Media and Public Relations


Western Sydney University's Media Unit is here to help local, national and international media cover stories relating to the University.

We are a diverse team with expertise in news reporting, television production, radio program production, magazine writing and public relations.

University staff should contact the Media Unit for assistance with all media management issues, including writing and distributing media releases, developing targeted communication plans and liaising with the media.

How We Can Help

The Media Unit can:

  • Work with you to identify news opportunities and provide media advice.
  • Write and distribute media releases to media outlets.
  • Liaise with journalists, provide briefings, ideas, and story pitches.
  • Field and track incoming media inquiries and manage interview requests.
  • Manage media conferences and organise media launches.
  • Produce and publish content to the University's news centre and promote university news through social media channels.
  • Match University experts available for media comment on issues within the daily news agenda and breaking news, and promote these experts to journalists.
  • Encourage and support researchers to write their own opinion pieces, columns and commentary in the media.
  • Provide issues and crisis communication advice and support, and manage media responses on critical incidents and sensitive issues.
  • Monitor media coverage, circulate daily news clippings, provide analysis and reporting, and manage the University's media policy.
See the University's media policy for more information about liaising with media.

Tip and Tricks

Not every story is a media story.

Space and time in the media are very limited.  Journalists are looking for stories that have maximum impact and relevance to their audience.

Successful media stories have some common attributes:

  • Impact:  Will this affect many people's daily lives?
  • Timeliness:  Does this relate to a current news story?
  • Novelty:  Is this new, unusual, unexpected or quirky?
  • Human Interest:  Is there an engaging personal story to be told?

Not every story requires a media release.  Sometimes the most effective ways of getting media coverage is a well-timed call or short email to a key journalist.

Talk to the Media Unit for advice – we're here to help.

We can help determine if the story is newsworthy, help identify the news angles in the story and suggest the most appropriate media outlets to target.

The Media Unit also produces tailored communication plans for significant events and research projects.