News Media Training for Narcotics Commanders & Law Enforcement Leaders

Print Course Description

Length: 3 Days (30 Hours)

Prerequisites: None

Description: This three-day course will teach drug enforcement executives and designated Public Information Officers how to build a successful media relations program to inform the public of the severity of narcotics and to deter drug use through a media campaign. Narcotics leaders will learn how to use tradtional and social media to enhance investigations, obtain information and intelligence from the public, and display the agency's success in major drug seizures. The class combines lectures and hands-on exercises including on-camera training. Participants will leave the course prepared to interact with all media from the routine story to a major crisis.

Course Objectives:

• Be proactive in dealing with the news media
• Build trusting relationships with reporters & editors
• Stage and conduct successful press conferences
• Handle and control on-camera, on-microphone, and print interviews
• Write press releases which “shape” the story and encourage coverage
• Manage media relations in a crisis when it “ Hits The Fan”
• Enhance agency reputation by promoting the department’s good works
• Anticipate media demands and understand what drives coverage
• Know how television and newspaper newsrooms work

Participants are required to bring laptops for writing assignments and to bring agency SOPs dealing with the media. Students are also asked to bring their own media horror stories to discuss how they could be handled after training. Students are warned that at any time during class, they are subject to ambush, on-camera interviews.

Instructors for this class are an award-winning television and web reporter with extensive experience teaching media relations and a former police reporter who became a Fortune 500 executive, and led corporate media relations departments, designed media strategies, and trained corporate spokespersons.

Taught by Gary Nurenberg and Joe Paglia