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Seeing Your Newspaper As Your Friend Minnesota School Boards Association August 16, 2008.

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Presentation on theme: "Seeing Your Newspaper As Your Friend Minnesota School Boards Association August 16, 2008."— Presentation transcript:

1 Seeing Your Newspaper As Your Friend Minnesota School Boards Association August 16, 2008

2 Before you write your letter Know the letter policy Focus on your message Choose your battles Get the facts; don’t guess Let the board know what’s coming Know how to best send it Type it; don’t write it by hand

3 The basics Put on a title Include name, address and phone number Start strong; end strong Keep it short Tell a short story Never attack; never repeat misinformation Call to make sure the letter arrived

4 The Op-ed piece Have an opinion; be firm How does this affect the reader Use humor Tackle an issue from an unorthodox view Don’t guess on facts Let the board know what’s coming

5 Op-ed basics Put on the title Include name, address and phone number, along with photo Start strong, end strong Keep it short Tell a story A sixth-grade reading level

6 The Editorial Board Request a meeting Gather facts; let board know in advance of issue How long do you have Who is speaking; what is their message What equipment do you need Never assume this is off the record Review strengths and weaknesses

7 During the meeting Stick to the topic Bring visuals if you talk about numbers; charts; handouts Leave at least a third of your time for questions and answers It’s OK to say “I don’t know.” Don’t attack; don’t complain

8 After the meeting Send a thank-you Follow up with any additional information you may have promised Keep the relationship going Ask if you can do anything to help their education reporter


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