It short sighted to spurn the public s appetite for the media for it is the same public that supports universities through their taxes and financial endowments. The media world, like the academic world, is large and diverse. Television is a visually driven medium. Invariably, after I appear on TV some people tell me they saw the item but, while they may recall the topic of the interview, they are almost at a loss to remember what I said. TV, an astute academic colleague told me, is in large part interested in me for my unusual eyeglass frames.
Radio is a more relaxed medium for an interviewee.
Away from the camera lights, one can make and refer to notes on a phone-in interview. Giving newspaper interviews is satisfying because print reporters are often willing to let you help shape the direction and the tone of a story. Some academics distrust the media, reasonably concerned that what they say will be distorted, sensationalized or taken out of context. From my experience, reporters are almost always well intentioned and keen to convey the message accurately, albeit in an abridged form. A pithy remark or sentence is preferred to a lengthy or detailed discourse.