For Faculty

The Office of Media Relations is your resource for working with news media and helping you share your research to a broad audience. Our goal is to advance the research reputation of the University, in part by showcasing the expertise of our faculty in the news media. We work in conjunction with schools’ and colleges’ academic communicators to help get the best stories out to a broader audience.

Our team members are your contacts for news releases, expert commentary and op-ed pieces and for connecting with reporters, producers and editors.

See recent research, commentary and op-ed placements here: https://news.nd.edu/nd-in-the-news/.

What We Do

Are you looking for help with writing and placing an op-ed? Were you contacted by a reporter and you’re not sure of the next steps? Do you have a paper being published that would be of interest to a wider audience? Our office can help you prepare to work with members of the media.

• News Releases
  Our assistant directors work directly with you to write news releases about your research that is being published in a journal and is of interest to a general audience. We pitch your research to targeted reporters and outlets. If you have forthcoming research and are interested in a news release, please contact the assistant director covering your area as soon as possible. He or she will work with you on next steps.
• Interviews
  Notre Dame has an on-campus radio (ISDN) studio and a television studio available for interviews. If you’re contacted by a reporter who wants to set up a radio or TV interview, please notify the media relations office and we will assist you with booking the studio and scheduling the interview.
• Op-ed Pieces
  Media Relations welcomes expert commentary from our faculty on breaking news, current issues and significant anniversaries. We have contacts with opinion desks at outlets worldwide and are happy to work with you on developing and placing timely op-ed pieces. If you have an idea for an op-ed, please contact the assistant director who covers your area to get started.
• Expert Commentary
  Our team members frequently pitch comments from our faculty on breaking news stories relevant to their expertise. If you’re interested in being a resource to reporters in your area of expertise, please reach out to your media relations contact for further information.
• Media Training
  The Office of Media Relations offers media training to faculty and staff who are interested. For more information, contact our office.

Find your media relations contact here: https://news.nd.edu/about-us/contact/.

Tips for Faculty

• Return calls promptly.
  Reporters are working on tight deadlines and often have only a few hours to report on, write and file a story. If you’re contacted by a reporter and don’t have time to talk in the moment, you can ask to schedule a more in-depth conversation in an hour or two. This can give you some time to collect your thoughts and prepare what you’d like to say.
• Feel free to talk to media.
  It’s wonderful if a reporter or producer gets in touch with you directly to talk about your research or to get your expert commentary. You do not need permission from our office to talk to reporters about your work. However, we do like to know about interviews so we can look for the news story once it’s posted and can help to amplify the coverage.
• Pay attention to surroundings during interviews.
  If you’ve set up an on-camera interview in your office or another location on campus, it’s best to be dressed professionally and to make sure the area around you will be quiet for the duration of the interview. If the interview is on-camera, you should also note what’s in the background of the shot.

Still have questions? Please feel free to get in touch with our office. We’re happy to answer any questions you might have, offer advice or talk to you about story or pitch ideas.