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10 A GUIDE FOR WORKING WITH THE TOWN OF CARY involved will be fully vetted to help ensure alignment with the Town's values and priorities. Additionally, decisions to participate will only be made and approved by designated Town representatives to maintain consistency and integrity in our communications. W O R K I N G W I T H T H E M E D I A The Town of Cary is committed to maintaining positive, effective, and mutually beneficial relationships with the media. To this end and as part of our comprehensive communications effort, the organization undertakes many initiatives targeting positive media relations, including requiring Town media relations training for all staff who interact with the media. Some important rules we follow include: ■ Contractors, consultants, and volunteers of the Town should never participate in interviews about the Town and should instead refer all inquiries about the Town to their staff liaison or the Town Manager's Office. Temporary employees should consult with their supervisors before speaking with the media. ■ Anyone working with, for, or on behalf of the organization is barred from also working for the media in reporting about the organization. ■ 311 should be notified when a reporter or other member of the media is on Town property. Notification should fall to the staff member meeting with the media representative. However, anyone who sees live trucks operating on Town property should always notify 311. ■ If you note an error in a reported story, bring it to the immediate attention of your staff liaison who will determine the appropriate steps necessary to correct the errors. The organization's rules regarding media contacts are articulated in Standard Procedure 105: Media Contacts, which is discussed in detail during media relations training and is available to staff via C-Net. Talk with your supervisor or staff liaison about media training if you feel it is critical to your role with the organization. P U B L I C R E C O R D S If this is your first time working in government, you may be surprised to learn just how much of what we do in our work each day is open to our citizens. In fact, there are several state laws that require us to make nearly all of our records available to citizens for their inspection. Records include but are not limited to emails, documents, papers, letters, maps, books, photographs and recordings, regardless of the device used, including personal cell phones. In addition to making records available, we also have to retain most of the records — some for years and some forever. A few points to keep in mind: ■ It's the content of the record that determines whether the record is a public record, not where it is created or kept — home computer versus work computer, for example. ■ Drafts can be public records. ■ You are responsible for maintaining and managing the public records you create or receive, including emails, in accordance with the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources Municipal Records and Retention and Disposition Schedule. ■ Just like any other citizen, a member of the media has the right to inspect a public record, and the contents of that record could end up on the front page of tomorrow's newspaper. ■ You can be held personally responsible for legal costs associated with denying access to a public record. ■ We strive to acknowledge receipt of public records requests within two business days.

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