Chapter 9: Media Opportunities

Communication through media outlets provides unique opportunity for school leaders to communicate broadly with the general public. Some school leaders tend to overlook this rich communication opportunity and a few others reject the opportunity because of former negative experience and mistrust of the media. This is unfortunate and can be avoided by remembering that media people and school people are both in the business of serving the public. A school leader related the following example that demonstrates the importance of effective communication. A school visitor needed a street map of the community. The school administrator assured the visitor that such a map was available at the local newspaper office. As the visitor left to obtain the map, the principal said, “Be careful what you say to the editor. He is a rather severe individual.” When the visitor arrived at the newspaper office and explained his mission as working temporarily at the school, the editor provided the map, then said, “That principal with whom you are working is a peculiar lady. Her attitude toward people is really difficult to understand.”