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The Media? Me?
You've just had your latest paper published in Nature or Science, or there's been a breakthrough in your area of specialization or maybe there's an important vote coming up on a policy topic that just happens to be your forte. You are innundated with phone calls and requests for interviews. What do you do?
First, don't panic.
Second, unless you have prior experience with the media (and by this, I mean good experience with the media), get in touch with someone at your institution who knows something about the media. At a university, this may be known as a public information officer (PIO), a public relations person, a science writer, but there are a wide variety of titles for the person whose job it is to get your institution and its employees portrayed in a positive light on radio, television, and newspapers. They will tell you some things that seem unimportant (like what colors or jewelry to wear (or not) on television), but that can make a difference in whether you are invited back again. They also will help you shape your message to fit in the increasingly short attention span of the present-day consumer of information. This will help you avoid looking like a babbling moron.
If you don't have access to one of these potential lifesavers, take a look at some of the guides that are available to help scientists, mathematicians and engineers do their best in front of a microphone or camera.