Political campaigns are separate from the day-to-day operations of a politician’s work in office. Politicians have to keep these two things separate. Taxpayers pay for their work in office, because it’s part of running the government. Politicians have to raise money separately to run for office– so their campaigns are not part of the government. Keep this in mind as you think about who to reach out to for your story. What is your story about?
FIND THE RIGHT PERSON TO ASK:
Is your story about the election? Then reach out to the politician’s campaign. They should have a specific person on the campaign who handles press requests. Work with that person to schedule an interview.
Is your story about something other than the election?
If you’re covering an issue or policy the politician has been involved with that’s not related to their election and campaigning for office, then call the place where the politician works (city hall, state capitol etc.), say who you are and what you’re doing and ask who handles their press inquiries. Many elected officials have someone on their staff called a press secretary. It’s that person’s full-time job to handle requests from the press, so get to know that person! Work with the press secretary to schedule an interview. If the politician doesn’t have a press secretary, ask whoever answers the phone if they can share the politician's phone number or email address.
EXPLAIN WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU’RE DOING: Depending on the size of your community, local elected officials may or may not be used to a lot of scrutiny and questions from the press. For any story, always explain who you are, what kind of article you’re doing, and where that story will be published (Example: “My name is {Your Name}. I’m a student reporter for {Your High School}, and I’m working on a story about healthcare, which will be published in our student newspaper next month)
GIVE THEM A DEADLINE: Be clear about your deadline from the outset, so they know how much time they have to get back to you
FOLLOW UP: No one responded to your interview request? That’s not uncommon. Keep trying! Email, call, or find them at an event in person and ask as many times as you need to until you hear a firm yes or no. If the answer is “no,” say you will be disappointed your audience will not have their perspective in the story, but don’t let their lack of response stop you from writing your story. Let your audience know that you tried and the politician declined to comment.
BE FLEXIBLE: Politicians are busy. If they can’t or won’t make time to sit down to do an interview with you, try to catch them before or after their next public event. Go out and find them!