Cornell University welcomes news media to its campus as part of its mission to share research and expertise with the world. Cornell is, however, a private university, and neither the public nor members of the media have a right to unrestricted access to Cornell faculty, students, staff or properties.

The Cornell University Media Relations Office is available to assist media members seeking access to campus. Before arriving, members of the media must contact the Media Relations Office regarding the details of the visit and acknowledge acceptance of the policies outlined below.

General rules for members of the media visiting campus

Cornell University is private property. Members of the media planning to conduct interviews, capture images or record audio on campus must request permission from our Media Relations Office before arriving at the university. Journalists who have not obtained permission from the Media Relations Office to work on campus may be asked to leave university property.

Our goal is to ensure that faculty, students, staff and visitors on campus can carry out their activities with a reasonable expectation of privacy and normalcy. Members of the media may not interview, capture images or record audio of faculty, students, staff or visitors without specific permission of the individuals involved. Members of the news media are not permitted to enter buildings without permission of the Media Relations Office or the communications office of the relevant college or school, and may not enter classrooms without also securing advance permission from the instructor. Members of the media are not permitted to enter residential living areas at any time.

To protect the safety, privacy and proprietary work of faculty, students or staff, a representative from Media Relations may escort members of the media at all times while on university property. Permission to conduct interviews, capture images or record audio on university property may be revoked at any time by the Media Relations Office if those actions are deemed disruptive to faculty, students, staff or visitors.

The Media Relations Office may provide The Cornell Daily Sun with special access to information or events in recognition of its unique role as an independent student-run campus newspaper.

Photography and videography

The university may grant members of the media general access to outdoor spaces on campus to photograph or video record environmental campus shots and building exteriors. Faculty, students, staff and visitors who appear in images of campus may not be easily identifiable without specific permission of the individuals involved. Staff members from the Media Relations Office are generally available to assist crews with shooting photo and video, including setting up locations and gaining access to restricted areas on campus when permission to shoot has been granted.

Campus video B-roll and other public video assets are available for use in reporting news about Cornell. Still images captured by University Relations may also be available to the media for select events. For more information, contact the Media Relations Office.

Cornell University reserves the right to refuse permission to photograph or video record on Cornell-owned lands for any reason.

Note: This policy does not cover access to campus for commercial, non-news-related photography or audio/video recording. All such activities require special permission from University Relations and will be subject to different requirements, including certification of insurance coverage acceptable to the University. A minimum of ten (10) business days notice for permission is required. Visit the Brand Center website to request permission for commercial audio or visual recording access.

Broadcast studios

Our newly renovated Cornell Broadcast Studios can transmit live HD-quality audio and video at no cost to television and radio networks, news agencies and affiliates interviewing Cornell University faculty, students and staff. Our Broadcast Studios team also manages an HD-quality web-based studio designed for Google+ and Skype interviews. For more information, contact the Media Relations Office.

Scheduling interviews

In order to facilitate timely and appropriate access, on-campus faculty, student or staff interviews should be scheduled through the Media Relations Office or the communications office of the appropriate college or school. Faculty, students or staff members who schedule on-campus interviews directly with members of the media are asked to inform the Media Relations Office of the visit prior to their arrival.

Attending events

Print and online journalists without special equipment may attend events designated as open to the public or open to the media, while separate broadcast permissions may have to be secured in advance for other media. Registration may be required for some events when seating is expected to be limited. For events requiring security measures, reporters who have not registered in advance may not be permitted entry at the time of the event. Also, for events with designated media seating, reporters and photographers must remain seated unless granted permission by Media Relations staff or in advance by the event organizers in consultation with Media Relations staff.

Please note that some campus events are for members of the campus community only.

Rules regarding access to other campus spaces, interviewing faculty, students, staff and visitors, and capturing images or recording audio apply to public events as well.

Requests for access to athletic events are handled by the university's Athletic Communications Office (email: cornellsid@cornell.edu).

Parking

To avoid tickets or delays, journalists visiting campus are advised to check in at a white information kiosk along any of several main entry roads to campus. When checking in at the kiosk, tell the attendant who you plan to interview and where the meeting is scheduled to take place. You may be required to show media credentials. The attendant will provide a parking permit and a map to the closest available parking to your interview site.

A Media Relations representative can arrange for parking passes in advance if requested.

Reproducing Cornell Chronicle articles

We encourage news media outlets to link to or copy full versions of Cornell Chronicle news stories, including photo and video assets where available, including a credit tagline:

• When a byline is embedded and copied with the story: "News courtesy of the Cornell Chronicle."
• When a byline is removed from the story: "By [name from byline], courtesy of the Cornell Chronicle."
• Please credit images and videos as they are credited on the Chronicle page.

For more information, contact the Cornell University Media Relations Office at 607-255-6074 or mediarelations@cornell.edu.