want to be doing as the conference opens and the media start to arrive looking for interviews is hauling furniture around. It is also useful to find out if a separate, quiet room for interviews is available. If so find out where it is and check it out. Setting up If at all possible set up your room the day before the conference starts. If you can’t manage this, make sure it is all ready before the conference opens. You need to ensure there is sufficient space and seating for you to work, for journalists to sit and write at and for interviews to take place. Tables should be laid out round the sides of the room, leaving a space in the centre of the floor. Chairs need to be distributed at the tables to allow suitable access to phones and for the journalists to work.

One table near the entrance to the press office should be designated as the ‘handouts’ table. This should have neat piles of each release in chronological order; the abstract booklet; the programme; any other information which journalists will find useful and can help themselves to; the signing in book; badges for journalists and visitors.

There should also be a table for the conference press files and for the AM/PM boxes which have summaries of all the papers, even ones not being released. These are for photocopying. They are divided into morning and afternoon sessions to make it easier for you to find what you are looking for when you are responding to a request for help from a journalist. Tables which are to be used for displaying handouts or used for refreshments should not however have chairs put by them. The remaining chairs should be grouped in circles of four or five down the centre of the room.


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A copy of the programme should be stuck to the wall - clearly highlighting the papers which have been press released. Telephones e-mail and fax You must have at least one telephone, preferably two dedicated lines available for incoming calls. All being well, lots of journalists will want to contact you about the various fascinating pieces of research you’ve press released. They don’t want to get an endless engaged tone because your phone number is also the registration number. You should also try to have a computer with an internet connection. The capacity to send copies of news releases, presentations and abstracts to journalists unable to attend the conference is invaluable. You may find that journalists using the press office will also require access to the internet. Most will have lap tops which are wi-fi enabled, so venues with wi-fi networks you can access are ideal. Don’t forget you might have to make arrangements for access to wi-fi networks well in advance of the start of your conference, so plan ahead. Failing that a dial-up internet connection via a normal phone line is a fall back, and most journalists will still be able to plug their computers in to the phone lines you have provided. Local radio stations in particular will often pick up a story from one of their newsgathering agencies, but they will only have minimum information on it. They will phone you and ask you to e-mail them something. If the budget runs to it and you are involved in a larger conference, you’ll probably need several phones so the journalists who attend can call their offices and file their copy. At a large conference like the Division of Occupational Psychology conference, they normally have five phones for journalists’ calls and e-mails. Other slightly smaller conferences will need at least two phones, for calls and e-mail. You should plan for two lines for every journalist in attendance, as they will want one to phone from and use another for their lap top.

Available incoming lines should have the number clearly indicated on a sign which should be stuck to the wall. This is so that people anywhere in the room can clearly see the numbers to give out if they would like someone to call back.

At each table place, and particularly near the phones, there should be a thick pad of scrap paper and two pens. These should be checked regularly throughout the conference as people have a tendency to remove the pens and paper. This is particularly important near the incoming phones as you need to be ready to make notes and take messages. As journalists will need to use the phones a lot, keep an eye on them and try to ensure that they keep the incoming lines free, or at least let you know when they have finished using their modems, on outgoing lines, so that paper authors can use the phones to ring out. Some people opt to use a mobile phone, particularly if they’re at a smaller conference, as then they feel they can still attend sessions. This is not ideal, for a couple of reasons. The first is that mobile phones are less reliable than land line phones. The second is that it can create the temptation to sit in on sessions rather than be available in the press office.


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If you want to be available to take calls, find psychologists to speak to journalists etc., it’s probably not a good idea to be sitting in on sessions. It’s far better to have more than one volunteer press officer so that you can take it in turns to take calls etc and go to the papers you want to. The one thing you have to be is immediately contactable throughout the conference. Basic office equipment You will need plenty of basic stationery, such as pens, papers, scissors, blue-tack, staples, post-its, notepads, tip-ex and badges for the press and members assisting in the press office. These are all essential items for your conference box. If possible access to a photocopier, lap top and printer make life a great deal easier. You will also need hard and electronic copies of releases, paper summaries, programmes and abstracts You need all of these to give or send to journalists. The paper summaries are important to give extra information when journalists are deciding whether to use a story. Alternatively they may use them to add colour to what they’re writing. Programmes and abstracts give a good overview of the conference and again you’ll find yourself e-mailing them out or giving them to journalists who arrive. With regard to the conference papers, it’s useful to have copies of all the conference papers or paper summaries in the press office along with several copies of the papers for all those which have been press released. Refreshments You need basic refreshments for the journalists and for anyone being interviewed. These depend on your budget, but at the very least try to provide an ongoing supply of tea, coffee, water and biscuits. If you can run to a few sandwiches at lunch time, so much the better. The journalists certainly won’t expect lots of booze, contrary to some of the popular stereotypes, but they will appreciate some refreshment. If you can’t have catering provided, you can always bring a kettle, a jar and some plastic cups. People Ideally you need at least two people to run the press office. This means you can give each other breaks, one of you can go out hunting for interviewees while the other answers the phone etc. However, if your press office is very busy you probably should look at getting more help - perhaps one or two student helpers. If there are several of you, you will also need a rota. Making a rota ensures you and your helpers can all get a break at sometime. You don’t want to end up resentfully sitting in the press office hour after hour while everyone else enjoys themselves. Whoever you use it is essential you brief them well about the role of the press office and keep them informed about what is happening. In particular it is important that they understand the needs of the journalists, particularly the importance of deadlines.


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The last thing you want journalists to see is a room of confused looking people who seem unable or unwilling to answer questions or assist them when they need help.

They should also ensure the press office remains tidy throughout the day, and once everyone has gone at the end of the day make sure some of the team stay to move chairs back to position and put pens and paper out for the following day. Dirty crockery should be collected up ready to be removed by the caterers.

At the end of the day all message sheets from the flip chart should be checked for outstanding messages. If any message seems to have been forgotten or not completed write it up on a new top sheet ready for the next day.

Close (and lock if possible) the press office at night, when all journalists and paper authors have finished for the day (sometimes as late as 6 or 7pm). Signposts and welcome As soon as possible when you arrive, put up some notices signposting where the press office is. That will ensure the journalists find their way there when they arrive. Once they’re in the room they will ask for the releases, programme, abstracts etc, and then for copies of particular papers that interest them. Their next request will be actually to talk to the paper author or authors. So you need to have a system for getting them into the press office. As journalists arrive, welcome them, don’t leave them looking for you to help them. Ask each journalist to sign the visitors book and take a press badge from the handouts table. Show them where the outgoing phones are. Offer them tea/coffee and tell them that any member of the press committee on duty in the press office will be happy to help them. Answering the phones/messages Make sure that one or two of the people on duty in the press office are near the incoming phone(s) designated for you rather than the journalists. Answer the phone by saying: “Hello, xxx conference press office, can I help you?” The journalist calling may ask for someone in particular, but you can offer to help them anyway. Find out who you are speaking to, which paper/magazine/radio station/television programme they are working for. Find out which of the papers being presented they are interested in, and which paper authors they want to interview. Find out their deadline and a telephone number where they can be contacted. Log all of this down. Who phoned and when? Which paper/TV programme/radio station? Name of paper author they wish to speak to? Their phone number. Any deadlines/timings.


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Tell them that you will get a message to the person they want to speak to as soon as possible. If the journalist would like you to fax or e-mail the information to them, it should be done immediately. Come to press office “Come to press office” notices at strategic points around the conference are a useful way of keeping in touch with the delegates who you may need to contact for journalists. Walk around the conference site to see in advance where people are likely to gather (eg coffee points) and decide where notices will be placed. You could place three or four for anyone you want to come to the press office. Some venues may also have a public address or paging system which can be used to alert speakers that they are required. If you have gathered mobile telephone numbers from speakers you can also phone or text them to ask them to come to the press office. Once the psychologist is in the press office, you need to make sure that the other people in the press office know that they’ve arrived. In other words, you don’t want the scenario where a journalist rings to speak to someone and you say no, they haven’t come in yet, when in fact they’re sitting being interviewed at that very moment. The way to deal with this and make sure everyone is kept informed, is by running a flip chart “log“ throughout the conference. The psychologists you call into the press office for interview should already have some idea that they may be interviewed - if you’ve prepared a news release about their paper you will have already gained their agreement. If you have not prepared a news release about their paper they may be more wary of the press, and then you may need to negotiate with them. Either way, the psychologists may feel they need a bit of hand-holding, particularly if they have not had much to do with the media before. Everyday you should collect the daily newspapers and scan through them for stories. Stories should be cut out, and the date and title of the publication written clearly on each one. The cuttings should be photocopied, one set stuck on the wall in the press office; the other set displayed near the registration desk, so that delegates can see what coverage the conference has been getting. Working with radio A high percentage of calls to the conference press office will probably be from radio stations, local (there are literally hundreds of them) and national (BBC and commercial radio). This may mean that an author may be requested to give a whole string of radio interviews to different programmes. Radio interviews conducted over the phone are not ideal, as the sound quality is usually less than perfect. It’s preferable to try to get to a studio, or to get the reporter to come to you to tape the interview face-to-face. A further possibility is an ISDN line – this is a studio-quality, digital phone line, with a microphone and sound mixer


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attached. It’s a convenient method of interviewing, as it means you don’t have to travel to a studio.

The press office at main Society conferences is sometimes equipped with an ISDN line. Increasingly, universities and conference facilities also have ISDN lines which you may be able to use, but check that they have also got the relevant mixer/microphone attachment.

If you don’t have access to an ISDN line and equipment, and a phone interview is the only option ensure there is somewhere quiet to do telephone interviews.

Another alternative is to use a local BBC studio near to the venue if the interview is for a BBC station. The BBC has small staffed local radio/TV studios across the country so there is probably going to be one near by. It is a good idea to find out where the nearest peopled studio is to your conference venue. Ring the BBC locally, or contact the PR Team in Leicester who can find the information. It is very helpful to know which street this is on, and how to get there (run a map off streetmap.co.uk). Particularly for pre-dawn breakfast interviews when the taxi driver doesn’t know where to go and the streets are deserted and you can’t ask anyone.

The BBC also has a network of local “remote” studios dotted around the country in places such as town halls and police headquarters. In many places these are not staffed, and the interviewee is expected to turn up at a specified time when the studio will be open, and then get on with it. The interviewee will almost certainly feel even more nervous about the interview if they have to operate the studio alone, so you may have to go with them to offer some support..

Supporting people being interviewed The most common interviews that members of your Branch, Division, section or special interest group will be asked to do are for the press and radio, though we hope that TV may also take an interest from time to time. It is most likely that radio and press interviews will be for local or regional media, though the bigger conferences and more news worthy events and publications can also attract national and even international interest. Often the media get their information about conferences and events from news agencies, such as the PA (Press Association) or National News, who frequently attend the main conferences. Basic tips for all interviewees are

!" Keep things simple. Try to help them boil their story down to three or four central points and get them to think about the clearest, most simple way of explaining them. Their language is vital: they need to know their audience will not understand “psychologese”, so try to help them find simple alternatives. Also try to talk through clear understandable examples to help illustrate complicated theories and demonstrate the relevance to daily experience.

!" Try to anticipate the questions beforehand. Thinking about likely questions and planning out short simple answers takes the pressure off when the


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interview is for real. By playing the interviewer you can help them think of answers ahead of the interview.

!" Remember - they know their subject. Encourage their confidence and concentrate on making their expertise accessible to people who are likely to know nothing about psychology.

The press office staff can help advise you with all these points and there is information available on being interviewed for them in the section on being interviewed. Getting to a studio

!" If the interviewee is required to go to a studio, offer to go with them, especially if it is very early in the morning or very late at night.

!" Once the interviewee has agreed to do an interview, you need to speak to the radio programme and make clear what arrangements the radio station should make. Visits to a local studio will mostly be with the BBC as independent commercial radio does not have the same studio network system, they tend to do live or pre-recorded interviews on the phone.

!" Ask the researcher/producer to book a taxi to collect the interviewee from the hotel/venue, take them to the studio and bring them back. Get the programme to call back to confirm the booking. If they ask which taxis to use and you don’t know, suggest they ring the local studio and ask who they use, this way you can be reasonably sure the driver will know exactly where they are going to. The programme should pay for any taxis.

!" Get telephone numbers for the programme contact you have been speaking to and a name and contact number for someone who will be at the studio when you are due to arrive. This is invaluable with the security systems in place at local studios for if you can’t get in and no-one knows you are there. Ring them from outside the door on your mobile - so have a mobile telephone available to take with you.

!" Be friendly with the BBC staff, you never know who is your helper. If no-one specifically comes forward explain to a member of staff what you are there for, who you are, and that you need help to set up. Give them the number of the programme contact if they ask, they can make some phone calls or let you have a phone to make the phone calls to find out when the connections with the studio will be live.

!" Ask if there is a coffee machine and where the loos are. And make sure the interviewee has time to use these facilities before going into the studio.

In the radio studio

!" The following points will help you brief an interviewee, particularly if the interview is in a remote un-staffed studio

!" The actual studio will probably be a very small and sound proofed cupboard. !" Make sure all mobile phones (yours and the interviewee’s) are switched OFF once

inside the studio. !" There will be a chair (possibly two) and a table, with various electronic equipment

on it, and a microphone and a set of headphones (again there may be two sets). !" Take a cup of water in for the interviewee. !" The interviewee should sit at the table and put the head set on.


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!" At this point it is likely that a member of BBC staff will be there to brief you about the equipment, and press the two vital buttons for you. If no one is there to help ask someone, if no one can help use the phone in the studio to telephone the programme that wants to do the interview, and get them to give instructions to you down the phone.

!" You will know when the line connection is made because a big red light will come on outside the studio door, and a red or white light will come on in the studio. The interviewee will hear the broadcast output from the station they are connected to in the head set.

!" When talking, the interviewee should try to imagine they are speaking one-to-one, addressing only the interviewer. This will not only help them overcome any nervousness, but will also give the interview a more conversational tone. This ‘chatty’ style comes over very well on radio, and is far easier to listen to.

!" If the interview is not going out live (i.e. it’s being pre-recorded), they don’t need to worry too much about saying ‘er, ‘um’, or pausing to think; the interview will be edited later so that they sound concise, informative and professional!

!" Because it is not a visual medium they can use simple notes, but make sure they know not to just end up reading them. They should also be warned about not rustling them on air! For a phone-in, a pad and pen are essential. They will need to try to write down the caller’s names and then the key points of their questions.

!" When the interview is over the interviewee will be thanked and then the line is disconnected, the red lights go out and you can leave the studio.

!" It is important to make a point of thanking whichever member of staff helped you, as you may have to go back there again and it is nice to leave on good terms, also they like to escort you off the premises, but make sure the return taxi is outside, and if not phone the taxi company.

Specific hints for Television Many of the same points apply for TV as for radio. Some additional things to think about when supporting interviewees though are;

!" The local BBC studio used for radio interviews often double up for TV, so getting there may well the same as for radio always check though.

!" The types of TV programmes requesting contributions from conference speakers will, in the first instance, probably be news programmes. Later on the author may also be requested to appear on other types of programmes like talk shows, or documentaries.

!" Your subject should be prepared to expect that some filming may require a certain amount of acting, and “noddy” shots. This type of report may be shot prior to the conference by local news shows, and the reporter and camera operator will be used to dealing with members of the public with few media skills and will be more than happy to talk an interviewee through what is required.

!" If a camera crew or photographer attends an event you arrange such as a conference find out what sort of background they want, quiet room, or conference hall. Help them to organise this. The rules about what interviewees might wear/ where to look/ and the try to relax will all still apply but the camera crew/photographer will be able to take them through most it


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In a television studio

!" Like a radio studio, this may well be a cupboard, or even a corner of a local radio station office with a picture backdrop on one wall. Facilities may be surprisingly basic.

!" The same rules apply as for radio studios, and again, there will probably be staff to help, but if not, ask for help or contact the programme by phone and get them to talk you through it.

!" The thing that is different about TV is that the interviewee will be seen, not just heard. In one of these local studios the main thing to remember is not to let the interviewee look at the monitor of what is being broadcast (ie at themselves).

!" If your interviewee is asked to do a TV interview, remind them to not look straight at the camera unless the situation dictates – their eye contact should be with the interviewer. Only in a remote TV studio where the interviewer is not present should they look straight into the camera.

!" You should also advise them to avoid wearing lively stripes or chroma-key blue ('sky blue'). The former creates strobing and the latter is often used to digitally cut people out and superimpose them onto a background.

!" They should try to appear to be as relaxed as they can. !" Give advice about appearance/ make-up/ comfort, but make sure this is done

sensitively. The last thing someone already stressed about a TV interview needs is someone telling them they ought to have their teeth straightened and buy a new suit!

!" They should try to dress “quietly”. Busy patterns are accentuated by TV and the audience may remember their check shirt, striped tie or floral blouse rather than what they said.

!" Tinted spectacles will make them look like the mafia and in a studio with its bright lights photo-chromic glasses will darken significantly.

!" Advise them not to take notes into the studio – they will be forever looking down or sideways to check if you have made all their points. If they have only got three points to make they should be able to remember them.

!" Try get them to relax physically to help them avoid jumping about, or waving their arms; even a small movement can mean they disappear out of shot.

And finally… A final comment about supporting interviewees. We live in a 24 hour society and there may be requests for interviews and visits to studios at all times of day and night. Some conference press officers in particular may find they are putting in long hours, so it is always a good idea to have some extra help in the press office if possible, so that there is always someone to answer the phone and take messages, when you may be out taking care of an interviewee.


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7. Further Media Involvement If you enjoy working in the conference press office and are interested in working with the media in the future, you may want to consider attending one of the Society’s Media Training Days. The courses are designed to give a general introduction to how the media operates as well as introducing some of the skills necessary in media liaising, such as news release writing and interview techniques. The Public Relations Team is also keen to recruit Chartered members to join its media database. The database is a list of psychologists who are willing to be interviewed by journalists. The Public Relations Team receives anything up to 40 calls a day from reporters and researchers who want to be put in touch with an expert. The Society also provides Interview skills training courses for members wishing to improve their interviews with the media. Finally, both the staff of the Public Relations Team and members of the Press Committee are available to offer advice and guidance on media matters to members.

8. PR Team contact details Tel: +44 (0)116 252 9500 E-mail: [email protected]


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Sample form for obtaining informed consent In order to ensure that, should you be selected, the consent you give to take part in this project is informed consent we would like you to note: - Taking part in this television programme may mean: - !" You will be giving control of a part of your life to a television company. !" Losing your privacy

(You and/or your family may be exposed in the press, on radio and on TV both during and after the programme is shown). !" Losing control of information about yourself (or your family). !" Losing ‘face’ (you may not be entirely satisfied with the way you behave or are

portrayed on television). !" You may not get a chance to see the programme before it is screened. Please write your name and sign below to indicate that you have read and understood the implications of taking part in this programme. Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Signature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *Please note this is not a consent form.

a guide for members of the british psychological society - guardian

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