News Media Relations for Law Enforcement and Emergency Service Providers
POST # 6209-0-1040
Date: April 1-2, 2013
Location: St. Paul Police Department Recommended Hotels
Western District Community Room
389 N. Hamline Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55104
Time: 0800-1700
Instructors: Russell Ruffin and Penny Carter
POST: 16 Credits
Cost: $ 295.00
The Saint Paul Police Professional Development Institute (PDI) is sponsoring a 2-day course on NEWS MEDIA RELATIONS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT and EMERGENCY SERVICE PROVIDERS.
This is a fast-paced, hands-on, interactive training class for all levels of experience, designed to help those involved in Public Safety to communicate more effectively with the News Media and Public, both routinely and during times of crisis. In addition to instruction, an assortment of video clips demonstrating both good and bad media relations incidents are projected on-screen and discussed.
The class is for Chiefs, Sheriffs, Supervisors, Public Information Officers, First Responders, Corrections Officers, Emergency Response Teams and anyone else who communicates with the news media.
To make the experience more realistic, a full-size TV News camera will be brought in so that everyone in the class can practice before a LIVE camera which will be projected on the screen. A variety of Breaking News Simulations will be shown and each student will go before the LIVE camera for interviews and news conferences. The rest of the class will act as reporters and join the 2 instructors in asking tough and sometimes “tricky” questions. Participants are given an objective critique, along with a DVD video of their performance.
The instructors will guide the students through a variety of techniques to provide the public with needed information while safeguarding the integrity of an investigation, public safety and victim privacy. Topics will include: Holding and Effective News Conference/Interview, Keeping Your Media Message On Track, News Release Writing and Distribution, Ensuring that Your Message Gets Reported, Becoming More Proactive and Less Reactive, Using the Social Media to Your Advantage, Turning Negative Press into Positive Press, Handling Ambush Interviews and Investigative Reporters, Creating and Distributing Your Own Sound Bites and Interviews, and Projecting the Proper Body Language.
Russell Ruffin is an Emmy Award Winning veteran broadcast news reporter who has worked with both Fox News and NBC, covering such stories as the Fall of the Soviet Union, Columbine High School Shootings, the 9-11 Attack, Oklahoma City Bombing, as well as Police and Fire beats.
Penny Carter is a Telly Award Winning documentary producer. She has served as a field producer for America’s Most Wanted, during the Columbine High School shootings and has produced for the Law Enforcement Training Network. She wrote and produced the television documentary “Surviving the Trauma: The Columbine Shootings”.
Go to: www.stpaul.gov/PDI to browse our website and click on “Register Here” in the right margin to fill out the registration form. If you have any questions, please call SPPD-PDI @ (651) 266-5652 or email: