No Talking!

Kara Hull reports on Tri-State's new policy on speaking to the press, which sounds like it may have been hatched at Granite Broadcasting or Fort Wayne Newspapers.

Tri-State University launched a policy this month that bars students and employees from talking with professional journalists without permission from the school’s marketing department.

[...]The policy, sent via e-mail to all employees and students Oct. 14, instructs the campus community not to answer questions from reporters without prior permission from the university’s Department of Brand & Integrated Marketing. If a reporter contacts employees or students without the knowledge of the marketing department, they should refuse to answer questions and contact the department, the policy states.

The policy also instructs students not to invite reporters or media representatives onto campus or into a dormitory.

   

The policy – which [Patrick Johansen, director of Tri-State’s marketing department] said he crafted after 10 months of research – was created, in part, to protect student privacy and isn’t intended to silence their voices, he said. He said there will be no sanctions against students who violate the rule. The rule will also provide a learning experience for students and employees who aren’t trained to talk to the media, Johansen said.

   

“This is not a gag order,” he said. “The policy is not in any way trying to place a gag order on campus or stifle communication. We’re just trying to help everyone understand this is a serious business and it should be treated accordingly.”

Johansen said he has worked at other universities that have similar policies in place and felt Tri-State needed a media policy, too.

Students may not understand how information they provide to a reporter could be used, Johansen said, and the policy lets them know they’re not obligated to talk. It also protects their expectation of privacy in their on-campus rooms, he said.

From the policy:

• No member of the campus community should interact with media representatives without prior approval from the Department of Brand & Integrated Marketing.

• Be polite to the reporter but do not answer any questions. (‘I have no comment’ is always appropriate when talking to a reporter.)

• If possible, ask the reporter what the story is about, ask for a list of questions, and ask what his/her deadline is.

• Contact the Department of Brand & Integrated Marketing as soon as possible.