News Service: Choosing UC Davis news media experts
UC Davis News Service policy
The UC Davis News Service maintains an extensive Web site with lists of experts that is used by the media worldwide. We use several factors to determine whether a member of the UC Davis faculty or staff would be a good media expert:
Being a true expert in a particular field
- Individuals should be considered — and listed — as an expert in no more than two or three fields.
- In general, credibility and expertise become suspect for those listed as an "expert" in too many areas.
- The most valuable experts are those who know when to say "No" to a reporter — when they are not the appropriate person to do an interview or answer a question on a particular topic — and are willing to refer the reporter to someone who is.
Interested in and comfortable with the news media
- Individuals must be willing to regularly take calls or e-mails from the news media and respond in a timely fashion.
- Individuals must be willing to be listed, complete with office phone and e-mail, on our experts lists, which are available 24/7 to the news media and public through press releases and the News Service Web site.
Expert descriptions
- Experts review the description before it is published and often participate in drafting the information.
- Descriptions are pitched at a lay audience, using a conversational tone without academic jargon.
- descriptions are generally about 150 words in length.
Broadcast expectations
- Some TV news operations (local and national) want experts to drive to their station or to PacSat in Sacramento to give live or taped TV interviews.
- MediaWorks has a radio sound studio on campus, equipped with an ISDN line that meets general broadcast-quality standards, which is used occasionally.
Training for experts
- The News Service has an all-day media training class.
- If an expert has taken the class more than five years ago, it is worthwhile to take it again
- If the expert has taken the basic class within the past five years, it is worthwhile to enroll in the half-day advanced media training class
(Contact Paul Pfotenhauer for additional information, at 530-752-6397, or .)