Imagine a scenario in which a police department’s chief, public information officer (PIO), or patrol officer gives an interview with a television reporter about a recent incident. The department is satisfied with the reporter’s questions and the responses given. But that night on the evening news, the story is not at all what the department expected! The reporter chose quotes and soundbites that did not correspond to the message the department wished to convey. The news story did not explain the important facts. The result left the TV station’s viewers and community residents confused about the police view of the issue.

Unfortunately, this series of events happens all too often. Important messages are left out of a final version of a news story. Even well-trained chiefs or PIOs who give media interviews or speak publicly almost daily sometimes find themselves reviewing a news piece for which they were interviewed—and then asking what went wrong.