Media Handbook for National Human Rights Institutions 3. SELECT AND PREPARE YOUR SPOKESPERSON • Select a senior NHRI representative – for example, the Chairperson or Executive Officer – to be the spokesperson throughout the crisis. • Ensure the spokesperson is properly briefed. He or she should also be confident, articulate and empathetic. • Anticipate likely questions, including challenging questions, and do practice interviews. Consider your partner organizations; depending on the circumstances, they could make a statement of support. 4. BE AVAILABLE TO THE MEDIA • If you are still sourcing information about the issue, or if the information is confidential, provide journalists with a “holding statement” which puts the story in context. • Issue a media release, hold a media conference and give one-on-one interviews, as required. • Be honest; never lie, make up an answer or say “no comment”. • Stay calm at all times; do not get angry or defensive with a journalist. • Ensure that the NHRI spokesperson is available for interviews throughout the crisis period. • Keep a record of all media calls, what was requested and what actions were taken. Apologise swiftly and sincerely if there is a genuine mistake and explain what the NHRI is doing to rectify the situation. 5. PROVIDE CLEAR INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS • Make sure all NHRI staff know what is happening and what you are doing to respond to the issue. • Provide staff with a common response and set of actions to take if they are contacted directly by a journalist. • Keep all staff properly briefed throughout the crisis period. 6. REVIEW YOUR CRISIS MANAGEMENT APPROACH • Review all media coverage of the issue, as well as social media discussion, at the end of the crisis period. • Assess community and stakeholder perceptions of the NHRI. • Identify what went wrong and why. • Identify steps that could be taken to prevent problems from arising in the future. • Develop a follow-up strategy to rebuild relationships with key stakeholders. Chapter 1: Working effectively with the media | 13