Interacting with the Media

Interacting with the Media

Quick Answer: Treat the media exactly as you treat any other visitor. Grant or refuse access only as your employer's directive allows, refer every question to the designated media contact, refuse politely and professionally, and never say "no comment." Nothing you know about a client, tenant, or incident is yours to share.

Why the ABST Covers This at All

A newsworthy event does not have to be a crime. An executive named in a public lawsuit works in the tower you patrol. A film crew wants footage of a building where a fire happened last week. A protest outside a client's head office draws a television van. In every case, reporters arrive at a boundary that you control, and they will ask you questions — because you are the person standing there.

The ABST participant manual is blunt about this: your primary duty is to safeguard the persons and property you were posted to protect, exactly as directed by your employer. The arrival of a camera does not change that duty, expand your authority, or make you a spokesperson.

The Media Are Visitors — Nothing More, Nothing Less

Reporters have no special right of access to private property. A press card is not a warrant, a badge, or a lawful authority. On the property you protect:

• Access is granted or refused strictly per the employer's directive — the same standard you apply to a courier, a contractor, or a member of the public.
• If the directive says no visitors without an appointment, that includes media.
• If a media contact has arranged access, verify it the same way you verify any escorted visitor.
• On public property adjacent to the site — the sidewalk, a public road — you have no authority at all. Media may film and stand there. Your response is to monitor, document, and protect the property line, not to order them off public land.

Best Practices from the ABST Manual

The manual lists four practices for handling media. Learn them as a set; the exam tests them as a set.

What to Say Instead of "No Comment"

Rehearse a single neutral line so it is available under pressure:

"I'm the security officer on duty and I'm not the person who speaks for this site. Enquiries go to [name/office]. I have to ask you to step back to the sidewalk — this is private property."

That sentence does four things at once: it identifies your limited role, refers the enquiry, gives the boundary direction, and stays polite.

Traps Guards Fall Into

• Being flattered into talking. "You must have seen everything — what really happened?" A reporter's job is to get you to say more than you should. Yours is not to help them do it.
• Confirming small facts. "Was it the fourth floor?" A confirmation is a comment. Even a nod is quotable.
• Speculating about the person. Anything you say about a tenant, executive, or suspect can defame them and can taint a police investigation.
• Off-the-record conversations. There is no off the record for a security officer. Assume everything is recorded, because it usually is.
• Posting about it afterwards. A social-media post about "the news crews at my site today" is the same disclosure breach as talking to the reporter, and the SSIA conduct standards reach it.
• Physically blocking a camera. Standing in front of a lens, grabbing equipment, or pushing a reporter converts a media enquiry into an assault allegation. Use position and verbal direction only.

When the Incident Is a Police Matter

If police are on scene, police own the information. Direct all media to the police information officer, keep the media outside the scene perimeter you were asked to hold, and continue to protect the scene. Do not discuss what you observed with reporters — you may be a witness, and a public statement made before you testify can be used to attack your credibility in court.

Document Every Media Contact

Treat a media approach like any other notable event and record it in your notebook while it is fresh:

• Time of the approach, in 24-hour form (for example, 1415)
• Outlet and names of the individuals, plus vehicle description if relevant
• Where they were — on the property, at the boundary, or on public land
• What was asked and what you said, in your own words
• What action you took — referral given, direction to leave, supervisor notified
• Who you notified and when

Then advise your supervisor. A media approach is almost always something the client needs to know about before they see it on the evening news.

Exam Focus

Expect a scenario in which a reporter asks a guard about a person or incident at the site. The correct answer will always combine: refer to the media contact, decline to comment on the individual, remain courteous, direct them off private property if required, and notify your supervisor. Options that have the guard giving a "brief" answer, saying "no comment", physically interfering with a camera, or granting access "because they are press" are wrong.