Media Relations Policy

In compliance with University of Georgia Marketing and Communications Policies, the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences endorses the following guidelines regarding faculty and staff media relations activities.

The identified representatives on each campus and related facilities are the official liaisons between media and the CAES faculty and staff.

In that role, designated media relations representatives will:

• Seek to promote identified messages, faculty experts and college-related issues to media through media relations efforts, including media contacts, print and broadcast news stories and scheduled media events.
• Consult with, advise and train faculty and staff on developing media relations skills and compliance with UGA and CAES media relations policies.
• Stay abreast of issues in the media that CAES experts can or should address.
• Request, promote, respond to and monitor media opportunities for CAES faculty and experts.
• Monitor CAES coverage in media outlets.
• Coordinate and seek approval for media relations activities as outlined in UGA guidelines with appropriate UGA Media Relations representatives.

CAES faculty and staff members who work with media should:

• Seek and complete CAES approved media relations training as needed and required by CAES policy.
• Notify campus/facility media representatives of pending media relations opportunities when possible, especially if a pending request involves areas that are legally or politically sensitive to CAES. Often these issues have a UGA-designated spokesperson who will speak to the issue with media.
• Participate in media activities as appropriate to the faculty or staff position and expertise within the CAES and UGA media guidelines.
• Stay abreast of CAES positions on issues to be addressed in media opportunities.
• Coordinate media appearances on campus or other CAES property with the appropriate media relations representative when possible. UGA News Service policy is that any commercial video (not news) media that comes on a UGA campus must be preapproved by their office. If you get such a request, please contact your media relations representative to help you get proper UGA approval.

Procedures

• All proactive media activities by CAES faculty and staff should be coordinated with your assigned media relations representative, including story pitches, press conferences, media tours, etc.
• CAES-approved media relations training for college faculty and staff is available face-to-face annually, at any time on-line, or by request by departments to ensure the appropriate level of media relations skill to handle direct media requests. This training is in coordination with the national land-grant media relations training curriculum. Documented training credits from other land-grant universities are accepted. Faculty or staff members who have not had training or demonstrated media relations expertise should consult with their campus/facility media relations representative before responding to media or forward the media request to their media relations representative to handle.
• All media contact that expresses opinion that could be construed as reflective of an official UGA or CAES position on an issue must have prior approval from CAES Public Affairs and/or UGA New Service, including, but not limited to, opinion editorials and letters to the editor on behalf of faculty members representing CAES. The CAES Office of Public Affairs will work closely with faculty who wish to publish opinion pieces to seek and ensure appropriate approvals.
• Any such communication representing the faculty members’ personal opinion as private citizens, and not associated with their faculty status or CAES area of expertise, does not require any approval. However, a courtesy copy to CAES Public Affairs is appreciated.
• Media activity instigated by CAES news writers, including news releases, story pitches, etc., will be coordinated with and approved by cited faculty members with strict adherence to media deadline requirements.

Getting help

If you have questions about the CAES Media Relations Guidelines, want to share a story idea, wish to schedule department or personal media training, or want to know more about other media relations opportunities, contact the Office of Marketing and Communications.