Working with the Media
The Office of Marketing and Communications generally makes initial contacts with the media and serves as the official public voice for the University. This ensures that the appropriate response will be given and that individuals, faculty, or staff, can be adequately prepared for media interviews. The Office of Marketing and Communications will also inform and consult with senior administrators when circumstances dictate.
If you wish to contact the media directly, please inform the Office of Marketing and Communications (Ext. 4463) before any contact is made, so that the University will be aware of any and all media interest and contacts.
Also, please do not encourage students to contact the media directly without first consulting with the Office of Marketing and Communications.
Ideally, when the media wishes to speak to someone at Clayton State University, they will first contact the Office of Marketing and Communications. The Office will then contact the appropriate person(s) on campus, explain the request and ask for appropriate assistance. Although this is the standard protocol and procedure of the industry, it may not always be followed by the media.
What to do if the News Media Contacts You
At times, the media may contact you directly. If so, then, please contact the Office of Marketing and Communications as soon as possible.
If you are comfortable responding to the request, you may proceed, or you may request that the Office of Marketing and Communications facilitate the interview. You have the right to accept or decline any media request. Certainly, if for any reason you are uncomfortable or if the media inquiry is of a delicate nature, the Office of Marketing and Communications will facilitate the situation. During regular office hours, the contact number is Ext. 4463; after hours or on the weekend, Asia Hauter may be reached at (678) 466-4463.
Do not ignore any media inquiry. If you are busy, return the contact as quickly as possible, having obtained the name of the media contact, the name of the organization, a callback number or e-mail address and at least an idea of what the inquiry is about and any appropriate deadline (remember, timeliness is often a necessity for the media).
If you do not feel qualified to answer the media inquiry, immediately refer them to the Office of Marketing and Communications and call the Office of Marketing and Communications to apprise them of the inquiry.
Media Representatives on Campus
If a media representative with a request to do an on-campus interview contacts you, please contact the Office of Marketing and Communications to discuss the interview. If you wish, Marketing and Communications can help you to prepare for and plan the interview.
One-on-one interviews can be difficult. If you so desire, we will be glad to accompany you to an interview, and to work with the reporter to do all we can to assure accuracy in the resulting story. However, please be warned that we do not have control over the media, and what is finally reported may not be exactly what you said, or meant.
If media representatives wish to come on campus for more general purposes (i.e.; looking for a story, or just touring the campus), they should be accompanied by a member of the Office of Marketing and Communications staff. If someone from the media contacts you with an unspecified request to come on campus, please contact the Office of Marketing and Communications so we may offer assistance in an appropriate manner.
Media Representatives in the Classroom
Media representatives will appear, at an individual professor’s request, as classroom speakers. That is completely different from unannounced or uninvited appearances. The Office of Marketing and Communications discourages media representatives from coming, unannounced or uninvited, to classrooms for any purpose.
If you are faced with a situation where a media representative appears unbidden at your classroom door, please ask the person in a calm manner to come back later, at the end of class. Be helpful, and do not imply that you are restricting their access. Emphasize that class is currently in session and that you will be glad to speak to them at the end of class. If the media representative persists, immediately contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at Ext. 4463.