Churches and the media
Working with the media
Ecumenical Development Briefing PapersPapers for churches: Working with the media
You may want to approach your local newspapers or radio or even television station to put across a point. Here are few tips.
Writing a letter to the Editor
Personal letters to the Editor are a good way of getting your views across. This page is widely read by the public ? in fact most readers go to the letters page straight after looking at the front page and the births, marriages and deaths! Make your letter brief and to the point. Enclose your own name or that of your contact person. If you are writing in a personal capacity and do not wish to be identified, you can ask the Editor to put you down as ?name and address? supplied.
Make your letter short, as otherwise it may well be cut for reasons of space. Make sure any facts are accurate and verifiable. Always include a contact address and day time telephone number for the Editor even if you do not want it printed. The press has a responsibility to verify who you are and whether what you are writing is accurate and legal. If you are a young person check with your parents before writing. If you have interests which give you a particular insight into the issue you can also offer them to catch the public interest.
Always remain courteous. However strongly you feel it will do your case no good if you are perceived as rude to those who oppose your points of view.
Writing a news release
A news release is a short statement announcing an event to take place or expressing a point of view you would like to see taken up by the media. A catchy title and lead sentence that summarises your position is essential to gain the reporters? attention. You have about 10 seconds in which to gain that attention ? so chose your words very carefully! Put the key information first, include who, what, where, when, why and how in your first paragraph. If you don?t catch the reporters and the readers? attention at the start you won?t catch them at all. Keep it brief. It should never be more than one page, but you can add another page of factual information or details. Put in your name, address and contact number for the press to verify your input. If you are writing on behalf of a group, use their headed paper where possible. Identify any contact name or number and make clear if you want other names or numbers to be for verification only.
If sending a news release to a local paper ? find out what their deadline is, and send in 3 or 4 days in advance of that deadline. If you send it too early, it might be overlooked, and only hard news stories are taken at the last minute. It is helpful to send a press release to your local radio station at the same time. If you wish it not to be put out immediately please make that very clear. However, do not rely on an ?Embargo? date. Follow up your press release with a phone call to a print reporter as soon as possible after sending it and to local radio close to the date you wish it to appear. Name anybody who might be prepared to give an interview.
Nobody has the right to appear in the press! Even if a reporter has told you they are going to cover an item, major events or key items of news may push it out. Don?t be deterred, and try again. It is useful to build up a good relationship with a reporter and the media responsible. This will allow continuity. Thank you letters are always helpful.
Local newspapers, especially the free ones, are often produced with minimal staff, and if your news release is well written, they may well use it as it is, without referring back to you, so do ensure that all salient points are covered.
Doing a radio interview
Be well prepared! Radio interviews are usually short and snappy ? seldom more than three minutes. You may only have a few minutes to get your points across. Many are broadcast at times when people are likely to be doing other things, for example, getting the children?s breakfast. You need to be focused and catchy. There are no visual aids with radio. Everything will depend on your voice and your ability to get your point across. Have three or four key points you wish to make. If you are speaking about an event that is going to happen, make sure you work into your piece when, where and how it will happen. The interviewer should confirm these details at the end of the interview but many people find it easier when listening to an item twice.
A radio interview is not a chat. Be courteous to your interviewer but make sure that whatever the question, you work your key point into your response. If you are going completely off the subject, it is for the interviewer to bring you back. Your job is to use his questions to make your points as succinctly as possible.
Interviews may be in a studio or over the telephone, and can be live or recorded ? make sure you know what it will be. If an interview is recorded and you mess it up ? you can ask to start again ? but of course not if it is live!!
Remember that the presenter doing the interview probably knows nothing about the subject ? many will often ask you to provide the questions to be put to you. In any event, ask in advance what the first question is going to be ? they will always tell you. You can also ask how long a live interview will be, and you will be told. Keep an eye on the clock and make sure you get your points over before the time runs out!
Keep your points simple. Remember the listeners are unlikely to be able to enter into a complex debate. Local radio is a local media. Use a local slant, local personal experience though identifying the wider perspective. Get your key point in early in the interview. Speak calmly, clearly and courteously. Avoid denigration of others. Where possible, develop a relationship with your interviewer so that you can come
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