Lady Dorothy Nevill once said that, “The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.” This is true for the conversations we have with news media. Sometimes, what we leave out is just as important as the information we provide. But that doesn’t mean that we disregard the media. They are important partners in helping us to share our school success stories.
The key thing to keep in mind is to be cautiously conversationaland to remember that you cannot share any more information with a reporter than you would with parents who are outside of the situation you’re being interviewed about. You must always be mindful of privacy legislation that protects the rights of staff, students and family members to keep their personal information confidential.