Handling the News Media:
What MUFON Members Need to Know
by Joe Lewels, Ph.D.
(Mutual UFO Network UFO Journal, Number 337, May 1996, Copyright 1996 by
the Mutual UFO Network, 103 Oldtowne Rd., Sequin, Texas 78155, published
monthly with a membership/subscription rate of $25/yr.)
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Anyone who takes the UFO mystery seriously has, at one time or another,
been frustrated by the news media's often sophomoric and uninformed
coverage of the subject. As a former journalist and journalism
professor, I have often winced with embarrassment at the antics of
broadcast anchormen who somehow feel obliged to end every UFO story with
a snide comment or a dumb joke. It is as if by doing so, they can
distance themselves from the subject matter and demonstrate to the
audience how objective, credible and professional they are. Such
comments and raised eyebrows, I have noticed, do not explain to the
viewers why the TV station chose in the first place to air the story.
They are left to wonder why, if the story was so ridiculous, they
bothered to cover it at all.
The reason, of course, is the ratings. TV stations and newspapers are,
first and foremost, businesses, and it is this fact that accounts for
much of their content. Editors and news directors are well aware of the
public's seemingly unquenchable thirst for UFO information, and even if
they themselves are ignorant of the subject, they understand one thing
quite well: UFOs sell newspapers and boost ratings. MUFON members, who
from time to time may find themselves dealing with the press must be
constantly aware of this truth, for it can either be the cause of great
consternation or it can provide much-needed publicity opportunities.
Three cases of media contact during the last year serve to illustrate
the problem. Not long ago, the State Section Director in El Paso, Tex.,
Dr. Roberta Fennig, was contacted by a television reporter who was
anxious to get an interview for a story. "We're doing a three- part
series on UFOs and I need to see you right away," he said. He was
working on a short deadline and asked for a meeting that same day. Dr.
Fennig contacted me and we agreed to meet with the reporter on the
condition that the meeting be "off the record." Since we did not know
the reporter, we felt a need to act cautiously. We needed to know what
the program would cover and how it would be approached. To determine
this, we asked a few questions:
"Why are you interested in doing a series on UFOs?" we asked. "My news
director assigned me the story," he responded.
"Is your news director interested in UFOs?"
"I don't think so."
"Then why do the story? Has something happened to stir up interest in
the subject?" we queried.
"I don't think so."
"Well, why do a series at this time," we probed. ` “It has to do with
the ratings," he confessed. "Next week is sweeps week." (The week in
which audience sizes are measured to determine how much a station can
charge for advertising is called "sweeps week.")
"Ok, what do you know about UFOs?"
"Not much," he replied honestly.
"Have you read any books on the subject?"
"No."
"Are you aware that your network (CBS) devoted an hour of serious
discussion to the subject on the `48 Hours' program?" we inquired.
"Uh, no, I didn't see that."
"How much air time will your station devote to this three-part series?"
"Each segment is going to be about 2 to 3 minutes.'
It quickly became obvious that 1) the reporter was totally ignorant of
the subject; 2) neither he nor anyone at his station had any serious
interest in the subject; 3) the only purpose of the report was to hype
the nightly news to gain higher ratings; and 4) that the station was
going to rush to throw together something without much research or
concern for the seriousness of the subject. In the end, we opted not to
participate, although we realized we were passing up an opportunity to
bring in new members and to publicize our hotline number. We had good
reason to be concerned that any comments we might make could be taken
out of context for the purpose of providing the station with a 20-second
"sound byte" to be used to hype their evening news show.
Dr. Fennig, whose experience at dealing with the media is limited, was
amazed by the lack of professionalism demonstrated by the reporter. "I
thought he would have at least done a little research on the subject
before asking for an interview," she commented. This example should
serve as a lesson for MUFON spokespersons who will find that the job of
educating reporters is never ending. They cannot assume that journalists
know anything about the volumes of evidence pertaining to the reality of
UFOs or that they have even heard the names of persons like Dr. John
Mack, Budd Hopkins, Dr. J. Allen Hynek or other well-known researchers.
Walt Andrus, International Director of MUFON, recently received a call
from a reporter from a newspaper in Pensacola, Florida who wanted an
interview and information on the Gulf Breeze case. "He knew absolutely
nothing about the events of Gulf Breeze," says Walt, "even though
Pensacola is just a few miles across the bay. He didn't even know who Ed
Walters was. I asked him how long he had worked in Pensacola and he said
five years. I told him the Gulf Breeze case was at least eight years
old." On another occasion, a reporter for the El Paso Herald Post
approached me for help in arranging an interview with an abductee. She
wanted to do a feature story to accompany the story she was doing on
John Carpenter's lecture on the abduction phenomenon at the University
of Texas at E1 Paso. In the past, she had done an excellent job on a
front page story concerning a lecture by speaker Robert Dean. She had
even called him long distance for an interview. Since I had confidence
in her, I assisted her in setting up an interview with a local woman who
had a lifetime of UFO experiences. The interview resulted in a large,
front page article which was no doubt responsible for the large crowd
that attended Carpenter's presentation. It was a fair, in-depth and
serious effort to convey the terror, trauma and honest confusion
experienced by an otherwise intelligent, well-adjusted and productive
individual.
The difference between these two cases of media contact serves as a good
lesson for MUFON members who may not have experience in dealing with the
press.
Here are a few suggestions about how to handle the media and to get
better publicity:
1) Members should be taught to handle unsolicited media contact
properly. One person in the chapter, preferably the State Section
Director or another experienced individual, should be designated as
the spokesperson. All requests for information or interviews should
be directed to him or her.
2) The spokesperson should seek out reporters who are interested in and
knowledgeable about the subject and work with them by being their
sources of information. Cultivate relationships with those who can be
trusted to do a fair job.
3) Media contact is optional and should be on your own terms. You are
not obligated to speak to a reporter and you should not do so if you
are uncomfortable with the format or with the individual. Be prepared
to be badgered for a statement. Reporters know that if they can keep
you on the phone or engaged in conversation for more than a minute or
so, chances are you will end up "spilling your guts." Learn to say
"no comment," or "I can't be a source for you on this story," then
hang up! Remember that anything you say to a reporter is quotable
unless you received a pledge of anonymity before you made the
statement. For that reason, many reporters will attempt to strike up
a casual conversation, without telling you that you are being
interviewed. As disagreeable as it may seem, it is in your best
interest to consider every newsperson as an adversary, for he is
capable of making you look extremely foolish.
4) Before saying anything quotable, first find out what the nature of
the story is and what the reporter's views are. Ask for a face to
face, off the record meeting to get acquainted. Make it clear what
comments are "off the record" and which are for attribution. Tape
record the interview as a safeguard.
5) Do not assume the reporter knows anything about the subject or has
done any research. Find out what books he has read and who else he is
going to interview. Do not assume that the reporter will be
objective, fair or sympathetic. Remember, reporters use people to get
a story that will sell newspapers or get ratings. Their own interests
come first, not telling the truth.
6) When dealing with TV stations, find out how much air time they plan
to devote to the story. Realize that even though they interview you
for 20 minutes, they may only use a 10- or 20- second film clip of
the most sensational statements you make. It will be totally out of
context and could make you look foolish.
7) Learn to exercise caution with your choice of words and think
carefully before you say anything on the air or for attribution.
Always opt for the most conservative choice of words and qualify your
statements. For example, investigators should use the term "UFO" or
"object" rather than "spaceship." Remember, you can't prove it was a
spaceship. Use the words, "apparent" or "potential" when describing
an abduction or alien encounter. Be cautious about stating as fact
those things that cannot be proven, such as "the government is
testing flying saucers," or "aliens are from Zeta Reticuli" or "alien
bodies were recovered at Roswell."
8) If your meetings are open to the public, it is a good idea to ask if
there are any reporters or media representatives in the audience. If
so, you may wish to ask for a promise that the meeting be "off the
record" or you may wish to ask the person to leave. Having a reporter
present at a meeting may seriously interfere with a free and open
discussion of important issues. Members should not have to worry
about being quoted in the newspaper for statements made at meetings.
9) If your chapter is planning to have a guest lecturer who doesn't mind
the publicity, arrange for the lectur to occur during "sweeps week."
Contact your local stations to find out when that week falls and
offer to help the news director produce a segment on UFOS, centered
around your speaker.
10) For best results, hand-carry well-written news releases to those
reporters and editors you know will do a good job. If your chapter
produces a newsletter, send free copies to all the media and to
favored reporters.