Telling Your Story to the Media
Working
with the media is tough, but ignoring it is tougher. In the end, it's also a losing
strategy. Ease the way by planning ahead: know what you want to say, why you want to say
it, who to say it to, and how to phrase it — and you're practically there. Next to asking for money, talking to
reporters can be one of the most difficult, even unnerving, aspects of an organizer's
work. But it's every bit as important. Whether you're trying to shine the light on stealth
candidates or keep books in your local library, the media can play a critical role in how
your story ends. Before you can begin telling your
story, you have to know what your story is. That means being able to talk easily and
succinctly about who you are, why you formed your organization, and what you hope to
accomplish. One way to make sure you can do this is to formulate a mission statement. Even
if it's seldom used, the process of writing your mission statement helps hammer out these
and other answers. Be able to answer these questions: Why are you doing this? Who are you? Why should anyone
care about this issue? Next, think about why you want to tell this story. Do you want to influence policy makers? Increase awareness among voters? Increase membership? Have your materials prepared before you
approach the press. Your general information piece
should include: a standard one- or two-sentence paragraph explaining your organization,
the names and affiliations of the people involved in your organization, an address and
working phone number. That means a number that doesn't go unanswered and isn't busy 23
hours a day. Don't let a small budget hold you back. Your material doesn't have to be
glossy and expensive — just neat, well-written, and typo-free. Now you're ready to
begin identifying the media in your area. Start a list of daily and weekly newspapers,
radio and television stations, the Associated Press bureau that serves your area, and
college papers that cover off-campus news. Monitor media coverage regularly to find out who is
most likely to cover you. Smaller outlets, particularly television and radio
stations, are more likely to staff general-assignment reporters who cover dozens of
different stories every week. This means that it may take more time to develop
relationships with certain journalists. Be prepared to go over background more than once.
It is critical to be aware of media
deadlines. Remember
that not only do different outlets have different deadlines, the same outlet may have
different deadlines depending on the day of the week and the subject matter. The media can be approached in a number of different
ways: Press release. Ideally, a one-page,
double-spaced news announcement about an action taken, a position staked out, people
appointed to positions, suits filed. Releases can be used alone or in addition to a press
conference. Press conference. While print reporters are
able to work from releases, television needs visuals. Press conferences allow you to use
props to make a point. (Talking about censorship surrounded by stacks of books that
someone is trying to ban, for example.) Of course, holding a conference is more
complicated and risky than sending out a release. You have to find a good location
accessible to reporters, at a time that makes it easy for them to meet their deadlines.
And you have to have a reason. A release that doesn't grab anyone's attention will just
get tossed in the trash, but a news conference without news can generate hostile
attention. Editorial boards. These scheduled meetings
are on- or off-the-record conversations with a paper's editorial staff, taken to introduce
an issue or organization, scheduled at your or the paper's suggestion. They may result in
editorials and they may not. Reporters may or may not sit in. They are useful, but be
careful not to assume that discussions with editorial staff are the same as discussions
with reporters. Just as
there are different ways to approach the media, there are different reasons. These may be
broken down into two categories: proactive and
reactive. Proactive means taking the initiative, ranging
from announcing the formation of your organization to coming out in support of proposed
legislation. Proactive means you are seeking out reporters, which means you have the task
of convincing them that something is newsworthy. Getting your story told on talk shows and
in the op-ed pages is part of being proactive. Don't wait for talk show producers to call
you. Let them know you're available and why. Don't wait for newspapers to call, either. If
you have an idea for an opinion piece, call the paper's editorial page and find out how to
submit an idea. Reactive involves responding to actions or
comments by opponents. Part of your media work is to make sure reporters know you're there
so you will hear from them when your issue is the topic of a news story. But you don't
always have to wait for a call, either. For example, if you know that a local antigay
group is holding a news conference on Tuesday at 1 p.m., call the reporters ahead of time
to make sure they know you'll have a response. If you've just settled in for the evening
news and see something that warrants a response, don't wait until the next day. Call the
paper and see who is working on that story. Call the TV station and see if they're
planning to rerun the story. These
suggestions will help you get started. Remember, there are always people out there who
have done it before and would be more than happy to help. If you're not sure how to
approach the media, call a national organization's press office. Talk to someone locally
who has spent a lot of time with the media. The
most important point to keep in mind: you
have something newsworthy to say … Say it. |
