This is a public speaking tip of the day as well as a media training tip of the day: if a reporter calls you and speaks to you or leaves a message for you on your voicemail, they often just have one question. They want your reaction to some news.
Here is what I do: I will answer the question but I will do it in a video format. I will come into my studio, I will record the answer to their question, and then I will email it out to them. I will also let them know that it is exclusive to them and that it has not been posted anywhere else on the internet. Quiet often they will say “Fantastic!”.
Now the reporter can use my video for whatever purposes and they can also extract some text out of it to get some quotes for the text story if there is one. It gives me more experience of practicing how to speak, it gives me a larger audience, and it allows my viewpoint to be communicated unedited to the media outlets.
For example, if I am doing this for the New York Daily online website, which is something I have done before, they will not edit or cut my video, they will put the whole thing in. In this manner, I have a 90 second statement on the issue of the day.
All in all, the reporters are happy with you, you get your point across clearly, and you gain a larger audience. It is a win for everyone.