Working with the media

Bamako, Mali

17 January 2012

• Why is the Media important to you?• Proactive media engagement• Reactive media engagement• Who are your media targets?• Managing expectations

Why media is important

• It gets your message across to a wider audience• It can help you target your message to the people

you want to hear it• It provides free publicity and exposure for not onl y

your news, announcement, event or request – but for your group or organisation

• It can help establish your group as "legitimate", a nd its activities as important or notable

• It can sway opinions

Being proactive

Pitching to the media

Before you start: Who? What? When? Where? How?

– Article– Feature– Interview– Letter– Citation– Online

• Op-eds

Reactive or Proactive

• Opportunistic or responsive

• Shaping the agenda

Media Targets

• Know your media audience

– Features

– Trade press

– News section

– Documentaries

• Understand the news cycle (deadline)

• Build relationships

• Keep them updated

• Make them feel special

Planning a media campaign

• Timing

• Aim

• What success will look like

• Spokesperson

• Deadlines

• FAQs

Measuring Expectations

• We are operating in a very crowded market

• Make use of ‘new media’

• Quality not quantity

• It’s a game of give and take

• Know your limits

What is your media thinking:

Planning the interview

What is your objective?

What is the programme?

Think about your audience/ the public

Who is interviewing you? What are they looking for?

How will your interview be used?

Is it live or taped? One-to-one or group discussion?

Are you the main source?

Is anyone else being interviewed?

10

‘If you can’t explain your

research to the cleaning

lady, it’s not worth doing’

Ernest Rutherford

(1871-1935)

What the media wants

• So what? What’s the bottom line

• Focus on the CONSEQUENCES of your story, not the science

• Communicate the whole argument/story

• Don’t communicate findings – build the story

• Make it news

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Example

• “I’m investigating transport processes of nutrients in low-salinity wetlands”.

• “I’m working to improve the quality of water in Port Elizabeth by introducing a new way of purifying waste water in the wetlands”.

13

Your key messages

1. (Identify your public)

2. Three bullet points for your messages

3. Summarise and then elaborate

4. 30 seconds max

5. Think about what your saying – style – media language –metaphors, comparisons, sound bites or quotable phrases

6. Examples, facts or figures to back up what you are saying

7. Journalists like if you can quote other sources or references

14

‘Right, who has questions

for my answers’

Henry Kissinger

Types of interviewer

1. ‘The machine gunner’– fires questions continuously

2. ‘The interrupter’– the machine gunner’s cousin!

3. ‘The paraphraser’–puts words in your mouth

4. ‘The provoker’– wants you to say something you’ll regret

5. ‘The unprepared’– wants you to do all the work

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Beware!

• Avoid ‘off record’ comments or ‘no comment’ answers

• You don’t have to answer ‘hypothetical’ questions

• When answer is not black or white – say so

• Correct incorrect information immediately

– don’t repeat wrong information as this just reinforces it

• Don’t just keep talking to fill gaps

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Difficult or negative questions

• Planning:

-Identify some potential difficult questions

-Identify any contentious issues

-Prepare answers

• Bridging: Prepare to divert question and ‘bridge’another message

Question Answer Bridge Message

• Or just close-down

• Relax and give yourself time to think

18 (Source: Reuters Foundation)

Tone, body language and dress,

• Pitch and speed are crucial

• Don’t talk too fast/slowly (lose them or bore them)

• Dress - mid tone colours – not black or white, stripes or bold patterns.

= conservative professional, make sure appropriate where you going to be

• No ‘bling’

• More tips on crib sheet

19

On Camera- and group interview

exercises

• Imagine a TV programme (or radio programme) you would be appearing in – this will help focus your message and purpose

• Think about your impact evaluation project or something you have worked on that. Why is it important? How is your work affecting/could affect the every day life of people?

• Prepare some key points

• Present on camera or to a partner

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How to write a

press release

What is a press release?

Also described as a ‘news release’ or ‘media alert’, a press release is a written statement distributed to the press.

A press release is a news story, written in third person, that tries to demonstrate to an editor or reporter the newsworthiness of a particular person, event, publication or topic.

Is your story press releasable?

A press release reaches a mass media audience who receive dozens each day, so yours has to stand out.

Does it:

– Involve a timely news event

– Provide information relevant to the readers or audience

– Have a news angle (are you saying something new and interesting?)

– Have a human interest

– Have an accompanying image, statistic or video

Make your press release timely:

Tie your news to current events or social issues if possible.

Beware of jargon.

Some jargon will be required if your goal is to optimise your

news release for online search engines, but the best way to communicate your news is to speak plainly, using ordinary language.

Start strong:

Your headline and first paragraph should tell the story.

2008 was the most dangerous year on record for humanitarian aid workers,

according to a new report from Overseas Development Institute.

Not

A new study released today by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and the Centre for International Cooperation shows that 2008 was the most dangerous year for humanitarian aid workers on record.

The rest of your press release should provide the detail.

Your organisation should have a standard press release format

It should always include:

•Headline•Date•Quote•Notes to editors

Contact and identity:

Your press release should include a standard identity paragraph and your contact details

•what your organisations does•How the press can get hold of you.

Exercise 1

Write a press release

Include:

• A headline and date

• Three paragraphs telling the story

• A quote

• Notes to editors

• Your contact details

Exercise 2

Pitch your story

– Find a partner– Put your chairs back to back– Take it in turns to role play pitching a story (5mins each)

• one of you is a press officer, the other is a journalist

• the press officer calls the journalist and pitches their story

• The journalist asks questions if anything is unclear

Coffee break

Image: TomOnTheRoof

ODI is the UK’s leading independent think tank on

international development and humanitarian issues.

We aim to inspire and inform policy and practice to

reduce poverty by locking together high-quality

applied research and practical policy advice.

The views presented here are those of the speaker,

and do not necessarily represent the views of ODI or

our partners.

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T: +44 207 9220 300

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j.knezovich@ids.ac.uk