12 tips to help make working with the media a positive experience
As dietitians and nutritionists, I’m sure we are all more than aware of all the misinformation there is in the media and online about nutrition. However, rather than complaining about it, this also presents us with the opportunity to get evidence-based nutrition messages out to the public and clear up the misinformation, especially in an era where there is so much confusion around what to eat. One of the best weapons we have to fight this misinformation is to either put yourself forward to work with the media or to support those that are actively engaged in media work.
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What are some of the difficulties faced when working with the media?
While there are many benefits of working with the media, it doesn’t come without its difficulties, many of which are out of our control. As a media spokespeople you may find:
yourself being misquoted or having your words taken out of context,
your written work is edited or changed without your knowledge,
a ‘take’ on TV is chosen because it had the best lighting (and not because the nutrition information was correctly worded or as accurate as it could be) or simply,
that your nerves get in the way and jumble your words – we are human after all!
However, while working with the media can be fraught with risks and challenges, you can turn working with the media into a positive experience by following our media training tips outlined below….
How to make working with the media a positive experience
Have confidence
Take a deep breath and remind yourself that as a dietitian or degree-qualified nutritionist YOU’RE MORE THAN QUALIFIED TO SPEAK ABOUT NUTRITION. If you don’t give it a go, someone with lesser qualifications will. Back yourself. You've got this! Your education is your strength.
Take baby steps
Start out where you feel the most confident and build from there. That may mean you start of by simply ‘liking’ or commenting on posts on social media, or it may mean diving headfirst into an interview on camera. Don’t feel like you have to do anything outside of your comfort zone, unless you are ready. Practice really does make it easier over time.
Interview the interviewer
Find out their angle, who else they will be interviewing, the audience, deadline, whether you will have the opportunity to approve any quotes/edits etc etc. The more information you can glean from the journalist, the more likely you are to have a positive experience.
Become a master in delay tactics
Don’t ever feel pressured into doing an (un-researched) interview on the spot. If a journalist calls you out of the blue, politely ask the journalist if its ok to email you through the questions and a little more background about the story or say that you will call them back at a more suitable time. The more time you can buy yourself to research the topic area and put some thought into how best to respond, the better.
Do your research
Researching the topic area and ensuring that you are well-prepared is absolutely crucial to ensuring that an interview goes smoothly. It also pays to brush up on any areas that the topic may lend itself too. You never can guarantee what twists and turns an interview may take so it’s best to be more than prepared.
Have clear key messages and keep it simple stupid (KISS)
For each topic, decide on a set of 2 – 3 key messages. These are sentences that really get to the bottom of the issue. The key messages should be simple to understand, short and memorable. Ideally, they should be free from science/nutrition jargon (i.e. “eat” vs “consume”), unless your audience has a nutrition or science background. Use of analogies or alliteration can all help your key messages to be remembered e.g. “health by stealth”. If at times you feel an interview is going off-track, you can always come back to your key messages to bring the interview back on-topic.
Be interesting and show a different angle
Media love anything that seems like it’s new news or is attention grabbing – that’s why we see so many sensationalist and click-bait titles. Think about how you can use this to your advantage and look at talking about a topic from a different angle.
Practice, practice and practice some more
If you have a radio or TV interview, practice what you are going to say and your key messages out loud over and over again.
It’s ok to say “no”
If something is out of your scope, it is ok to say so and to pass a request on to a more experienced colleague. If you are caught out live on-air, rather than talking aimlessly and perhaps out of scope, politely admit that you’re not up-to-speed with that area. You can then bring the interview back to one of your key messages.
Offer to review pieces prior to print/air
Many journalists will not have a nutrition or science background and therefore, they will only have a limited understanding of the nuances around nutritional science. By offering to review the piece for accuracy, you can ensure that they don’t miss anything crucial or get something around the wrong way. This will also hopefully also give you the opportunity to check any of your quotes too.
Always be respectful
Journalists are human and shouldn’t be viewed as the enemy. Say “thank you” when you’ve had a good experience and if it hasn’t gone so well, respectfully let the journalist know your concerns. By creating positive relationships with the media and being helpful at all times, you are more likely to get other requests in the future.
Turn off and tune out
Where you can, ignore the comments and criticism. It can be really tough putting yourself ‘out there’ so ensure you surround yourself with a support network and ensure you have some self-care strategies in place for when things get tough.
Support your media colleagues
The one thing we can all do, even if we don’t want to get involved in media ourselves, is to support our media colleagues that do.
Many dietitians & nutritionists looking to start out in the media or those already working in the media, have voiced that their biggest fear of working in this space, is criticism by colleagues. As a profession, I would encourage everyone to please reserve judgement and criticism against what one of our colleagues has ‘said’ in the media.
Remember, a dietitian’s ‘words’ may not always be their own, for reasons outside of their control. Instead, let’s support those that have bravely taken a stand to try and clear up the confusion amongst the public and embrace every media opportunity where you can.
Work with Angela so that you can become more media-savvy
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