The potential for real headaches arises with the National Offices, which have autonomy to set their own policies and programmes. Working groups are set up to try to develop common positions, and offices are supposed to consult with International before speaking on matters with international ramifications, but in practice it is common for offices to express controversial opinions publicly without prior consultation.
To reduce the confusion that plagues communication between WWF and the media, Harpoon wishes to offer the following tips. Please note that although these tips are entirely of our own making, we ran then by a spokesman for WWF International and received his enthusiastic blessing to reproduce them here.
Media Guidance for Dealing with WWF
° When in doubt whether the views expressed by a WWF officer are representative of the WWF family or just of his/her office, call WWF International on +41-22-3649111. Here at the IWC, WWF International is represented by Cassandra Phillips.
° Views attributed in reports to WWF spokespeople should clearly indicate to which WWF office these people belong.
WWF Guidance for Dealing with Themselves
° All media releases from WWF offices should include an advisory note to reporters and editors to identify the WWF office in full.
° Statements to the media such as “WWF endorses Willy for President” should read “WWF-US endorses Willy for President”.