Media Relations and College Communications Guidelines

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Purpose

These guidelines are meant to establish clear responsibilities and procedures for managing communications and media relations activities across Western Kentucky University (WKU) by defining the division of responsibilities between the Office of Media Relations and the communications coordinators embedded within each of WKU’s five academic colleges, ensuring consistency, timeliness and alignment with university messaging and standards. These guidelines are also meant to apply to other units at the university that employ an embedded communications coordinator (Athletics, Alumni Relations, the Mahurin Honors College, the Gatton Academy, Housing and Residence Life, Innovation Campus, University Libraries, etc.)

 

Guiding Principles

• Communications should present a unified and accurate portrayal of WKU
• Stories and announcements should be timely, strategic and audience-focused
• Collaboration between the Office of Media Relations and the college communications coordinators is essential to ensure effective and appropriate coverage and amplification

 

Responsibilities of the Office of Media Relations

The WKU Office of Media Relations serves as the central unit responsible for the university’s overall media strategy and external news dissemination. Responsibilities include:

• Producing and distributing press releases, media advisories and statements related to:
  • Presidential or senior leadership initiatives
  • University-wide programs, partnerships, initiatives and events
  • Major institutional rankings or achievements
  • Crisis communications and issue management
• Ensuring appropriate media are kept abreast of university-wide events or stories of interest
• Reviewing content produced by the college communications coordinators to ensure alignment with WKU and AP style
• Distributing content to external media outlets as appropriate and managing relationships with media organizations and journalists
• Managing or coordinating responses to media inquiries that pertain to the institution as a whole or that have potential reputational impact
• Pitching unique story ideas to media for potential coverage

 

Responsibilities of College Communications Coordinators

Each academic college employs a communications coordinator (or specialist) who is responsible for developing, drafting and promoting content relevant to their respective areas. Responsibilities include:

• Identifying and producing timely coverage of faculty, staff, student and alumni accomplishments
• Drafting initial stories or announcements about:
  • Academic college, departmental or program-level research, creative activity and grants
  • Faculty, staff or student awards and recognitions
  • Academic college, departmental or program events, guest lectures and outreach initiatives
  • Alumni features tied to the academic college’s, department’s or program’s disciplines
• Ensuring accuracy, thoroughness and any necessary internal approval of all materials before submission to Media Relations for potential amplification
• Publishing stories directly to the WKU News blog in accordance with established submission and formatting guidelines
• Collaborating with Media Relations to determine whether broader media distribution is appropriate
• Maintaining regular, proactive communication with Media Relations to ensure coordinated coverage and to avoid duplication of efforts
• Sharing media inquiries with the Office of Media Relations for coordination and response

 

Collaboration and Workflow

• Initial drafting: College communications coordinators draft initial content for stories originating within their colleges. Media Relations may provide guidance on structure, tone and newsworthiness if necessary.
• Review and amplification: Media Relations will review submitted content and determine whether it merits additional distribution through WKU’s external media channels, social media or newsletters.
• Media distribution: Media Relations is responsible for distributing stories to external media when appropriate and for managing any resulting media inquiries and/or interviews.
• Timeliness: All communication efforts – especially coverage of events, awards or announcements – must be conducted in a timely manner to ensure relevance and effectiveness. College communicators should post or submit stories within a reasonable timeframe following an event or achievement.
• College communicators should notify Media Relations prior to external publication or sharing when a story:
  • May attract significant or sensitive media attention
  • Involves state or federal agencies or legislative bodies
  • Includes data, claims or institutional implications representing WKU as a whole
  • Relates to a potential issue of reputational risk or crisis or represents a safety concern
  • Has potential for state, regional or national media interest

 

All communication efforts – whether led by the Office of Media Relations or by college communications coordinators – serve the shared goal of enhancing WKU’s visibility, reputation and reach. By following these guidelines, the university ensures a consistent, coordinated approach to telling the comprehensive story of the WKU Experience.