Effective media policies and procedures help build positive community relationships. When developing or maintaining a media relations function, agencies should foster working relationships with the media, create an atmosphere of cooperation and open communication, and ensure media personnel have an accurate understanding of agency policies and procedures. These documents will help agencies ensure that all agency personnel understand the importance of media relations and their role in contributing to the agency’s relationship with the media, as well has how to disseminate information in a timely, accurate, and effective way.