When the press calls

Sooner or later a journalist will phone the parish or the school. Sometimes the call is welcome: a feature on the choir, a nod to the new altar, coverage of a parish anniversary. Sometimes it is harder: a safeguarding question, a complaint, a national story that has reached your parish, or a reporter on a deadline asking for a quote on a controversial issue.

Either way, the rule is the same: anything beyond Mass times goes to the Diocesan Communications Office.

The single rule

Refer media enquiries to the Communications Director. Use the contact listed below. The diocese acts in concert with the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) on national stories and with the Catholic Education Service on schools matters.

Mass times, confession times, sacramental enquiries and routine factual questions can be answered locally. Beyond facts of that kind, refer up.

What to do when a journalist calls

1. Stay calm and friendly. The journalist has a deadline. Treat them with courtesy.
2. Take their details. Full name, outlet, phone number, email address, and the deadline.
3. Ask for a summary. What is the story? What is the question? What other comment have they sought?
4. Do not comment. Say: I will pass this to our Communications Director, who will be in touch shortly.
5. Email the Communications Director immediately using the contact listed below. Include all the details you took.
6. Confirm to the journalist by email that the enquiry has been passed on.

If the call is urgent and you cannot reach the Communications Director, contact the Curial Office using the details listed below.

What to avoid

• Do not comment off the record. Off the record is rarely as off the record as it sounds.
• Do not speculate. If you do not know, say so and pass on.
• Do not hand over personal data. Names, contact details and parish records are not yours to release.
• Do not engage on social media on behalf of the parish or school during a live story.
• Do not let film crews onto parish or school grounds without prior agreement from the diocese.

Film crews and photographers

If a crew arrives unannounced, ask them to wait outside. Take a phone number for the producer. Contact the Communications Director using the details below. Do not allow filming inside the church or school until the diocese has agreed terms. The same applies to drone footage of parish or school grounds.

If a story has been published already

If you see a story that misquotes the parish or contains a factual error, do not respond directly. Forward the link to the Communications Director using the contact below, with a note on what is wrong. The Communications Office will decide whether to seek a correction, write to the editor, or let the story pass. National coverage is often handled with the CBCEW press office.

Safeguarding enquiries

Any media enquiry that touches safeguarding goes immediately to the Communications Director and to the Safeguarding Office. Use the contacts listed below for each. Do not comment, even briefly. Do not confirm or deny names. Take the journalist's details, say someone will be in touch, and pass on.

School enquiries

For schools, the same rules apply. Headteachers should refer all but routine media enquiries to the Communications Director, also notifying the Education Office. Use the contacts listed below. The diocese is responsible as Trustee for 112 schools and academies serving 43,000 children across 11 local authorities, and consistent press handling matters across that family.

Why this matters

One inaccurate quote from a well-meaning parish secretary can run for days, repeated by other outlets, and embarrass the parish, the school and the wider Church. The Communications Office exists to take that pressure off you. Use it.

Save the Communications Director's contact details, listed below, in the parish or school phone today.