Organization: Policies

PRESS CONTACT POLICY

Contacts with the press are most effective if they are coordinated so that the Trust, when its members are in agreement, speaks with one voice. The points below are designed to maximize that coordination. No point in this policy should construed as limiting the ability of a dissenting Trustee from contacting the press to express a personal position that differs from an approved Trust position.

1. Prime press contact for the Trust shall be the Executive Director.
2. Trustees other than the co-chairmen shall not approach the press, in their role as trustees, without first checking with one of the co-chairmen.
3. When approached by the press for comment on an issue, trustees should try to postpone responding until after checking with one of the co-chairmen.
4. If comment cannot be postponed (for example, because of a reporter's deadline), the trustee should inform one of the co-chairmen as soon as possible about the conversation.
5. Letters to the editor, op-ed pieces, or similar editorial matter should not be submitted on behalf of the Trust without first being approved by one of the co-chairmen.
6. Trustees taking a position on groundwater related issues that has not been approved by one of the co-chairmen should make clear that they are not speaking for the Trust.