Purpose: This IRM outlines the basic methods for disseminating information to the public through the media. The methods are described in general terms. The omission of any method or media type does not mean its use, if warranted, is prohibited.

Audience: The primary users of this IRM are the Media Relations (MR) branch as well as business unit (BU) communication specialists.

Policy Owner: Office of Communications.

Program Owner: Media Relations Branch.

Primary Stakeholders: All business units (BUs).

Contact Information: To learn more about disseminating information to the public through the media, contact the MR Branch at 202-317-4000.

The MR branch is responsible for developing and implementing an overall media strategy in support of the IRS. The MR staff serve as the single point of contact for all media. This includes handling media requests, directly interacting with the media, and coordinating responses with BU communications specialists, NHQ executives or other designated personnel. MR is responsible for pitching IRS stories on various topics and initiatives to national and local media outlets, and for coordinating and distributing all national and local news releases for the IRS.

If IRS employees are contacted by the media for the purpose of obtaining the official IRS position regarding procedures, policies or other matters, employees must refer the media inquiry to the MR branch (202-317-4000 or *IRS Newsroom) or their BU communications specialist.

Personal views are actions, statements, and digital and analog communications made by employees in their individual capacity and not on behalf of the agency. IRS employees may communicate with members of the news media orally, in writing and online, to express their personal views on matters of public concern without prior notification of, consultation with, or approval from the office of MR or any IRS supervisory authority. However, when communicating with the media under these circumstances, employees must make clear that they are expressing their own personal opinions and are not acting as official IRS spokespersons.

When communicating with members of the news media, IRS employees may not reveal tax return information protected from disclosure by law, employee personnel information protected by privacy rules, and pre-decisional agency matters. Employees must refer tax law and case-related questions to the appropriate area of the IRS, and inquiries from tax practitioners to the proper stakeholder relations office.

IRS employees are responsible for their media interactions, whether that be in person, in writing, on the telephone or online. Employees must not use IRS email, or any other IRS system that can identify an employee as such, for personal interactions with the media.

If employees have questions regarding their communications with the media, they may contact the MR branch for assistance.

These methods of disseminating information involve inviting representatives of mass media to a meeting with one or more knowledgeable IRS officials. A typical news conference may consist of an oral announcement by IRS officials, the distribution of a news release or other background material, and/or an oral question-and-answer exchange.

The news conference or briefing is used only for matters of substantial importance to the public when the issuance of a release alone will not adequately serve the purpose. For example, the complexity of an important matter may require a face-to-face or telephone discussion with media representatives to ensure accurate coverage and understanding of the topic at hand. In other cases, reporters may be invited to a briefing for a single explanation that extends to all members of the media at the same time. This creates consistency of messaging. The MR branch must be contacted in advance of scheduling any news conferences or briefings to the media.

Press Releases/Media Advisories: Used to disseminate messages and information to the media. Generally, the MR branch determines that a press release is needed and contacts the BU communications specialist to request either information or a draft news release. Sometimes, the BU contacts MR to ask for help in directing key information to the media. In these cases, the content owner creates the first draft, MR edits it for media audiences, and together they agree on final copy. While English is the official language, some press releases are translated into other languages by members of the MR branch when they are mission critical or legally required.

Media Interviews and Inquiries: The MR branch handles all requests by national and local media. The BU communications specialist contacts MR before responding to a major national or local media outlet. If the media contacts employees for the purpose of obtaining the official IRS position regarding procedures, policies or other matters, IRS employees must refer the media inquiry to MR where an appropriate response will be decided. The MR branch handles all inquiries and responses to the media.

Commissioner and Other Top Level Executive Interviews: Upon request, the IRS Commissioner and other top-level executives occasionally grant media interviews. Requests for executive interviews must be directed to the MR branch.

Media Training: The MR branch provides media training to IRS employees who may need to speak with the media and perform interviews through the course of their duties. This training may be provided to newly hired communications specialists and other IRS employees such as tax assistance managers as needed. Media training is tailored according to the needs of the intended audience and may include the participation of subject matter experts from various BUs.

Disaster Communications: During emergency events, MR branch employees serve as external communication public information officers, engaging with media where and when appropriate. Additionally, MR specialists prepare crisis communication plan documents for every post of duty. MR branch employees also participate in disaster preparedness exercises throughout the year.

The IRS.gov Newsroom: The IRS Newsroom is accessible through the IRS Website at IRS.gov Newsroom. It is a portal for information geared to the media that includes news releases, fact sheets, disaster alerts, tax tips, and current national or local events. The MR branch has direct content ownership and maintenance of the Newsroom. Translations of Newsroom content is done by members of the MR branch.

Email Subscriptions: Email subscriptions provide tax professionals and taxpayers with quick access to IRS information. Subscribers receive timely email notifications about important upcoming tax dates, updates to the IRS website, newly added tax forms and publications, news releases, and special announcements. Available subscriptions handled by MR include:

IRS employees who are invited or are requesting permission to write about tax matters in a personal capacity for outside publications must clear their final manuscript and /or materials with their BU communications function. Approval of manuscripts will not be granted for material that deals with pending legislation; specific cases awaiting final disposition by the IRM; proposed regulations, procedures and policies which have not been finally and officially announced; or any information that is legally or administratively restricted.

The following statement will be made a part of each manuscript, located preferably between the title and the body of the manuscript: “The content of this article is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the position of the Internal Revenue Service.” The employee must also use his or her personal contact information, not IRS phone, email or address.

Requests for clearance that involve a potentially controversial issue or where there is doubt regarding jurisdiction must be evaluated by the BU communications function. The BU is responsible for coordinating the approval and/or forwarding the potentially controversial issue to the national Director of Communications.

For additional guidance, please refer to Policy Statement 11-93, Speaking, writing engagements and contact with outside groups are encouraged subject to limitations (IRM 1.2.1.11.8).

IRM 9.3.2, Criminal Investigation, Publicity and Internal Communications, outlines procedures for the publicity of criminal matters. In general, the local IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) public affairs officer (PAO) and/or public information officer (PIO) work with the local U.S. Attorney in accordance with IRM 9.3.2 and the U.S. Department of Justice’s guidelines under Title 28, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 50.2, “Release of information by personnel of the Department of Justice relating to criminal and civil proceedings” for publicity on local cases. For cases of national scope or for national media, the CI’s Office of Communication coordinates publicity efforts with the MR branch.

Publicity of a criminal case is generally up to the Department of Justice and/or the local U.S. Attorney. However, in some cases, the IRS may decide to proactively publicize criminal cases or issues. This is determined on a case-by-case basis and must be coordinated through CI PAOs/PIOs.

For publicity of tax-fraud issues or tax schemes that are not case-related, the MR branch works with CI PAOs/PIOs to develop local or national strategies.