Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions Responsibilities of staff members If a journalist contacts a staff member of the NHRI, that staff member should note the request and assure the journalist that a member of the Public Affairs Unit will return his or her call as soon as possible. Staff members are under no obligation to answer a question simply because it has been put to them by a journalist. NHRI staff should advise the Public Affairs Unit of all reports, discussion papers and current issues likely to be of media interest or the subject of public comment from the NHRI. They should ensure that all relevant information provided to the Public Affairs Unit is accurate. Initiating media contact Contact with the media, including the preparation and distribution of media releases and other written materials, will be coordinated through the Public Affairs Unit. The Public Affairs Unit will provide support and briefings to NHRI Members and staff who are required to deal directly with the media or give interviews to journalists. Public comments made by staff in a personal capacity Staff members of the NHRI may be invited to participate in public discussions in a private capacity. These public discussions may be reported by the media. Before participating in any public discussion, including online discussions, staff members must discuss the request and receive approval from the NHRI <insert role/title; for example, Executive Director or another appropriate individual or committee>. To ensure that the reputation and independence of the NHRI is not compromised, staff members must ensure that: • There is no real or perceived conflict of interest in participating in the discussion or expressing their personal views • It is clear that any public comment made is done so in a private capacity and not on behalf of the NHRI • Their public comments cannot be seen to compromise their ability to carry out their duties with the NHRI in an unbiased and independent manner. 1.9. MONITORING THE MEDIA Media monitoring involves keeping track of all relevant news stories that mention the NHRI, its spokespeople or key human rights topics across newspapers, television, radio, news agencies, magazines and industry journals. Social media monitoring tools can also track “word of mouth” mentions of the NHRI and the issues it promotes across Facebook, Twitter, blogs, message boards and other online forums. Monitoring the media is a vital part of the media engagement cycle. The benefits of media monitoring for NHRIs include: • Tracking and measuring the effectiveness of NHRI efforts to engage the media on key issues or raise awareness about a specific campaign or inquiry • Identifying the strengths and weakness of communication strategies by determining if the NHRI’s key messages are clear, confused or at odds with community views 16 | Chapter 1: Working effectively with the media