(f ) The Interview
Radio Talk Shows
When accepting an invitation for an interview, your biggest concern will be intimidation. You might have heard certain talk-show hosts who work to keep their ratings up and subsequently become highly paid personalities. For the most part, they may try to get information from you that you have not shared with anyone else. Specific tactics may throw you, such as "Some of your band members don't agree with what you are doing, so why are you moving ahead - don't they count?" Unless your spokesperson is entirely confident of the facts and figures of your ATR and can handle a demanding radio personality, you can choose to pass on this medium. You should find out beforehand whether the talk-show host is Aboriginalfriendly. Try to avoid hotline hosts who simply like to stir up controversy.

If possible, arrange a meeting with the host prior to the show itself and explain in as much detail as possible what you want to discuss. Bring all of your material with you and have it available in case you should require it.

You may end up meeting with a researcher instead of the interviewer. It doesn't hurt to tell this person that, although you understand the host has to make the show as exciting as possible, you will only be speaking on your topic and its background.

Radio Reporters
If you are being interviewed by a radio news reporter, this interview will likely be short. At the most, 20 seconds or so of what you say will actually make it to air, and the balance will be an introduction by the announcer. In any event, the same preparation applies. Know your material and have it at your fingertips in case you need it quickly. If you are asked a question to which you do not have an answer, be honest and straightforward. Simply state that you do not know the answer or cannot reply to the question at the moment. Promise to answer fully later. Don't be led to say something embarrassing which will need further explaining.

Television
Interviews in Your Community
If a television station requests an interview, welcome them. These sorts of requests can be difficult to fathom, however, as you really have to examine why they're sending a crew out on remote to cover a story they had presumably picked up at your press conference. There could be several reasons for this. One reason might be that they would like a more in-depth feature for their evening news or news magazine, with the interview featuring your spokesperson and the community as a backdrop. If there is an ulterior motive behind a TV shoot, you will find this out quickly when the interview shifts from the ATR to a subject unrelated to what you were promised would be discussed.

An example of this kind of interview might feature an Aboriginal person being asked about his background in foster homes and his difficulty with the school system, then later be portrayed as a First Nations advocate.

Define your parameters first, and get to know your media contacts (see the Introduction to Basic Media Relations.) Some knowledge of the integrity of the TV station itself also helps. Generally, reporters are quite ethical, but there will always be some who will work the negative angle for ratings. As for the mechanics of the remote, the TV crew may wish to shoot around the community to provide a glimpse of what the community looks like. Don't feel shy about accentuating the positive-a health centre, a school, new housing, a community hall. Co-operate as much as you can without invading the privacy of community residents, and leave the door open for them to return should they require more information.

At the TV Studio
If your spokesperson is invited to the studio for an interview, accompany them. They should be well versed on the subject of the ATR so that they will be ready when the camera rolls. Proper dress should be comfortable and present the kind of community image you want to leave with viewers-clean and confident.

Although it is easier said than done, the spokesperson should not be intimidated by all the studio lights, cables and cameras. These are just tools of the trade. With the exception of writers and editors, studio staff are not very interested in what you have to say. They want to accommodate you, make sure your microphone is working, and put your best face forward. Things to remember: the spokespersons' clothes should be straight and their hair combed. If they are sharing a stage with the host, they should look directly at the host. If they are participating in a doubleender, look directly into the camera. If they are blind-sided by a question that is totally off the subject, they can tell the interviewer that this should be discussed at another time.

The Scrum
A scrum usually occurs after a formal speaking engagement, where the spokesperson has just addressed the audience. Once they have left the podium, they can face questions from different media who are all competing for their attention.

A media scrum can panic even the most seasoned speaker, but it can also work to your advantage. The spokesperson must choose which questions to answer and from whom. The spokesperson should not be intimidated into answering questions for which they are not prepared or which they find irrelevant. Once the spokesperson has answered the majority of questions about your ATR, he or she should call an end to the scrum, or else risk being held up. Generally, an announcement that the scrum is over, by the communications coordinator or media liaison, will do.

In any event, a scrum occurs only if your ATR becomes controversial and is receiving a lot of media coverage. If you have reached the scrum stage, you certainly are a news item! Stay in control.

Newspaper Reporters
Newspaper reporters require a brief interview and are often accompanied by a photographer. Stick to your message so as to minimize any chance of distortion or misrepresentation when the article is published.

"Off the Record"
There is no such thing as "off the record." Many a career has been destroyed or put in jeopardy because of comments made off the record. The reporter may be very personable and appear sympathetic to your message, but remember that they are still media. Don't take strangers into your confidence.

Even as you get to know reporters over time and develop relationships, a valuable rule to follow is "Don't say anything you would not want to read on the front page of the newspapers."