·
Gather contact information for your campus and community newspapers,
radio stations, and TV stations, and keep this in some sort of database
for easy reference.
·
All group members should consistently write letters to the editor,
op-eds, and guest columnist pieces for campus or community newspapers,
in order to respond to events or negative articles and to pro-actively
promote your group and its campaigns. In order to get printed, these
pieces should be timely, locally focused, and carefully written and
edited. All arguments should be supported with details and hard evidence,
and all pieces should contain your group's contact information.
·
Contact your newspaper's editors and your radio/TV station's producers
at least one week in advance of an event and ask them to assign someone
to write a story about it.
·
Many media outlets provide free announcements listings. Find out what
you have to do to get all of your events listed and do it!
·
If you are not planning any events that can be covered in a traditional
story, make sure that your campus newspaper editors know that a new
organization is thriving at your school. They may want to run a feature
on the group.
·
If your campaign gets little or no coverage, use this to your advantage.
Raise awareness among students about your biased campus media.
·
Everyone that talks to the media should be well versed on the issues
involved with your campaign. If a member of your group is asked a
question that she/he cannot answer, she/he should simply say "I don't
know."
·
Develop short statements with quotable lines that plug your group.
Don't let your speeches degenerate into sound bites, but be aware
of the kind of statements that reporters are looking for.
·
Prepare events to suit photographing and videotaping. Have signs and
banners with the your name (or [your school], however you refer to
yourselves) and/or the name of your current campaign or event prominently
displayed. Let editors/producers know beforehand that there will be
photo opportunities so that they can have a photographer present.
·
A press liaison should be present at all of your events to seek out
the reporters, make statements, and direct them to other spokespeople
in your organization. You don't want to let a reporter get away without
a pocket full of good quotes!
·
If TV or radio interviews you, mention your contact information several
times throughout the interview. If you are interviewed by print media,
ask the reporter if your contact information can be listed at the
end of the article. They may say "no," but it doesn't hurt to ask.
Start
a coalition! ->
