Transcript Tools of a Press Office

Workshop 2.B
Going beyond press releases: media
relations, how should we tell the story?
Guidelines for the organisation of
a press office on Structural Funds
Brussels, 26 November 2007
FORMEZ
Formez is an Italian government agency providing
 technical support
 modernisation
 training
to the Italian PA.
1. EUROPA
PROJECT:
Information,
skills,
knowledge on SF communication to Info &
Publicity Units in ITALY
2. TWINNING PROJECTS: Training and support on
Communication Plans for Accession countries and
NMS
POLAND
CZECH REPUBLIC
BULGARIA
HUNGARY
ROMANIA
THREE GUIDELINES
•
•
•
Drawing up Communication Plans for
the 2007-2013 programming period
Organisation of events on Structural
Funds
Organisation of the Press office for
communication on Structural Funds
DO WE NEED A PRESS OFFICE?
 The most effective way of reaching large
audiences
 It is cheap and has credibility
BUT
 It is not always possible to control
 Media are not always interested, especially in
positive stories
 Even when messages are reported, they may be
misinterpreted.
WHERE SHOULD WE PUT IT?
• Better to use the existing Press Office of the
Institution thus creating a close relationship
with the person in charge of I&P?
• Or ….
• create a new Press Office within the MA?
• And if so …
• How to create a communications flow among
Minister Press Office, MA staff, MA Press
Office, Intermediate Bodies Press Office and
local EU Information Points?
USEFUL TIPS
 Enlisting professional help to make stories
more newsworthy
 Shaping stories around concrete events
highlighting local realities or human interest
rather than abstract trend
 Cultivating relationships with media and
ensuring they are well briefed
 Providing a useful, clear background, info,
contacts etc., through the use of a
straightforward language
GUIDELINES CHAPTERS

Press officer job description

Press Office activities

Relationships with other Press Offices

Tools of the Press Office

Writing a Press Release

How to manage interviews

How to organise Press Conferences

How to manage a crisis communication
 Check-lists about what to do and what
not to do, in dealing with the media
Job Description
“Press Officer job description”: main tasks of a Press
Officer
Press Office must work in close relationship with the
Managing Authority staff
“Relationships with other Press Offices”
the importance of establishing a well-organised
communications flow from the very beginning of the
information activities.
Press Office Tools
“Tools
of a Press Office” are divided into:
 oral tools
 written tools
 a mailing list of EU contacts
 a list of experts to be involved
Particular attention is paid to:
 keeping regular contacts with the EU Information
Points on the territory
 the involvement of Team Europe experts in all the
activities organised by the Press Office.
 the provision of specific training to the journalists
on the functioning of the Structural Funds to avoid the
use of mistaken terminology.
Press release, Press Conference
 “Writing
a press Release”:
focuses on the format and the content.
“How to manage interviews”:
suggests how to carefully prepare the interview, and is
subdivided into:
 Assessing the interview request
 What to do before and after the interview
“How to organise Press Conferences”:
provides some advice on the steps to follow.
Managing a crisis and Check-list
“How to manage communications crisis”:
advises the Press Officer to maintain trustworthy and
credible relationships with the media at all the times
because they can be possibly more cooperative in
crisis cases.
“Check-lists about “What to do and what not to do”
when dealing with the media.
Thank you for your attention
If you wish more information please get in touch with
Claudia Salvi
[email protected]
Tel. +39 06 84892220