Members of the media must obtain approval from the public relations department prior to arriving on a College campus or location. In addition, any news crew that is on a College campus or location must be accompanied by College staff – no exceptions.

Anyone who notices a news crew at a College location that is unaccompanied, they should contact the public relations office by sending a message using the form ONLINE .

It is important to note that the media may not interview students, faculty, staff or visitors, nor can they take photographs, record audio or capture video footage without consent from the Public Relations Department as well as the individuals involved. In addition, the media must set up their equipment in such a way that it is not obtrusive or interrupt class, campus events or hinder the flow of vehicular or pedestrian traffic at any College location. Public relations staff can help get reporters access to classrooms, lab space, etc. for their stories. In addition, PR officers can help identify areas for media to set up if they are doing “live shots” from a campus.

Media are allowed to set up on roadways, sidewalks and other areas that are considered public and not College property. Public relations staff can help advise on where these areas are near our campus locations as well.

There may be times when a reporter or editor working on a story contacts a Broward College employee directly. It is imperative that any such media interaction be reported to the public relations department as a member of the communications team will work with the staff member to determine the best course of action to respond to the media request.

This type of interaction mainly occurs when a reporter is looking for a subject matter expert to provide insight on the topic of their story. Staff who receive a call or email from a reporter should be polite, acknowledge the request and let the reporter know they will get back with them as soon as possible. The staff member should then contact the public relations department so a proper response can be determined.

It is important to note that the College has developed a cadre of subject matter experts who have agreed to be promoted to the media throughout the year; in those cases, if we receive a request from the media to interview an expert, we must do whatever we can to make that happen or provide information for their story. Again, public relations department staff are on hand to help guide and advise College staff through the process.

For those staff who know of something taking place within the College they believe may be newsworthy, they are strongly encouraged to reach out to the public relations department through its webpage. Working together, the decision will be made if the subject is something the media would cover, and then the process to create a news release and disseminate it to the media will begin.

There may be instances where something may not rise to the level of media coverage; however, it is still noteworthy and deserving of being shared with the Broward College community. In these cases, public relations officers will work to identify other channels where the information can be shared (i.e., social media, website.)

Whether it is proactive (we contact the media) or reactive (media contact us), here are general guidelines to remember when working with the media:

• When speaking with a reporter, always be polite.
• Do not ignore the call or email. If you do not want to talk with the reporter, direct them to the public relations department.
• If you can't talk with the reporter when they call, let them know you're busy now and will call them back.
  • Staff can always call the public relations department before returning the reporter's call.
  • Be sure to return the call or email as quickly as possible – reporters are working on a deadline, and the sooner they know if you can help them with their story the better, as they may need to make other arrangements.
• Be truthful; do not guess. If you don't have the information, let the reporter/editor know and tell them you'll either find the information or find out who has the information and get back with them.
  • Remember to get back with them, even if it is to let them know you were unable to find the information they seek. If you say you're going to call them back, be sure to do so.
• Despite what you have seen in the movies or on TV, there really is no such thing as "off the record." Approach all interaction as being on the record and can be used by the reporter.
  • Also, never assume a camera or microphone is off – always treat them as if they are "hot" and recording at all times.

While we want to be open and transparent, there is some information that is not public and, therefore, cannot be shared.

Student and employee information is protected by federal and state laws and, as such, must be kept private and confidential. Sharing of this protected information can violate a person’s rights under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) as well as the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA), in addition to existing College policies.

Student Records
According to College policy: The College will protect the confidentiality of a student’s record and share information only:

• with members of the College community who have a legitimate educational interest;
• to another educational institution when the student is seeking or intending to enroll at that institution;
• is part of an authorized Federal, State, or local audit of such records in compliance with applicable law;
• in connection with the determination of financial aid eligibility or enforcement;
• pursuant to a lawfully issued court order, a properly prepared subpoena,
• to a contracted vendor of the College performing an authorized service where there is a legitimate educational interest for the vendor to have access to such records; or
• the information is designated directory information.

In response to a lawfully issued court order or a properly prepared subpoena, the College will seek to notify the student or the student’s representative counsel when educational records are requested and before these records are released.

Employee Records
Limited access employee records are confidential and exempt from the provisions of Florida Statutes, Chapter 119.07(1). Except as required for use by the College President in the discharge of official responsibilities, the custodian of limited access employee records may release information from such records only upon authorization, in writing, from the employee or president or upon order of a court of competent jurisdiction. If there is any doubt, always double check before giving out information.

During an emergency/crisis situation, it is vital that the College speak with only one voice; there must be one source of information as to avoid any confusion. During these situations, the Department of Public Relations and Communication will manage all interaction with the news media.

The public relations team will work with College administration and any other officials from outside agencies to gather, compile, review and disseminate the pertinent information to the community. Only identified College officials will act as official spokespersons and speak on behalf of the College.

Social Media Accounts
There are multiple social media accounts associated with Broward College – some are at the College-level, other were created by specific programs or organizations. In many cases, members of the media or news media outlets follow these College-related accounts to obtain information on events, achievements and more. While these are excellent ways of sharing information with various stakeholder groups, during an emergency/crisis situation, information can ONLY come from the College-level accounts.

During these times, all other College accounts, regardless of which program or organization they are associated with, must cease posting messages, photos or other items. This includes pausing any scheduled posts via third-party platforms (i.e., Hootsuite, Sprout Social.) The ONLY communication on these “sub-accounts” should be a single post (pinned if possible) referring their followers to the College-level account on the specific platform (Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram) being used, as ALL emergency/crisis information will come from the College-level accounts.

Once the crisis has passed, these social media accounts can return to their normal schedule for posting information.