Media relations: building trust with journalists

Media relations is the work of building trusted, professional relationships with the journalists, editors and producers who cover your field. Done well, it means that when a reporter needs a reliable figure, a field example or a spokesperson at short notice, they think of you first. Done badly, it means a long list of addresses that receive press releases and ignore them.

The World Health Organization's media guidance asks officials to accept and involve the media as legitimate partners.¹ The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) adds an important reminder: a journalist's job is not the same as a press officer's, and that difference must be respected.² Working with journalists is a partnership between two independent sides, each with its own duties.

WHO's first step for media communication is to assess media needs, media constraints and your own internal media-relations capabilities.¹ Before you contact anyone, read and watch what they produce. Note who covers health, agriculture, business, climate or local government, which outlets reach the audience you care about, and what formats they use: radio interviews, short video, long features or data stories.

Journalists work to deadlines. WHO's guidance notes that news conferences should start on time because reporters need time to file, and that the media should be told when new information is expected and how often updates will come.¹ Your own team needs the same discipline: someone who answers the phone, someone who can approve a quote quickly, and a spokesperson who is ready.

Relevance is everything. In Cision's 2025 State of the Media survey of more than 3,000 journalists in 19 markets, 86% said they would immediately reject a pitch that is not aligned with their beat or audience.³ A list of forty journalists who genuinely cover your subject is worth more than four hundred who do not.

WHO suggests identifying the media outlets available and then the ones that are most effective for your purpose.¹ For each contact, record their beat, outlet, preferred channel, language and the stories they have recently covered. Keep the list up to date, because people change jobs and beats often. Store it securely and use it only for the purpose contacts would expect.

If you invite international or regional journalists to cover work in Rwanda, remember that accreditation applies. The Rwanda Media Council provides media accreditation for Rwandan correspondents, East African Community journalists and foreign journalists, through the IremboGov platform.⁴ Mention this early so visiting reporters can plan.

A pitch is a short, personal message offering a story to one journalist. Lead with the news. The inverted pyramid, the classic news structure, puts the most important information first so that a reader who stops early still gets the main point.⁵ The same applies to a busy editor reading your email on a phone.

Press releases still matter: 72% of journalists in Cision's survey named them the most useful resource from communications professionals, and their impact rises when they come with multimedia.³ So attach or link to what a reporter needs to tell the story: high-resolution photographs with captions and credits, short video clips, key figures and the name of someone available to speak.

• Say in the first two lines why this matters to their audience now.
• Offer something specific: a person, a place, a number or an exclusive angle.
• Keep it short and plain, and put the full release below or in a link.
• Follow up once if it is genuinely useful, then let it go.

Trust is built in the moments when a journalist needs something from you. CDC's guidance is to meet the needs of the media by being accessible and providing regular updates, and to avoid spin: tell the truth and be open.² If information is not yet available, do not pretend to have answers; say so and commit to finding out.²

Avoid the phrase "no comment", which tends to sound as if you are hiding something. CDC advises explaining why you cannot answer a question instead.² There may be good reasons, such as protecting someone's privacy or waiting for a partner to confirm. WHO recommends stating what is known and factual, saying when information is preliminary and avoiding speculation about the unknown.¹

Accuracy is a growing concern. In Cision's survey, 72% of journalists said they worry about factual errors in AI-generated PR content.³ In our own practice, every figure, name and title we send to a journalist is checked by a person against its source before it leaves the building.

Ground rules protect both sides, but only if they are agreed before information is shared. CDC's advice for spokespeople is blunt: understand that there is no such thing as "off the record", and remember that the interview is not over until the reporter and all equipment have left.² The safest rule for most organisations is to say nothing you would not want to see published.

An embargo is a different arrangement. EurekAlert!, the science news service, defines a news embargo as a prohibition against making certain information public before a specific date and time.⁶ It requires reporters to sign an embargo agreement before they receive embargoed material.⁶ Embargoes work when both sides agree in writing; you cannot impose one by adding a line to an email that a journalist never agreed to.

Strong media relations continue when there is no news. Share useful background, introduce new experts, invite journalists to see programmes in the field and respond quickly when they ask for help with someone else's story. CDC also advises helping to clarify information as reporters prepare their stories, rather than asking to review their articles.²

Respect editorial independence when a story is not what you hoped. If there is a factual error, ask politely for a correction with evidence. If it is a matter of opinion or emphasis, accept it and keep the door open. The journalist who writes a critical piece this year may write the most thoughtful feature about your work next year.

• A short press list sorted by beat, outlet and language
• One named media contact who answers quickly
• A trained spokesperson available at short notice
• Pitches that lead with the news and suit the journalist's audience
• Photographs, video and figures ready to share, with captions and credits
• Every fact and name checked by a person before sending
• Embargoes agreed in writing before material is shared
• Accreditation information ready for visiting journalists