Media engagement forum offers more expertise to — and from — UW experts

A good reporter needs good sources. And scholars at the University of Wisconsin–Madison often want to contribute their expertise to the public discourse.

UW–Madison has more than 1,300 people in the UW–Madison Experts Database who can help. That’s a whole lot of expertise, but there’s still much to be learned about the ever-evolving media landscape.

Approximately 50 people attended a Media Engagement Forum on campus last month to share stories and learn strategies for successful outcomes when working with the news media.

The event offered a panel of three UW–Madison experts, moderated by Veronica Rueckert, national media manager for University Communications.

The expert panel included:

• Steven Wright, a clinical professor of law. With expertise in race, criminal practice and procedure, the courts and civil rights, he has appeared in outlets such as the New York Times, the Washington Post and NBC’s Today Show.
• Allison Prasch, an associate professor of rhetoric, politics and culture in the Department of Communication Arts. Her expert commentary has been featured in the Washington Post, Newsweek and The Conversation.
• David Fields, associate director of the Center for East Asian Studies. His commentary and analysis have appeared on NPR, C-SPAN and CNN, among others.

Quickly responding – even if the answer is no

“When I first started this, I thought I had to say yes to everything. I would rearrange my schedule and that got really onerous,” Fields said.

Through experience, Fields has learned that after he receives a media request, it’s best to analyze and then decide whether you are able and want to do the interview or not.

“I think it’s about giving them a quick answer,” Fields said. “And that is if you can’t do it, you can say no, and if you say no immediately it actually means they’re probably more likely to come back to you in the future.”

Recognizing opportunity

“I think a large part of what we do is respond or help contribute to a national discourse or conversation about something going on in our country,” Wright said. “And so, the biggest piece of advice I normally give people is knowing when you have something actually special to contribute.”

Simply put, you don’t have to swing at every pitch, but you do want to recognize opportunities to express your opinion or idea, Wright said.

During the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, Wright became a go-to source for many reporters. He learned that after you’re quoted in the New York Times, you’re going to get a lot of calls from media.

“It was really like drinking from a firehose,” Wright said. “It really taught me not only the importance of being available as an expert for quotations but an expert for doing background, for telling reporters, ‘This is perhaps one to keep your eye on the ball’ or ‘These are things you want to look out for, these are the possibilities’ and applying our expertise to help them shape how their story is going to appear.”

Thinking bigger about your expertise

“As academics, we are trained to be specialists in an incredibly narrow space,” Prasch said. “You actually have a wider breadth of things that you can speak to as an expert and so recognizing that wider lens and being willing to take risks sometimes in speaking to particular issues. And as you do that, you will gain confidence and not assume that you don’t have something to contribute just because it’s not in your very particular niche area.”

Prasch credited Rueckert with helping expand her way of thinking about her area of expertise.

“If you challenge yourself to thinking outside of the box, what are some adjacent areas that you can speak to because that’s going to crack open a whole of other interest areas that you might be able to speak to.”

Often that means keeping a closer eye on the news and doing preparation in advance.

“I think for me, it has been learning how to digest and synthesize more complex concepts and explain them to an audience that can also choose to turn off the TV,” Prasch said.

Attendees also learned about UW–Madison new membership with The Conversation, “an independent, nonprofit publisher of commentary and analysis authored by academics” and how they can contribute.

The importance of podcasts

Julie Stamm shared her experiences with podcasts. Stamm, a clinical assistant professor in the department of kinesiology and author of “The Brain on Youth Sports: The Science, the Myths, and the Future,” was recently interviewed by CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta for his “Chasing Life” podcast. She’d done numerous smaller podcasts before, which helped her feel more comfortable and prepared while speaking to Gupta.

“I really enjoy them because they are more conversational and you can get your point across in several different ways,” Stamm said. “You have a longer amount of time and you can sometimes reach different audiences that listen to it while they’re walking their dog, or they’re not going to sit down and read it but will listen. It’s something I’ve really enjoyed.”

An open invitation

If you are interested in joining the database, visit https://experts.news.wisc.edu. You can create a profile using your Net ID and password. For questions on joining the database, reach out to Veronica Rueckert (rueckert@wisc.edu) or email experts@uc.wisc.edu.

More than 12,000 people follow @uwmadisonmedia, an account that lets media members know who is available to talk on certain topics.