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N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources

NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Public Affairs - News Media Policy

Public Affairs

Chapter II - Administrative Procedures / Section 12 - N.C.DENR News Media Policy

.400 Procedure

.1 All department personnel are encouraged to talk with members of the news media concerning programs for which they are responsible or in which they have expertise. Personnel should use caution to relate only facts, not speculations, opinions or projections of future actions.

.2 Only public information officers, division/office directors, regional office managers and secretary's staff are required to talk with the media. Division directors may also require other individuals to talk with the media.

.3 Other DENR employees are not required to talk with the media, but they are encouraged to do so. DENR employees who do not wish to talk with the media should communicate their decision not to comment as a personal one, and reporters should not be led to interpret this refusal to comment as an overall department policy of restricting staff communication with the media. If an employee chooses not to talk with the media, then he/she is required to refer the inquiry immediately to someone who will talk with the media.

.4 DENR is a state government agency. As such, most of what we do is a matter of open record. There are very few exceptions; they include: personnel records (with the exception of name, age, date of original employment, current position title, current salary, date and amount of most recent personnel action, and agency and location to which currently assigned.); certain trade secret information supplied to the Department; certain information regarding expansion or location of business or industrial development projects; privileged communications from attorneys for the Department, state tax information, certain enforcement records that may relate to criminal investigations; and individual health records.

.5 Employees do not have to get prior approval from anyone before talking with a member of the media; however, notification following a conversation or interview with the news media should be made the same day of the contact. Notification of media contact should be made to a division's public information officer. If a division does not have a public information officer, or the division's public information officer cannot be reached, then notification should be made to the public affairs office. Because of the immediacy of the situation, notification by phone is encouraged. Written notification is not required. Divisions may also require notification to be made to additional divisional staff.

.6 News releases, news media notification and publications are covered in separate policies.

 
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