Rules of Conduct for Spokespersons and Reporters

The associates at Coyote Marsh have prepared hundreds of corporate and organizational spokespersons for interviews with reporters. As ex-reporters, we have tried to straddle the divide over the public's need to know and an organization's right to keep some things private (if appropriate and legal).

It's safe to say that the interchange between the interviewer and interviewee is a dynamic exercise in human behavior. Every spokesperson, however, improves over time when more and more opportunities are created to share his/her point of view.

Spokesperson's and Reporter's Rights may be seen by some as an oversimplification of the rules of conduct that exist between spokespersons and reporters. The Coyote Marsh team prefers to think that these are simply common-sense guidelines for civilized businesspeople.

Spokesperson's Rights

As the spokesperson, you have the right to:

• Protect your best interest
• Know the interview topic in advance
• Buy time to prepare
• Suggest how and where you will be interviewed
• Ask who else is being interviewed for the story
• Ask relevant questions
• Repeat what is important
• Correct misinformation
• Try to get a fair hearing
• Decline to be interviewed - if that is in your best interest

• Reasonable access to legitimate news sources
• Have deadlines and logistical needs taken into consideration
• Expect a concise and direct answer to a relevant question
• Receive a timely response to an inquiry
• Conduct follow-up calls for clarification
• Request additional information or material
• Refuse a request to see the story before it is printed
• Redirect the interview to the subject under discussion
• Evaluate and report the story as the reporter sees it
• Expect the same kind of courtesy and respect that the spokesperson desires