Just as creating good relationships with campus community requires an understanding of that community and its needs, the same holds true when dealing with the news media. Talking with reporters need not be a negative experience, even when explaining IT problems or failures. A successful relationship between IT news sources and reporters requires that IT professionals have a true appreciation and understanding of journalism. In this article, the authors explain some key lessons learned about reporters and the practice of journalism, along with several strategies they have used to improve their news coverage. (Contains 5 endnotes.)