Talk to reporters: It's your professional duty

• Author: Cristin Schmitz
• Pages: 347-349

347

g Fall 2011

Talk t eers:

IT’S YOUR PROFESSIONAL DUTY

CRISTIN SCHMITZ

As a journalist from a “legacy” medium (meaning that my

stories are still printed on dead trees), I was attered to be

invited to write about dealing with the media. Certainly, lawyers

are taking an increasingly sophisticated approach to those dealings.

For example, hardly a day goes by that I do not receive a press release

from a large rm, or a university law faculty, oering its lawyers as

commentators on the important legal developments of the day. Law-

yers are raising their professional proles and attracting new clients by

sharing their expertise (and trumpeting their victories) through social

media, blogging and even slick current-aairs-style podcasts on their

own websites.

Yet the gold standard for publicity probably still remains a mention

in a story by a professional journalist from a reputable media outlet.

So what are today’s deadline-harried reporters looking for from law-

yers? Above all, we need instant access to your expertise. Start by provid-

ing us with your cellphone and Blackberry coordinates. Many journalists,

whatever their medium, are ling rst to the web– almost immediately

after important court judgments or legal developments. If you are a

lawyer who can instantly provide reliable information and/or trenchant

quotes, you will quickly nd yourself on a reporter’s speed dial.

Of course, not every reporter deserves your trust and respect. Get

to know who you are dealing with. If a reporter has a solid reputation,