prepare yourself for doctoral dissertation: media coverage

19.04.2023Maatalous-metsätieteellinen tiedekunta / Viestintä 1www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto

Prepare yourself for doctoral dissertation:

MEDIA COVERAGE

www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto 19.04.2023 2Maatalous-metsätieteellinen tiedekunta / Viestintä

• Press Officers of the Viikki Campus

• Why and how to communicate with the media?

• What the doctoral candidate is expected to do

• How to make a press release / popular abstract

• About photos

• About the university communications

This presentation will discuss topics like

www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto

Mikkelinyo-kesk.tiedottaja

Lahdenyo-kesk.tiedottaja

Communicationsa at UH

Lehtiyksikkö Tiedotus-yksikkö

Verkko-viestintä-yksikkö Markkinointi-

viestintä-yksikkö

Laitoksenviestintä-yhdys-henkilöLaitoksen

viestintä-yhdys-henkilö

Laitoksenviestintä-yhdys-henkilö

Laitoksenviestintä-yhdys-henkilöLaitoksen

viestintä-yhdys-henkilö



Viikinkampus-tiedottaja

Kumpulankampus-tiedottaja

Meilahdenkampus-tiedottaja

Keskustankampus-tiedottajat

Maat.mets.tdk:n

tiedottaja

Hum.tdk:n

tiedottaja

Tiet.käs.tiet.tiedottaja

Soc&Kom:ntiedottaja

Avoimenyliopistontiedottaja

Palmeniantiedottaja

Luomuntiedottaja Ruralian

tiedottaja

Kansallis-kirjastontiedottaja

El.lääk.tdk:nja eläin-

sairaalantied.

Alumni- jalahjoittaja-

suhteet

Johtoja

yhteiset

Soveltavankasvatus-tieteen l.

tied.

Main office Press officers Contacts at departments


Our job it is to assist journalists and provide them with information on what is going on in the Viikki Campus. Our main goal is to communicate science to the general public.

• Sanna Schildt, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry

• Kirsikka Mattila, Faculty of Biosciences and Faculty of Pharmacy

• Eveliina Kotilainen, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

• www.helsinki.fi/viikki

Press Officers on the Viikki Campus


• Alma intranet – internal communications

• www-pages: external communications

• press releases

• news

• social media, for example www.facebook.com/mmtdk

• events, fairs, seminars

• meetings, e-mails etc

• all members of the academic community at UH

Communicatios channels

http://www.facebook.com/mmtdk


• Normally the press officer writes a press release on basis of your popular dissertation abstract at E-thesis. You need to have something in Finnish (Swedish) if you want to reach the general public in Finland!

• The press officer will be in contact with the doctoral candidate and schedules, headings etc. are discussed.

• Press Officer sends a press releases of some of the doctoral thesis for the media. Practises vary between faculties

• Communications Secretary sends a list about coming doctoral dissertations once a week for media (basic details).

Press officers and your thesis – what happens?


• STT (a national news service), YLE and the major newspapers (HS, HBL) in Finland are informed.

• Radio, television and online news services.

• A list of science journalists + special branches.

• University’s media: web, Yliopisto-lehti, Yliopistolainen, Helsinki University Bulletin.

• We have a contact with the European online science news service AlphaGalileo and one in the USA, EurekAlert.

Media contacts


• UH relays research information to Finnish society for the well-being of the nation (Strategic Plan).

• UH will continue to develop its image as a top-level, multidisciplinary and future-oriented research university (Strategic Plan).

• Attention to the great work done at your own field of science.

• Publicity can bring new opportunities to you personally.

Why to communicate with the media?


• The competition is hard: the world is full of news

• You have 10 seconds to make an impression

• the journalist is interested in the topics he/she can understand

• ideal lenght: max. one A4-page

• The heading is short and interesting.

• Begin with the most important result of your research. What is new? (the order of things almost opposite to scientific writing)

• The language is good ”every day language”. The sentences are short, and there is no scientific vocabulary (if possible). Use comparisons and examples

A good press release?


• Also look at how your results can be applied.

• Write somehing about your methods – keep it short

• Your contact details – important!

• make sure you’re available

• Sometimes also something about yourself (for example the year of matriculation examination, birth place etc.).

• links to web pages are better than attached files

A good press release?


• Great! A journalist wants to interview you!

• Keep your cell phone on!

• You represent The University of Helsinki and your field of science.

• Cooperate: the journalist is a professional, just like you. Also busy.

• Ask to see the text written. You have the right to ask for the possible factual errors to be corrected.

• Be prepared for interviews, take time to concentrate for a minute, or two…

• You can also suggest the place to shoot for film of photo.

How to communicate with the media


• Not necessarily anything.

• The editors and news desks get hundreds of press releases every day (busiest day is Thursday)

• ...which means that about 1 % of them will lead into something

• Problem of UH: Helsingin Sanomat is not an easy ”local newspaper” to get into

• science journalists + special branches are important

• What is news? Depends on the day

• Your topic can be most important and relevant, but still nothing happens

• Don’t be discouraged: sometimes the contact happens a lot later

Nobody called – what went wrong?


• You are in an elevator with someone important: a potential employer, someone who could finance your further research etc. The elevator ride takes 30 seconds...

• what would you tell about your work?

• what are the most important points?

• what is new, what is special?

• also a good exercise for job interviews

The Elevator Pitch -exercise


• A FORM (in Finnish, Swedish or English): Your 2 ABSTRACTS and all information on the thesis and its public examination, dates etc. Essential!

• The scientific abstract is in English.We need a popular abstract of your thesis in the E-thesis for general public in Finnish.

• At the latest 3 weeks before the examination date.

• Information from the filled form goes to the E-thesis service, university communications and the university website calendar.

• All you need to know: www.helsinki.fi/tohtoriksi/english/

The start: The doctoral candidate fills in a form


• You can have yout photo taken at the AV Unit of the university. This might change next year – read the instructions online

• Have a photo of yourself available (good quality) in case a journalist asks for one

• Have photos of your research topic available

About photos


• Since you have written a fine thesis, also take care of the media work.

• Be prepared. Be in time, keep the schedules. You can’t turn around anymore!

• Everything university communications, and the press officer does is based on the information at E-thesis.

• ...or on your contact

• Don’t hesitate to ask for help.

• You can never control the media but it makes life easier if you are flexible.

• You have the leading role here. Treat all media with respect.

Something to think about


Thank you!

prepare yourself for doctoral dissertation: media coverage

Documents

doctoral thesis

universitys media

media coverage15

doctoral candidate

helsinki university

doctoral dissertations

media basic details

faculty of biosciences