Press Tips for Families   Beth Karas Court TV Reporter Introduction As you learn to use the media to tell your story, you need to understand the basic process and a few rules. Keep in mind that without you, the story cannot be told. Likewise, the media could decide to withdraw from the story. So, it's in everyone's interest to work together to make the story happen. Television viewers-and to some extent readers-are attracted to character-driven stories, as opposed to issue-driven stories. While the objective is to educate the public about the MPS/ML disorders and the MPS Society (the issue), it can be done successfully through your personal experience (the characters). Television When reaching out to your local television stations, you should contact the news director or the reporter who is assigned to the health/medical beat. Radio There aren't many radio programs (with the exception of National Public Radio's programming) that would carry this type of story. But it's worth checking out and, at a minimum, locating the reporter who covers your area for NPR. Newspapers Probably the best contacts at your local newspaper are the lifestyles editor and the managing editor. Of course, if you know anyone in the media, use those contacts also. Your initial presentation to the media is critical. Whether you do it by letter, phone or in person, you need to grab the attention of the contact immediately. If you write a letter, follow it up in a week or so with a phone call. Keep in mind that it's harder to turn away a person when the meeting is face-to-face so a personal meeting is best, if possible. You need to convince the editor or reporter that 1) your story needs to be told and 2) now is the time to tell it. That your story needs to be told can be persuasively conveyed with some compelling facts about MPS/ML disease. As for the timing of the story, if possible, associate it with an event, or awareness month, or some cause that's being more broadly addressed in the community at the time. If there is no awareness month, for example, don't worry about it. The compelling stories of MPS/ML children should speak for themselves. (Contact The National MPS Society, Inc. to check the key facts about your child's MPS/ML disease.) One objective of getting your story told is to educate people about The National MPS Society. Make sure the reporter has the name, phone number and mailing website addresses for the Society. Ask them to refer to the Society in their story. The idea is to have a televised piece, for example, post a full-screen graphic at the end with the information that reads: For more information about the MPS/ML disorders, you can contact the National MPS Society at 207-947-1445 (include the telephone number.) Also download the MPS/ML Media Fact Sheet below. Click here to download the MPS/ML Media Fact Sheet. The MPS/ML Fact Sheet is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Please make sure you are using the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. To download Adobe Acrobat Reader, please click on the logo below.     Protecting Your Communications Whether you're dealing with the print media (newspapers, magazines) or broadcast media (television, radio), a few rules apply universally. You should be familiar with the terms  off the record, for background  and not for attribution. I suspect that there won't be much reason to invoke these concepts because of the nature of the subject matter but it is useful to understand what they mean. Off the record This term is perhaps the most critical of these three concepts. When you tell the reporter that the information is off the record, it means the reporter cannot use it in the story. It's as though you never told the information. You want your story told; thus most, if not all, of what you tell the reporter will be on the record. But, if there comes a point when you want to reveal information that you would prefer not be a part of the story, then you must say so up front. Technically, if you blurt out the information and then say: "By the way, that's off the record," the reporter is not bound to follow your request (although many will). For background This term means the reporter can use the information without attributing it to you or your organization (in the event you speak on behalf of an entity). In other words, the reporter can use the information but he or she cannot attribute it. Not for attribution This sounds like it should be the name of the above definition but it's not. Not for attribution means that you will be identified in a general way. Since, in most cases, you will be dealing with a small universe (your family), it would seem silly to limit the reporter to "according to a member of the Smith family..." I use this concept when dealing with companies. For example, if I say, "according to a prominent member of the law firm..." I am protecting the person's identity while using the information. In your case, this doesn't offer you much protection of your identity. Off the record or on background are more appropriate. Of course, you and the reporter should strive to get as much as possible, if not all, of the information on the record. Keep in mind that these rules apply regardless of the person you are speaking with. In other words, if you speak with a producer, cameraperson, audioperson, editor, etc. the same precautions should be taken in your communications.   When the Television Crew shows up at your home It's likely to be fairly disruptive when a television crew shows up at your home. At a minimum, you can expect 2 people but more likely 3 or 4. The reporter or producer will interview you. Typically, there is at least one cameraperson and one audioperson. The crew will move your furniture, set up lights and at least one camera as well as audio equipment. Trust the crew-they know the space they need and how to make the setting and lighting work for them and you. The most common complaint I hear from people who are not accustomed to dealing with the press is that the interview took an hour or more and only seconds of it were used in the final product. This is not unusual. It's the way the business works. For a 2-3 minute piece on the nightly news, you can expect to hear/see perhaps 10-30 seconds of sound bites from you. For a longer, magazine-style piece, your contribution will be more. Remember that you are probably not the only person being interviewed for the piece. There may be a doctor, therapist, educator, or legislator who will also speak to the issues. To help illustrate your or your child's story, the television crew will want to shoot video-or what is called b-roll in the business. (B-roll is pronounced "bee-role" and is a term that originated in the earlier days of television.) Typical b-roll for your story would include "day in the life" video such as you or your child at home, at play, getting ready for school, at physical therapy, etc.-anything that would help tell the story. If the story is for a newspaper or magazine, the still photographer will want the same type of photographs. If the reporter wants family photos of you or your child, I advise having them shoot the photos at home if possible, rather than turning over the photos to the reporter. (If you give the photos to the reporter or producer, they will, in good faith, promise to return them safely and punctually but that doesn't always happen.) If they videotape the photos while they are in your possession, you can save yourself the headache of tracking them down with the reporter. In the event you do entrust them with your photos, mark the back of them clearly with your name and address. You may also want to share home videos with the reporter. If so, ask if it's possible to dub the home video from your VCR at your home. If not, it's your call whether to lend the home video to the reporter. (My experience is that the press is more careful about returning home videos than photos.) It's a good policy to know whom you're dealing with and how to contact them. Get the contact information from the reporter and producer so you can, at a minimum, stay informed about the publication date and return of personal items, if any, such as photos or home videos. Sometimes people who are the subject of a story are under the mistaken belief that they can review the article or see the television or radio script before the piece is published or broadcast. You have  no right to review the media's work before the publication date. Of course, if there are errors or if you are misquoted, you can and should contact the reporter and/or the managing editor by letter or phone. Many television and radio reporters will send you a copy or dub of the piece on VHS (or audiotape, if radio) once the piece airs. If it's not offered, make sure to ask for it. You are not entitled to the raw video shot at your home or elsewhere for the story. Likewise, you are not entitled to the unpublished still photos taken by the professional photographer. Although you have no right to them, the producer, reporter or photographer may agree to give you some of them. Good luck! If anyone has questions, please feel free to contact me at: karas@hotmail.com