Oxford and the media
Laws, sausages and newspaper articles…
…three things that some feel the public should never see being manufactured. However, we believe there is wide interest in journalism, public relations and the interaction between the two. This occasional series offers a behind-the-scenes view of how Oxford’s News and Information Office works with the media to secure high-profile, accurate coverage of the University and also how things can (sometimes) go wrong.
Our main aim is not to defend the University here or to complain about Oxford’s media coverage — although we will be quick to point out any serious misrepresentations. Rather, we want to explore the way the media operates and how that impacts on the way Oxford is covered and perceived. We’ll also be getting opinions from journalists themselves on why Oxford matters to them.
In particular, we feel the media covers Oxford’s academic research extremely well. Science, health and arts correspondents go to great lengths to understand and explain ground-breaking concepts. We’ll be showing you how we work with them on interviews, videos, pictures and animations to convey complex ideas to a wider public. For us, there’s nothing better than seeing new ideas from Oxford brilliantly presented in a newspaper feature or a TV bulletin.
We’ll also be taking a look at how the University is perceived in other ways — through social media, or by our local communities. Getting Oxford talked about is an exciting, sometimes risky, business and we hope to convey some of that excitement here.
