Our Policies

Media Relations Policy & Procedures

FDCW works with the media in order:

to advocate for the vision and goals of FDCW and to promote FDCW’s work
to inform the public of the details of FDCW
to assist in fundraising for FDCW

FDCW welcomes the opportunity to talk to the media and through them, to debate issues in public. In dealing with the media, employees, contractors, trustees and other volunteers should be conscious that they may be seen as representatives of FDCW and should avoid making comments or participating in photo opportunities that may damage FDCW’s long-term reputation.

Media Relations

The media have a role to play on behalf of the community in holding FDCW to account for its policies and actions. It is important that they have access to employees, contractors and trustees to assist them in this role. To balance this, FDCW must have the capacity to defend itself from any unfounded criticism and to ensure that the public are properly informed of all the relevant facts.

FDCW operates on the values of

honesty: FDCW will never knowingly mislead the public, media, contractors, or employees on an issue
transparency: FDCW will promote openness and accessibility in our dealings with the media, whilst complying with the law and maintaining confidentiality when appropriate
balance: Information provided to the media by FDCW will be objective, balanced, accurate, informative and timely

FDCW seeks to establish and maintain an open relationship with the media to communicate important public information about its work and its goals. Contact concerning any significant matter in the name of or on behalf of FDCW should only be made by employees, contractors, trustees or volunteers where:

they have consulted with the Communications and Marketing Manager (CandM Manager)
they have the required expertise to speak on the issue under discussion
they have some experience in media relations.

Where any of these criteria do not apply, employees, contractors, trustees and volunteers are recommended to exercise extreme caution and to seek guidance from the Executive Director (ED).

Media Relations Procedure

Responsibilities

The C&M Manager, the ED and the Board Chair are all authorised to speak on behalf of FDCW. Other employees, trustees, contractors and volunteers are advised to ensure they are properly briefed and guided by the C&M Manager, the ED or Board Chair before talking to the media on any FDCW issue. Where information or public comment is requested or required, the C&M Manager will determine the most appropriate person to respond. Employees, trustees, contractors, volunteers, and third parties, are encouraged to deliver public presentations that discuss FDCW’s work and its goals.

Responsibilities

Processes

Significant statements on behalf of FDCW will be made as authorised by the C&M Manager, ED or Board Chair as detailed above. It should always be made clear whether the views put forward regarding any issue relating to FDCW are those of the organisation or of an individual. At all times consideration should be given as to how the correspondence may affect the reputation of FDCW.

The C&M Manager is responsible for:

preliminary discussions on any story
producing FDCW’s Communications and Marketing plan, consistent with FDCW’s strategic plan.
coordinating any media conferences for FDCW
authorising all media releases from FDCW and for uploading them onto FDCW’s website. All media releases must be checked and approved by the ED before distribution
being involved in any approaches to the media to feature FDCW’s work
receiving and coordinating a response to all approaches from press, radio or TV or specialist press

All FDCW employees, contractors, trustees and volunteers are responsible for:

providing advice (preferably before the issue becomes public knowledge) to the C&M Manager on any issues that are likely to be complex or contentious or to be sustained for any length of time. In such a situation the C&M Manager will work with the relevant staff, contractors and trustees to produce a communications plan which will ensure that balanced, timely information is provided to keep all parties informed
ensuring that no photos of employees, contractors, volunteers or stakeholders will be released to the public via advertising, news media, or the internet, or by any other means, without the approval of the C&M Manager, who will satisfy themselves that FDCW’s Confidentiality Policy and Privacy Procedure have been observed
notifying the C&M Manager of any contact made in FDCW’s name to the media and providing the name of the reporter or writer and the media outlet they represent

Any significant media contacts with FDCW’s employees, contractors, volunteers or trustees on any issue likely to prove contentious will, where possible, be recorded.

Any filming or taping of FDCW’s proceedings by the media is subject to prior permission of the C&M Manager, ED or Board Chair.

Every effort should be made to assist the media in their inquiries. Media queries involving requests for information that will require substantial staff work to produce, must be authorised by the ED. It will usually be necessary to provide information in addition to that which is requested in order to set the facts and figures in context. Requests for detailed information of this nature, whether from local, national or international media, should be referred to the C&M Manager.