Media Advocacy: Tools of the Trade October 28, 2005

What Is News?  What makes an old story new, or a new story different  Something that affects many people outside your organization

Angles “ Ben Brown doesn’t mind being referred to as the lawyer of last resort. All too often he is the person who stands between a senior citizen and bankruptcy.”

Angles  “After five years working as an emergency room and intensive care nurse, Robyn O’Neill headed back to school. However it wasn’t to further her medical career; instead, it was to obtain a law degree.”

Journalism 101 Beat Reporters  Regularly assigned to a specific topic or place General Assignment Reporters  Go wherever they’re needed Feature Reporters  Longer pieces, soft news, profiles  Often not time-sensitive

Broadcast News  Need a visual  Importance of sound bites (a 5- minute interview will be distilled into a 15-second quote)  Timing is key

Deadlines  Major Dailies: 4-6 p.m.  Local Television: Noon, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10 p.m.  National news is 24/7  Reporters must produce every day

Tools of the Trade  Press Releases/Media Advisories  Fact Sheets  Pitch Letters  Press Kits

Tools of the Trade  Press Conference (can be a risky venture)  Pitching Exclusive Stories

Writing for the Media  Write your press release the way you would want the story to be written  Remember to write as if the event has happened (past tense)  Use an attention-grabbing headline  Include a contact name and phone number

Writing for the Media  Media Advisory: who, what, when, where, and why  A media advisory is never more than one page – don’t give the whole story away  Use active verbs (urge, lead, call on, gather, etc.)  Always include a contact name and phone number

Following Up with Media  Be polite but persistent  Narrow down your story into a 2- minute pitch, 30-sec story  Calling in the morning is best  is often more effective than phone calls

Make Reporters Love You  Give them the information they need  On time  Sometimes all a reporter wants is a quote over the phone

Message Development  Your strongest points in the fewest words  The basis for all communication  3 or 4 broad message points are good

Message Development  Bolster your messages with statistics and examples: Reporters love to quote figures  But don’t get mired in numbers. Personal stories resonate most.

Bringing Home the Campaign  Underscoring Campaign Messages Benefits Everyone – Everyone Deserves Access to Justice – State Needs to do its Share – Legal Aid is a Solid Investment  Power of One Coalition, One Voice

How to Talk to Reporters  Stick to your messages  Don’t be afraid to repeat a key message  Use transitions to bridge back to your messages, i.e. -What’s important to remember…… -Before we get off the subject, let me add….

How to Talk to Reporters  Narrow down your thoughts into a few hard-hitting sentences  Don’t let reporters put words in your mouth-look for paraphrasing clues such as “In other words” or “So what you are saying is”  Paraphrases may be attributed to you

Media Advocacy: Tools of the Trade October 28, 2005