MAKE THE NEWS
News is information people need to make good decisions about their lives in a democracy. It’s a break from the normal flow of events, something new!
Reporters personalize and dramatize their stories to catch readers’ interest and to capture the feeling of being there. What is newsworthy is often determined by factors called “news value”. Here are some examples:
Impact – events that affect many people e.g. airline strike or major storm.
Timeliness – events that are immediate, for example election results.
High profile people/organizations – events with well-known persons or institutions will draw media attention because the media knows others will be interested.
Conflict – events reflecting clashes between people or institutions e.g. fist-waving protesters on the steps of parliament hill.
The Unusual – events that deviate sharply from everyday life, an example is an unemployed worker who wins a million dollar lottery.
Keep it current – events and situations being talked about e.g. on-going cutbacks and changes to health care.
Preparing to talk to the media
- Know your message and communicate it with the above in mind.
- Be ready to say it in a few sentences. Reporters are looking for a good quote from you that sums up your side of the story.
- Prepare a simple one-pager of facts/background information for the media about your issue and the event/action (this is your media kit).
- Prepare a list of local media contacts, including names, e-mail or fax, and phone.
Being Interviewed:
- Select a spokesperson for your group who is comfortable with your message and can make a point in a 10 – 20 second sound bite.
- Be Prepared. Think what questions you might be asked and how you might answer them.
- If you don’t know, don’t make it up. Tell the reporter you will get back to them if you don’t know the answer to a question. Then make sure you do get back to them in a timely manner.
- Listen carefully. If you don’t understand the question, ask the reporter to re-phrase it.
- Need a little time? Ask the reporter to repeat/clarify a question while you think of how you will phrase your comment.
- Avoid yes/no answers. The reporter wants you to tell your story.
- Expect repetitive questions. It is a technique reporters use to get short, jargon-free answers from you.
- In deciding what to wear, consider the message you want to convey. A neat appearance that is representative of the community you are representing is most effective. Don’t chew gum. Skip the sunglasses and hats that shadow eyes. If your campaign has a message try and make it visible – wear your campaign button boldly!
- Remain calm. Turn negative questions into positive answers.
- Stress your main point. Use every question and opportunity to state and re-state your message and re-phrase and repeat it frequently.
Media Release
A media release is one of the primary ways you can communicate your issue to the media. Reporters, editors and producers are hungry for news, and depend on media releases to tip them off to new events and happenings.
Writing your Release
- Use an active headline to grab the reporter’s attention
The headline makes your release stand out. Keep it short, active and descriptive; in other words use something like, “child care cuts mean huge job loss” instead of “city changes child care subsidy criteria” - Speak from facts and experience
Make a list of fact. Be accurate. Check your facts. But also speak from your own experience. Remember you know more than the reporter.
Other things to consider - Put the most important information at the beginning
This is a tried and true rule of journalism. The reporter should be able to tell what the release is about from the first couple of paragraphs. In fact chances are that’s all they may read. So don’t hide the good information. And remember the “5 W’s and the H” – make sure your release provides answers to the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How. - Be active and to the point
Use language that will get the reader as excited about your news as you are. Use quotes from community members, high profile people or someone involved in the event/action. Quotes help tell your story. If your release is boring or unclear and full of descriptive words the reporter may assume you will not be good to interview. - Talk to the reader, not yourself
Give details of the news so the editor understands why it’s important to her readers. Tell the story from the perspective of the community affected (people), not a specific agency. - Keep jargon to the minimum
Reporters are not as knowledgeable about your issue/community as you. Using clear, simple language, not jargon. Everyday words work best. Avoid acronyms. For example: say “early childhood educator” as opposed to ”ECE”. - Include complete contact information
Include contact name, name of group/organization, full address, phone number and email address. Ensure your contact person is knowledgeable about your issue and the event/action. Include a short summary about your group/organization; who you are, what you do, how long you have been operating. Keep it short don’t include
your annual report! - Keep the media release short.
Maximum length should be one page and no more than 300 words. - Proofread
When you’ve finished your news release, remember to proofread it for errors. Ask someone else to look it over to catch errors you may not see.
When including names, be sure to use the full names of the person when first mentioned, then, after that, the initial of their first name with their last name. Be sure to spell names correctly - Distribute your Release
Give reporters a “heads-up/warning” by sending out, first a Media Advisory – with time date, location and contact information 2-days before your event/action and then a Media Release the evening before your event (Journalists pick-up their assignments in the morning) Follow up your media release with a phone call to each of the media outlets early the morning of the event to make sure they got your media release. Ask them if they will cover your event or issue.
View sample Media release here.
Letter to the Editor
Local media is one of the most important advocacy tools at your disposal – there’s no more efficient method of getting your message out to people. Writing a letter to the editor is one of the easiest ways to use the media. Letters to the editor page is the second most read page of the newspaper! Politicians use it to gage public opinion. Follow these tips and you’ll be able to make it work for your group/agency.
- Keep it short (300 words is good, 150 is better and 50 is best)
- Focus on your strongest argument. Get across one strong point.
- Expect to be edited for length, grammar and to fit the papers’ style
- Keep it timely and topical and refer to a previously published article from the paper to which you are submitting your article.
- Write while people are still talking about the issue
- Keep it simple and clear
- Localize the issue and be specific
- Be accurate. One mistake damages your credibility
- Sign you letter, give your address and phone number and expect a call from the newspaper to confirm your identity.
