Get Media and PR Assistance

as of October 2007

Media and public relations (PR) can be a tricky business when you are representing an entire institution. Marketing and Public Relations deals with media and PR on a daily basis. Contact the department with any questions you may have.

News Releases

If you would like a news release written and distributed to local national or chiropractic media, contact the Media Relations Manager at (563) 884-5726 for assistance.

Media Relations Policy

Members of the professional news media may approach Palmer employees and ask questions regarding official College business or issues related to the chiropractic profession. News media representatives may include newspaper, television or radio reporters or writers from the local area (i.e. Quad-City Times, Daytona Beach News-Journal or San Jose Mercury News), regional or national media (i.e. Des Moines Register, San Francisco Chronicle or 60 Minutes) or chiropractic media (i.e. Dynamic Chiropractic).

If you are contacted by phone, via e-mail or in person by ANY representative of the news media, please do the following:

Politely decline to be interviewed and tell the reporter/writer that you need to refer his or her request to Marketing and Public Relations.
Be respectful of reporters’ deadlines.
Contact the Marketing and Public Relations Department on your campus IMMEDIATELY. Give the reporter's name, phone number or e-mail address and deadline to the Media Relations Manager on the Davenport Campus, the Director of College Communications on the West Campus, or the Communications specialist on the Florida Campus. It is the responsibility of Marketing and Public Relations to follow up with the request.

Media Representatives on Campus

It is Palmer College of Chiropractic’s policy that the news media are not allowed on our campuses without the explicit approval of the College President, Director of Marketing and Public Relations Department of the respective campus. Please respect this policy as a useful tool in helping us promote a clear image of the College and chiropractic in the public consciousness.

Media representatives must have permission from the President, Director of Marketing & Communications, Director of College Communications or Communications Manager in order to take photographs or make video or audio tapes anywhere on campus, including during classes. Most often, media representatives should be accompanied by a representative of Marketing and Public Relations while on one of our campuses.

If you see a video crew or photographer on campus who appears to be unaccompanied by an escort from Marketing and Public Relations, please contact Marketing and Public Relations on your campus IMMEDIATELY. Let them know exactly where and when you saw the media representative.

Please let Marketing and Public Relations handle notification of Security or other officials on campus, if appropriate. Do not take it upon yourself to have the media representative removed from the campus. Remember that certain parts of campus, such as public sidewalks, are public property and are fair game for photographers or media broadcasts.

Crisis Communications Policy

When a crisis occurs on campus, please remember to notify Marketing and Public Relations on your campus immediately after the appropriate emergency service organizations and/or the Campus Security office has been contacted.

In case of fires, ambulance calls, gas leaks, etc., where emergency vehicles may be dispatched to campus, the news media has immediate access to this information via emergency scanners. It is important for Marketing and Public Relations to be aware of the current status in these situations in order to handle campus communications and media inquiries efficiently and accurately.

In an on-going emergency such as a fire or gas leak situation, an appropriate person, such as a director or department head, should directly contact the Media Relations Manager, Director of College Communications or Communications Specialist with regular status updates regarding injuries and/or property damage.

Emergency Situations

Please contact Marketing and Public Relations as quickly as possible in the following emergency situations:

Fire
Ambulance call
Gas leak
Toxic fumes on campus
Assaults (beatings, shootings, etc.)
Hostage situations

If you aren't sure whether the situation warrants a call, contact Marketing and Public Relations at (563) 884-5662, just in case.