• Counsel with your priesthood adviser (see Understanding Your Calling/Priesthood Leadership/Calling Description: Priesthood Leader) before you accept any invitation for a media interview. He might want to represent the Church in the interview, or he might want you or an appointed Church spokesperson to do it.

• Where appropriate, such as a major event where the Church is impacted in a large geographic area, your priesthood adviser will determine who, if anyone, will participate in the interview. National or international issues will be addressed only by the managing director of the Public Affairs Department, or those he appoints.

Decide Whether to Participate

You have no obligation to accept an invitation. But if you decline, you might miss an opportunity to teach people about the gospel. Answering the following questions will help you decide whether accepting the invitation would be a good thing to do.

Yes	No
		Will a significant number of people hear the interview?
		Is the interviewer usually fair and unbiased? Has he or she given good interviews in the past?
		Will the interview help to correct an inaccurate story?
		If the Church does not participate in the interview, will inaccurate information about the Church be presented?
		Will the interview avoid confrontation or debate?

If you were able to answer yes to most or all of the above questions, the invitation should probably be accepted.

Review the following additional questions. If you answer yes to any of them, you will need to think carefully and prayerfully about whether to participate.

Yes	No
		Is the interview a response to an attack on the Church that is now out of the news? If so, is there anything to be gained by bringing the issue before the public again? A "yes" to this second question might warrant participation.
		Are the motives of the media group suspect in some way? For example, is it a sensational tabloid newspaper or television program hunting for negative news?
		Is the interviewer known to be hostile to the Church? Is it unlikely you would get fair representation?
		Is a face-to-face confrontation planned with an anti-Church spokesman? Will the interview likely become a contentious argument? Don't be afraid to ask.
		Will calls be accepted from the audience? If so, is the audience likely to be hostile?
		Is the issue one that should generally not be discussed in public, such as temple rites or the decision of a Church disciplinary council?

Make a decision as quickly as possible and respond to the media's invitation promptly.