Guidance on Media Contacts - Administrative Memorandum #A86-1

October 16, 1986

Administrative Memorandum A86-1

Guidance on Media Contacts

The purpose of this memorandum is to explain to ODE staff what they 
should and should not do when contacted by the media.

If the media contact has already been cleared by the FDA press office, 
or by Mr. Mark Barnett, the Assistant Center Director for Education 
and Communications, and all supervisors have been properly involved, 
the guidance below does not apply.  This note concerns media contacts 
made directly with staff in ODE.

Media people are free to call ODE staff without getting clearance to 
do so, and ODE staff are free to talk to media people without 
obtaining clearance.  In some situations, however, the ODE person 
should not answer detailed questions or accept invitations for formal 
interviews with media people.

TRADE PRESS (ORANGE SHEET, GRAY SHEET, ETC.)

If a "trade press" reporter calls and asks questions or wishes to have 
an interview, the ODE person may answer questions or grant the 
interview if the information is available to the public, the ODE 
person has the knowledge to answer the questions correctly, and if he 
or she wishes to do so.  After discussing an issue that seems to be 
particularly sensitive, the ODE person should notify his or her 
supervisor, who will in turn notify my office (Kshitij Mohan, Mr. 
Sheridan, or Dr. West) and Mr. Barnett.  Alternatively, if an issue is 
particularly sensitive, the ODE person should feel free to refer the 
reporter to his or her supervisor, who in turn may refer the reporter 
to my office.

PRINT REPORTERS OTHER THAN "TRADE PRESS"

If an ODE person is contracted by one of these print reporters, the 
ODE person may answer inquirers if he or she has the needed 
information and feels comfortable about transmitting it.

After the interaction, the ODE person should promptly send 
Mr. Barnett, his or her supervisor, and my office a note documenting 
the call, including who called and when, the name of the publication, 
and what was discussed.  The note should identify thorny issues or 
potential conflict, if any, and whatever information was gleaned about 
the "angle" of the story and when it will run -- we've got to get 
information from reporters, not just give it!  Mr. Barnett will send 
copies of the note to the press office as appropriate, and, if the 
subject or the publication warrant it, my office or Mr. Barnett's
will alert Mr. Villforth and Mr. Benson about the upcoming story.  If, 
in the judgment of the ODE person,the story is potentially "hot" 
because of the subject matter or the publication, they should phone 
Mr. Barnett and my office immediately after the interchange in 
addition to sending the note.

Sometimes, an ODE person may not be comfortable in talking with the 
reporter about a particular issue.  This may be because the person 
does not feel as though he or she has the needed information, or 
because another group in the Center would be a more appropriate 
contact for the reporter, or because the subject matter is a bit 
ticklish on account of policy considerations.

Whatever the reason, the person should contact his or her supervisor 
and if the issue is not resolved, the supervisor should call my office 
for guidance.  In many instances I will ask you to resolve it through 
Mr. Barnett.

RADIO OR TV REPORTERS

If a radio or TV reporter calls and wants background information in 
preparing a story and no interview is involved, this would be treated 
the same as a call from a print reporter.

If a radio or TV reporter calls and wants to interview an ODE person 
on camera (or on tape, or on the air), the interview should be 
discussed and approved in advance.  The ODE person should find out 
what the story is all about and what is wanted from the person who 
would be interviewed.  If possible, they should ask some crucial 
questions, e.g., how did the story get started?  Who else have you 
talked to (or will you be talking to) in researching the story?  Who 
else will be interviewed?  Is it to be "live" or taped?  Will I 
interact with other interviewees (i.e., debate) or will I be 
interviewed alone?  At this point the technical person or supervisor 
is gathering data, but makes no commitment about doing the interview.  
("Let me think about this and get back to you."}

The next step is to call my office for guidance.

I hope this guidance is useful to you in interacting with the media.