Media

MEDIA RELATIONS

      This is THE most important activity of the Division of University Relations. Answering media queries takes precedence over all other projects. Reporters aren't long-range planners. The pressures of deadlines don't allow them to be. Their needs are immediate. The time pressures on them are relentless. We can never change that. We must accept it and accommodate reporters' needs as quickly and accurately as possible. The university depends on the media as its primary purveyors of information. Many of our students indicate that they get their greatest percentage of information about ETSU through the news media. That's one major reason we say that media relations is at the top of our priority list. Media touch every one of the publics we have listed above.

     This is a highly competitive, intense media market. Within a 100-mile radius of the campus, there are approximately 104 newspapers and radio and television stations. Media outlets in this area compete for ETSU news. Most of the time, this is good for the university, resulting in extensive coverage -- most of it positive. But with this much media scrutiny, our mistakes are bound to surface. Statistics show that people remember negative news to a much higher degree than positive news. So the "bad" things are going to be covered. On a campus of nearly 12,000 students and 1,700 employees, human imperfections will show.

     Yet all of us should remember that the media, especially in our region, are not "out to get us." Quite the opposite is true. The media view ETSU as a tremendous source of information and expertise. On slow news days, they turn to us first for help. They are generally "in our corner." They understand our noble purpose and are more than willing to help us tell the world about it. So we encourage an atmosphere of openness when dealing with news media. Although University Relations is the center of the action, we believe every person on campus has an obligation to help and cooperate with the media. As a public institution, that is a part of our public service mission. This doesn't mean helping them out only when the story will benefit us. Cooperation when negative stories occur is essential as well.

     We in the Office of University Relations believe that it is in the best interest of the university for as many of our faculty, staff, and students to interact with the media as possible. We're proud of the knowledge they have, and it is our role to help them share it with a wider audience.

     We'll have more to say about this in the News Bureau section of this guide, but for now, let's examine some of the major ways in which the Office of University Relations interacts with the media.

Answering Media Queries

Other Ways We Interact With the Media

           1. News Releases
           2. Tip Sheets
           3. News Conferences
           4. Public Service Announcements
           5. Events Calendars
           6. Talk Shows
           7. Communication Through Computer
               a. Electronic Distribution of News Releases
               b. Profnet
               c. Computer-Assisted Reporting and Research
               d. World Wide Web
                   (1) Guidelines for Information on the ETSU World Wide Web Home Page
               e. Discussion Lists