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Local and regional media are vital to
successful campaigning. 80 per cent
of UK adults read a local newspaper
regularly and over half of them
prefer it to any national paper, so
these news sources are too influential
to be ignored. Local activists can
make a big difference by having a
coherent strategy for approaching
the media in their area.
Don’t worry if you’ve not worked
with the media before – here are 10
tips to start you on your way.
1. Make media a priority
Media is vital to the success of your
campaign, but is often not thought
about until the end of a campaign
planning process. By making it
central from the start, you can be
much more effective.
2. Offer news
The media have a very narrow idea
of what is newsworthy. Something is
only news if it is new. Discussions of
opinions, no matter how important,
are not news, but you can make
them into news. While it might be
known that your council invests in
arms companies, simply repeating
this point would not be news.
However, a survey showing that 75
per cent of local residents opposed
these investments would be. Be
imaginative!
3. Keep control of your message
Decide what you want to say and
say it as simply as possible. Stick to
your point and keep repeating it.
Ensure that members of your group
are all giving the same message.
Don’t undermine strong arguments by
adding weak ones or allow anyone
to lead you into tangents or
trivialities. Be calm, concise and in
control.
4. Make it local
The typical local newspaper is
magnificently unconcerned about
anything outside of its own patch.
Make your news local. Does a local
company have any arms links?
What’s your MP up to? For example,
if your MP has spoken about the
importance of democracy, you can
tell the media that you’re asking
him/her to oppose the sale of arms
to undemocratic regimes such as
Saudi Arabia.
5. Keep it human
A death is a tragedy, a million
deaths is a statistic. Finding a human
angle is well worth the effort. Does a
local resident have relatives in a
country affected by UK-made
weapons? Is an unlikely person (such
as a retired colonel) joining a
protest? Has a local celebrity
endorsed your campaign?
6. Use press releases – but don’t rely on them
Issue a press release whenever your
group acts or responds to events. It
must be about something that has
happened, not just an opinion. (“The
group stated that it was
outrageous...” rather than “It is
outrageous...”). You can find advice
on press releases in the CAAT Media
Guide (see below).
7. Talk to journalists
Very few journalists will act on a
press release alone if they don’t
know the group concerned. Phone
around all the journalists who have
been sent your release and brace
yourself for disappointments. Half of
them will claim not to have received
it and most of the others won’t be
interested. Keep going. The chances
are that you will find someone who
wants to know more. And if you
phone after every release they’ll get
used to you.
8. Build contacts
Don’t give up phoning journalists
who don’t give you coverage.
They’re more likely to do so once
you’ve spoken a few times. Stay in
touch especially with those who are
interested. Eventually, you will find
them phoning you for comments. A
good relationship with one or two
journalists is worth a hundred press
releases.
9. Be available
Journalists often need a quote at
short notice. If they can rely on you
to give that quote, they will keep
coming back. Try to ensure that a
campaign spokesperson is available
at short notice as often as possible.
This doesn’t always have to be the
same person. (You can have a rest!)
A good solution often involves a
mobile phone for media calls, with a
rota for looking after it.
10. Keep going
Media liaison is hard work,
especially when you’re new to it.
Don’t give up! The more you do, the
more contacts you will acquire and
the easier it will become. Keep your
press releases and phone calls
regular. And feel free to get in touch
with us if you have any questions.
Good luck!
SYMON HILL
The CAAT Media Guide can be
downloaded from here or obtained from
the office on 020 7281 0297.
If you would like more advice
or further information, contact
Symon Hill on 020 7281 0297 or e-mail press(at)caat·org·uk
-
An Activists Guide to Exploiting
the Media by George Monbiot
-
Be Your Own Spin Doctor by
Paul Richards (Politico’s
Publishing Ltd, ISBN
1842751360)
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How To Win Campaigns by
Chris Rose (Earthscan, ISBN
1853839620)
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