Before an Incident

• This person needs to be disciplined in delivering a short, concise message and able to avoid discussing topics you are not prepared to discuss.
• Filtering all communication through one person ensures you stay on message and voters get accurate information.
• Make sure all volunteers and staff know who this person is, how to reach them in a crisis, and that they should point all media inquiries to that person.

• It is a good idea to have contact with reporters before the election. This will help you know who to call if you need to get a message to voters—and this helps members of the media know who to call when they need information.

• Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more are crucial communication tools. Know which accounts your county manages. Larger cities or counties often employ a digital communications specialist to handle such things, and will include a list of social media accounts on their website, for example:  bloomington.in.gov/contact/social-media.

• It is important to have clean, camera-ready clothing on hand in the event of an unexpected incident and a subsequent on-camera interview. Avoid prints/ stripes and shirts with logos. Solid colors are better on camera.

• You may be misquoted, so encourage the reporter to contact you with questions or to check facts. Provide useful contact information, such as your cell phone number.
• You can spend a lot of time with a reporter but not be quoted.
• Don’t say anything that you would not want to see in print. Reporters can garble “off the record” commitments or choose not to honor them—and they aren’t retroactive, as in, “I don’t really know what’s going on, but don’t quote me on that.”