Wednesday 17th September NTU Press Office

1. Working with the NTU press office
Helen Breese
Senior Press Officer

2. NTU press office
• The press office sits within the University’s communications team but we
work closely with other departments
• Responsible for building the reputation and raising the profile of the
university through the press – regionally, nationally and internationally
• Four press officers, each with responsibility for their own Schools
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3. Why engage with us?
• Help to raise NTU’s profile, your discipline’s profile and your personal
profile
• Disseminate your research findings or demonstrate your expertise to a wide
variety of audiences
• Communicating academic research is often a requirement of funders
• Press coverage can generate and influence debate and lead to impact –
in the past academics have had many positive outcomes purely as a result of
media coverage
• Sometimes the media can be used to help gather more participants for
studies
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4. So what makes a news story?
• Something which is new! Or offers a new angle to an existing topic
• Something which is unusual, out of the ordinary or has a potentially wide
interest
• Something which is timely
• Research findings – yes please! Journalists crave tangible information –
statistics, trends, effects, consequences, implications etc. Findings offer us
the best opportunities for news coverage
• Opinion – if we know what our academics can talk about, then we can react
to the news agenda and pitch them and their views to journalists covering
relevant stories
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5. Our work
News releases (proactive)
• We identify the story and draft copy accordingly. We keep the copy
interesting, understandable and accurate
• Very robust approvals process. Copy is approved by NTU researcher(s) and
any other partners involved in the work
• We speak to relevant journalists – international, national, specialist or local –
to sell the story in
• We’re happy to hold on sending anything out to coincide with review /
publication process
• News releases allow us to carefully manage the message
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6. Coverage from recent news releases
July 2014: Research led by Prof Tilak Dias (Art & Design) into how heart sensors could be
embedded into car seats to detect if drivers start to fall asleep
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The car seats which detect when drivers are falling
asleep
Car seats which detect when drivers are falling asleep at
the wheel are being developed by Nottingham Trent
University.
SNOOZE CONTROL: Car seats could prevent
dozy drivers falling asleep at the wheel. They will
contain a fabric-based sensor system to detect
changes in heart rates and warn the motorist. The
system is being developed by Nottingham Trent
university and electronics firm Plessey.
Smart seatbelts
give sleepy drivers
a wake-up call
Doze alarm for lorries
HI-TECH seat covers could bring trucks to a halt if
halt if
drivers nod off. Sensors will measure heart rates
rates and first warn truckers if they get sleepy.

7. Coverage from recent news releases
August 2014: Research by Nottingham Trent University’s International Gaming Research
Unit into Game Transfer Phenomenon. Angelica Ortiz De Gortari and Professor Mark
Griffiths.
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Do you hear things after
playing video games?
There's a name for that.
Research suggests that
players hear sound effects
and background music long
after switching off their
games consoles.
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Gamers still hear gunfire, screams and falling
coins days after playing, study finds
A study led by Nottingham Trent University’s International
Gaming
Research Unit has found that some gamers still hear in-game
sounds in real life days after playing.
Gamers 'hear screams and explosions' after long
sessions
One survey respondent heard a voice whispering ‘death’ for days
Gamers 'Hearing Voices Long
After Playing'
More than one in 10 people questioned
say they have heard noises or voices
after sessions playing video games.

8. Coverage from recent news releases
• July 2014: Dr Anton Ianakiev and Dr Anthony Crabbe have developed a new material as
strong as MDF which is made of shredded paper.
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Researchers at Nottingham
Trent University have developed
a new building material which is
as strong as MDF but is made
from shredded paper.
Sustainable building
material made from
paper
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Academics invent walls made from recycled shredded paper
Walls could be made from shredded paper after researchers at Nottingham
Trent University developed a new material which is as strong as MDF.
A study led by Dr Anton Ianakiev, of the school of architecture, design and
the built environment, and Dr Anthony Crabbe, of the school of art and
design, have established a new, rigid composite material which is paper-based
but also fire and water resistant.
Academics invent walls made from
recycled shredded paper
Walls and floors could be made
from shredded paper after
researchers at Nottingham Trent
University developed a new
material which they claim is as
strong as MDF (medium density-fibreboard).

9. Expert spokesperson alerts (proactive)
• We monitor the international and national news agenda
• When a major story breaks we identify if we have an expert who can
comment on it by giving an opinion / view / background information
• We work with that academic quickly to draft a few quotes or assess
availability for interview
• Supply information ASAP to the journalists covering that story
• Timing is critical – we have a very small window of opportunity to make the
most of this
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10. Media experts directory
• Academics across the university who have indicated a willingness to engage
with the media
• Searchable by A-Z subject list or by name
• Directory is linked to staff profiles and appears on the news section of the
university website
• Used by journalists searching for expert / independent comments to support
their stories, and by the press office when looking to proactively pursue a
story
• Please let the Press Office know if you would like to appear on here
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11. Recent examples of expert comment
August 2014, Professor Robert Dingwall talks
about the deadly Ebola virus.
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Smuggled ‘bush meat’ could
bring Ebola virus to Britain
KILLER VIRUS
OUTBREAK
EBOLA BUG IN
FOOD THREAT
Could reach UK
in smuggled meat
Prof Robert Dingwall, an
infectious diseases expert at
Nottingham Trent University,
warned: “Lots of wild animals
carry the virus, and
bush meat is often badly
prepared.
Similar meat that
could have caused this outbreak
may well end up in a
market stall in London.”
Britain launches battle to keep out deadly
Ebola virus as it poses 'serious threat' to UK
Professor Robert Dingwall, an expert in infectious diseases at
Nottingham Trent University, said the UK is taking the threat
"seriously".
He warned: "We cannot hope to keep cases out at the borders."
He said infected people who survive can continue to pass on the
virus for up to seven weeks. He added: "We are not doomed in
the UK, but it is sensible to raise our level of alert."

12. Recent examples of expert comment
June 2014, Dr Andrew Evans talks to the national and international media
about the Luis Suarez biting incident during the FIFA World Cup.
Suarez act abnormal: Ghiggia
Dr Andrew Evans, a performance psychologist at
Nottingham Trent University said the
punishment won't serve as much of a deterrent to
Suarez in the future.
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Luis Suarez bite: Recap after
striker is banned PLUS
countdown
to knockout World Cup matches
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Así Ocurrió
Minuto a minuto:
la FIFA sanciona
a Luis Suárez por
mordida
Reaction to Luis Suarez's nine-game ban for biting
Dr Andrew Evans, a performance psychologist at Nottingham Trent
University: "This punishment won't serve as much of a deterrent to Suarez
in the future as it's too similar to previously imposed sanctions. What is
really needed now is a psychological programme capable of promoting
long-lasting behaviour change."

13. Recent examples of expert comment
June 2014: Simon Boyes from Nottingham Law Schools talks about a rugby
team’s High-Court attempt to overturn their points deduction.
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Rugby League - Boyes: Bulls unlikely to win appeal
A sports law expert says Bradford are unlikely to succeed in their
High-Court attempt to overturn their points deduction.
Bulls unlikely to win High Court battle,
predicts law expert
A sports law expert says Bradford are unlikely to
succeed in their High-Court attempt to overturn their
points deduction.
The relegation-threatened Super League club have already lost an appeal
against the decision of the Rugby Football League to dock them six points
for going into administration earlier this year.
The club's directors opted to fight on after receiving the findings of the
independent sporting appeal panel which upheld the penalty a fortnight
ago and consulting with their legal team, as well as newly-appointed head
coach James Lowes.
However, Simon Boyes, who teaches at Nottingham Law School and is the
author of the text book "Sports Law", believes the High Court are unlikely
to rule against a governing body.
Sports law expert: Bradford Bulls
unlikely to win points appeal
A SPORTS law expert says the Bulls are unlikely to
succeed in their High Court attempt to overturn
the club's points deduction.

14. Expert columns
Academics can also provide us with columns (400-600 words) which we use on
the news pages of the NTU website
• Need to be timely, hooked to a recent news story or topic
• Need to be written for the layman, in an engaging way
• The press office can pitch these to media
• Good option for academics who want to talk about their areas of expertise,
but might not feel ready for media interviews
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15. Recent examples of expert columns
Anton Ianakiev writes for the Guardian about walls made of shredded paper
while Lingling Mao talks about corruption in Chinese politics.
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16. Responding to media enquiries (reactive)
• We take calls from journalists everyday looking for experts to comment on
their stories
• It’s important that we know who can talk on what so that we can link our
experts to the media quickly and effectively
• Once a journalist has used an academic they tend to come back again and
again
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17. The truth about journalists
• How they work
–National
– Local
– Trade
• What they want
• They appreciate your help
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18. Overcome the barriers – and the myths!
• ‘I don’t have time’ – we can help draft copy and field phone calls
• ‘I don’t trust the media’ – journalists really aren’t out to make us look bad.
They need us too.
• They’ll misinterpret or criticise my research – this is why it’s important to
work with us, so we can manage the messages in the right way. They want
to write accurate / informative pieces (and we can help them).
• I’m worried what my peers will think – academics across the world engage
with the media. Don’t be worried because you feel that someone is more of
an ‘expert’ than you.
• I’ll get into trouble with the university – press coverage is seen as a vital
tool in raising the profile and reputation of our university.
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19. What you can do
• We need our academics to tell us about their RESEARCH
• We need our academics to tell us about their area(s) of EXPERTISE
• We need our academics to ENGAGE with us – and keep coming back!
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20. Your research
• Is it new?
• Find the angle - what makes it unique? Or what makes it interesting to
external audiences? So what?
• Which audiences will be interested in your research? Why?
• Potentially how many people could your findings make a difference to? /
What is its impact?
• Is there a relevant issue in the press at the moment?
• Can it be easily translated into something which can be understood by the
general public?
• Is the full report available to the media?
• Are there statistics they can use?
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21. It’s not dumbing down….
Whatever the subject matter, a press release should be written in
plain English. For a non-specialist audience there is no point in writing
in highly technical terms. If a journalist can not understand what they
are reading they are unlikely to pursue a story. Not using technical
jargon isn’t ‘dumbing down’; it is just ensuring that your work is
communicated in a way that can be understood by a wider audience.
ESRC, Dealing with the Media
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22. What you can do for journalists
• Be available
• Be helpful
• Be patient
• Be clear
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23. Media training
• If you’re unsure / not confident about working with the press we offer media
training
• Offer two workshops in both print and broadcast media
• Give you a better understanding of how to deal with media enquiries
• Build confidence in dealing with the media – and give advice on preparing for
media interviews
• Excellent feedback from academics who have undertaken this training
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24. Contacts – we’re here to support you
• Therese Easom, Press and Internal Communications Manager
• Dave Rogers, Senior Press Officer (School of Animal, Rural and
Environmental Sciences; School of Science and Technology; and School of
Social Sciences)
• Helen Breese, Senior Press Officer (School of Arts and Humanities;
Nottingham Business School; School of Education and Nottingham Law
School)
• Kirsty Green, Press Officer (School of Art and Design; Schools, Colleges
and Community Outreach; Sport and Lifestyle; Nottingham Conference
Centre)
• Chris Birkle, Press Officer (School of Architecture, Design and the Built
Environment; The Hive; NTU business engagement; Environment team)
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25. Further information
• Working with the media; a guide from the NTU Press Office
• ESRC impact toolkits – Working with the Media
• Vitae – The Engaging Researcher
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26. Questions?
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