How to Do a Mainstream Media Interview
It's good for Christians to engage so-called mainstream media, but you should have a game plan
Over the last several years I’ve had the opportunity to be interviewed by several so-called “mainstream” media outlets. I even hesitate to use that term in an era where there are so many media outlets of differing stripes, but I’m using this term mostly to describe outlets that are not explicitly Christian or who may not necessarily be a casual discussion, though that doesn’t mean every situation is unfriendly.
I think it’s healthy to do these kinds of interviews to provide a view the media may not always get. We can complain (often rightly) that media outlets are biased, but then we should also take up the opportunity to step into those spaces when they are asking for our perspective.
These interviews may come up because of a news story that involves your organization because you have a book your publisher is marketing or perhaps you wrote an article on a hotly debated topic. For the most part, I encourage folks to take these calls. The only time I say no or I encourage folks to say no is if it’s a controversy you don’t want to weigh in on or about which you don’t want to extend the news cycle. I typically will avoid hits that require me to engage in sort of intramural fights among Christians, for instance, where I just don’t think there is a way to win. It’s okay to politely decline. Every situation is different for you and your organization.
If you participate, here are some very important guidelines:
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