Why engage with the media?

• Journalists are always looking for good research stories and opinions from academic experts. This provides you with a chance to contribute to public debate and promote your research.
  
  
• It’s an opportunity to reach decision-makers and local residents.
  
  
• You can reach other academics and specialists in business and industry through trade and specialist press.
  
  
• Funding bodies like it and will be more likely to fund future research.
  
  
• It’s a good way to promote your book, event, findings or proposed research, and can help recruit participants and partners.

But, remember…

• You can’t control what the media say.
  
  
• It helps to present your work in clear and simple language, but it may still be misrepresented.
  
  
• Your ‘news’ has to be newsworthy – it must be of interest to the audience, and you should know who your audience are.
  
  
• Be to-the-point. Journalists might not be interested in all the intricacies of your research, so be sure you know the key points you want to get across.
  
  
• Do not expect journalists to run final pieces past you or to allow you to approve things before they are published. You have to trust them.
  
  
• Even if you think a story is newsworthy, it still might not get covered or picked up by the press, however hard we try. We can’t guarantee coverage.