Media and Community Outreach: Inspiring Communities to Act

MEDIA & COMMUNITY OUTREACH

INSPIRING COMMUNITIES TO ACT

Special thanks to the following organizations for contributing their expertise to this document: The League of Women Voters of California Lightbox Collaborative Center for Media Justice

Prepared by:

EFCWest Dominican University of California 50 Acacia Ave. San Rafael, CA 94901 www.efcwest.org 510-­‐878-­‐9968

For More Information: Sarah.Diefendorf@Dominican.edu

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MEDIA & COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Inspiring people to act is a difficult job, and long-­‐term environmental protection requires both community involvement and media coverage. The following is a quick guide, including some templates, on how to reach out to both media and communities for maximum project impact.

COMBINING COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND MASS MEDIA PROGRAMS In order to be effective in changing harmful practices, such as illegal dumping, an initiative should engage directly with members of that community. By strengthening individuals’, groups’ and institutions’ capacity to be agents of change, programs can work to ensure that activism will be sustained long after a specific project ends.

Community outreach can encompass a range of options and approaches, including: neighborhood meetings; training and education sessions; street theatre, art and other cultural activities; and marches and demonstrations.

Other innovative approaches that can be effective in reaching diverse audiences include: games, music, community fairs and informal social gatherings.

The media will not report the same event twice. If you want them to come back, change your story and introduce new action.

Mass media campaigns normally use newspapers, radio, television, billboards, social media and list serves to reach a wide segment of a community.

Together, communication and social marketing campaigns are some of the most popular means for engaging society in pollution prevention and environmental protection.

Though community outreach strategies and mass media campaigns are two distinct strategies, the most effective examples of such approaches tend to combine mass media coverage and advertising for community-­‐based action. As a result, programs that integrate multiple media strategies with consistent community outreach and events are more effective in attracting media coverage, engaging the public, and changing norms and behavior.

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TOOLS FOR COMMUNITY OUTREACH T H E P O W E R O F S T O R Y Community outreach is critical to maintaining engagement and momentum in a campaign, and understanding the culture and history of a neighborhood is crucial to success. Use multiple tools (video, online media, newsletters, radio, etc.) to collect neighborhood stories about the past and present, and encourage storytellers to dream about the future they want. Using the community to tell the story of change shows respect for the residents; at the same time the organization leading the campaign collects valuable information about the neighborhood. Elders will be eager to share what it was like when they were children while the youth will happily tell you about their hopes and dreams for the future. All of these human-­‐interest anecdotes are what the media seek when reporting the news. A cleaned up canal is important, but what is the human impact from your work? That is where the real story lies -­‐ both with the media and the community.

T H E I M P A C T O F M E S S A G E An effective message can change the world. The most successful businesses, NGOs and politicians understand that a few simple, well-­‐developed words can drive their customers to buy, change behavior, act and even think in a way that is beneficial to their cause. A message that resonates with the culture and concerns of a community is critical for the success of a project.

There are multiple examples of successful messages the world over and the best are those that personally resonate with the receiver. Successful messages match the values of the target community and reflect what is most important to them. When we are targeting pollution, heath of the children and family is a frequent "hook" to engage the audience. Below is an example of an effective message addressing air pollution. The website www.osocio.org has collected messages, posters and videos from social campaigns across the world and is an excellent resource to learn more and/or build on work that has already been done.

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The use of the child in the Sierra Club advertisement at left is intentional and powerful. We all care about the health of our children. It is not hard to imagine the same approach and similar visuals applied to children exposed to polluted water and playing in the hazardous trash dumped illegally within a community. Most importantly, visuals tell the best messages.

Don't just say it -­‐ show it! Use pictures from the community to remind the neighborhood that the problem is local and personal.

T HE S TRENGTH OF C OMMUNITY As stated above, community engagement can include neighborhood meetings; training and education sessions; street theatre, art, fairs and music festivals; and marches and demonstrations. Incorporating your message and education into fun community events is the best way to engage and excite a neighborhood about the potential for change.

An excellent resource to learn more about community engagement strategies is the Rare website: www.rare.org. Rare has worked in over 50 countries to shift communities from being resource users to environmental stewards. Rare’s approach uses proven marketing techniques to grow capacity and a sense of ownership, responsibility and pride in conservation.

The Rare website includes stories of community engagement from Latin America and around the world and they have built their success by asking one simple question: What works? Rather than trying to fix what is wrong, they build on what is already succeeding. In the case of pollution and illegal dumping, we should ask ourselves: What areas are not affected? What areas are remaining pollution free and why? If we know what works, we can copy that success, and we can begin to make lasting change.

As you think about the events you will use to engage and educate, plan them on a calendar for maximum impact. Included with this document is the Lightbox Collaborative Editorial Calendar spreadsheet. The calendar is United States centric so users in other countries will need to fill in their own special holidays

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and days. Lightbox incorporates potential hooks to use for your events and media announcements.

We all honor the environment on Earth Day, but what other days will make ideal hooks for our work and attractive stories for the media? For example: what better day to celebrate (through a festival, music show, street theatre, etc.) our love for our children, the importance of their health and a clean neighborhood within which to play than Valentine's Day? Why not let the media know that we should celebrate all of our mothers on Mother's Day -­‐ including Mother Earth -­‐ and plan a community cleanup event and barbecue to celebrate the planet?

What other days and events can be used to keep our message alive, in the media and in front of the community?

The calendar is broken down by month and allows space to define the content of your message, the date information will be released and to whom: newsletter, social media, direct outreach, etc.

TOOLS FOR MEDIA OUTREACH Most effective community and mass media campaigns last six months to a year and seek to offer events and messages on a regular basis. The organizer must decide how often is enough or too much, to keep the community engaged and the media interested in your next steps. Overall, media outreach strategies should be integrated and mutually reinforced by on-­‐the-­‐ground community activities, and whenever possible, assisted by Perhaps the greatest benefit of important stakeholders and partnerships.

consistent media coverage is political awareness and support.

By planning a calendar of events tied to a media strategy your campaign can be sustained over time and avoid being thought of as a "one-­‐off event". It's important to remember that once your story has been

reported the press have done their job. It's up to you to provide a new twist or event to keep the media coming back. At the same time, by hosting regular fun and educational events, good will is generated throughout the neighborhood, the public will show up, participate, and eventually "own" the project.

And never forget, perhaps the greatest benefit of consistent media coverage is political awareness and support. Long-­‐term environmental protection normally requires new policies and practices on the part of the local government. Show

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your elected officials that you have an energized population that will be outspoken and engaged about their environment until a solution is found.

D EVELOPING A M EDIA O UTREACH P LAN While you may be in control of much of what your social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) say about your work, you need to engage the external media in a different and more traditional manner. News journalists have certain requirements that you must understand in order to get the most impactful coverage of your project. In general, journalists will take the time to talk you if you can prove that you are a valuable source of information, and in order to establish yourself, you must first do some preparation.

S T E P 1: I D E N T IF Y Y O U R M E D IA T A R G E T S What newspapers, radio or TV stations are important to the local and larger community? List these sources and then do some research from their websites articles and shows to find out where your story might be a good fit. Which editors will be interested in your message? Is there an environmental reporter?

Do they have regular segments on local community news and events? Which reporter is typically covering which type of issue? Draw up a list of names and work with your stakeholders and partners to find out if any of them already know or have worked with your media contacts. Then pick up the phone or write an email. Just remember that you may have to be persistent until they know and appreciate you.

Once you have made contact, maintain a comprehensive database of journalist contacts.

Notes you will want to include are: full name, media outlet, title, telephone, fax, email, physical addresses, and any special information that the journalist has provided you about best time to contact him, his interests, etc.

S T E P 2: P R E P A R E Y O U R S T O R Y What makes a good media story?

H U M A N I N T E R E S T : Can you provide compelling personal stories that highlight your work and make it interesting to the viewer, listener or reader?

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T I M E L I N E S S : Is your project related in some way to what is already in the news? Can you give the reporter a local perspective on a breaking story? For example: if the story is about the health problems related to tick bites, can you provide a local human interest story about how ticks have impacted your community?

M A G N I T U D E : Can you apply what is happening in your community to the larger story of the entire city? For example: If a community suffers for years from government neglect, it is a symptom of larger problem that impacts the entire city.

F A M O U S S P O K E S P E R S O N : Can you bring in a famous or important person to speak about your issue?

V I S U A L /A U D I O : Do you have compelling audio, pictures or video that can make your story interesting and help the viewer, reader or listener emotionally attach to your project?

S P E C I A L D A T E O R O C C A S I O N : As discussed above, identify special dates when your issue can take on greater meaning and offer a unique perspective to the journalist.

Using the tools discussed in the Community Outreach Section above, develop your message so that the media is eager to cover your story.

S T E P 3: C O N T A C T T H E M E D IA There are several ways you can reach out to the media but in general when you are trying got get their attention you will pitch your story directly, send out a media advisory to attract them to your event and/or issue a press release that announces critical news or comments. Don't overload your contacts with constant information. Understand that they are busy and only send them the most important and urgent news.

P I T C H I N G Y O U R S T O R Y If you are planning to reach out directly to a journalist then you will have to pitch your story in a fairly short period of time (usually about two minutes), either verbally or written. Be aware, that almost all journalists have a deadline.

If you know they have to submit their stories to their editors by 2pm then do

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not call them at 1:30pm. Be respectful of their needs and ask them when is the best time to talk.

Remember that you are pitching your story, not just an event. Make sure the journalist understands why your story is a good one that will offer: human interest, magnitude, timeliness, etc.

Always have your facts straight and never lie. If you don't know the answer, say you will get back to them. And perhaps most importantly, never expect the journalist to tell only your side of the story -­‐ be ready with responses to the opposition.

The following are some question to help you organize and present your pitch. It is the journalist's job to tell great stories and you are trying to help him succeed.

At the same time, journalists may hear dozens of stories a day. Before calling, write down answers to the questions below. Make sure your pitch is short, to the point, compelling and grabs his attention right away. ! ! ! ! !

What or who is the story about?

What is the new development (if the story has already been reported)?

What new thing is happening?

Why is it interesting to a broader audience? (How does your story relate to other communities in your city?)

Where and when is it going to happen?

What additional information can you provide or refer the reporter to? (This would include your website or any materials you might attach to an email.)

S E N D I N G O U T A M E D I A A D V I S O R Y A Media Advisory is a simple fact sheet that describes your event and invites the media to attend. It should be no more than one page yet still try and capture the urgency, importance and human interest of your story.

A sample media advisory is included below.

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YOUR LOGO

Your Organizational Name & Address

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date Distributed

Your Web address

Contact: Your name

Best number to reach you

Your email address

MEDIA ADVISORY

Who:

Short Attention Grabbing Headline

WHAT:

Another few sentences giving background or history.

WHERE:

Physical location of event with building name, street address, city and zip (for online mapping). If hard to find, provide cross street or landmark (for example, behind the school).

WHEN:

Date and time. Use day of week because everyone is busy. Double check to make sure you have the correct date and day of the week.

WHY:

You may or may not want to use this line – depends on your event/topic. If you have a strong message, this is the place to use it.

No more than two sentences about the event and the major organizations or people that will attend.

Interviews and photos available upon request

### (Insert three #s or 30-­‐30-­‐30 to indicate this is the end of the document and nothing was lost)

W R I T I N G A P R E S S R E L E A S E A Press Release is normally used to announce some important news about you project. It could be about a recent success or a new problem you have encountered. Press releases can also be used to applaud or criticize local government efforts. A sample Press Release is below.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Today's Date) Contact 1: Name Cell Phone # Contact 2: Name Cell Phone #

Headline: Short Attention Grabbing Subhead: Key focal point of story to read and understand at a glance PLACE & TIME: [If applicable: City where news is taking place, MONTH, DAY of event] SECTION 1: YOUR NEWS HOOK: 1-­‐2 sentences on why this event or issue development is important n ews, timely, and impactful for a large number of people. Put the most important information first, as you would see it in a newspaper story.

SECTION 2: DETAILS & QUOTE: Include 2-­‐3 sentences detailing what’s happening, where and when, as well as who’s involved and who’s impacted by the issue or news. Follow this paragraph up with a quote from someone directly involved or affected by the issue or news.

SECTION 3: BACKGROUND & SPECIAL FEATURES: Add important facts, statistics and history that help convey the news story. Include anywhere from 1-­‐3 paragraphs that provide deeper context and conditions, including who is responsible to change the conditions or what is needed to fix the problem. Add information about special features that make your event/news particularly photo worthy or unique, including key speakers and their organizational affiliations. Try to keep your press release to one page; two pages is the absolute maximum.

SECTION 4: DESCRIBE GROUP OR HOSTS: Close with a description of the organization(s), coalitions, or individuals involved.

S T E P 4: G IV IN G T H E I N T E R V IE W Once you have developed your story and message, identified and contacted your media representatives and brought them to your event or press conference, it's finally time to be interviewed. The following are some tips to help you prepare and be ready for whatever questions come your way.

R E S E A R C H : Who will be the interviewer? What is the topic of the interview?

Where will it take place? When will the story be used? How long will the interview be? What kind of stories has the interviewer done in the past?

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P R E P A R E : What core message do you want to tell the interviewer? Can you say

it in 2-­‐3 different ways? Think about statistics or other examples to support your core message.

P R A C T I C E : Have your staff prepare ten difficult questions and interview you. Be

ready to answer questions that may be difficult or uncomfortable for you or your organization. Practice what you want to say and how you want to say it.

Ultimately, when a community speaks out, and the media is there to record and report, decision-­‐makers are reached and change can happen.

S T A Y “O N M E S S A G E ”: Reporters may have their own

agenda. The key to being successful in communications with the media is to satisfy the need for information while using your message to help shape the story. Your message is the main point you want to convey – what you want the audience to remember. Be prepared to have two or three different ways of conveying your message without repeating the same words and don't let the journalist take you away from the message.

D E L I V E R Y Make sure you have appointed the best person possible to be your spokesperson. They should be comfortable in front of camera, personable, persuasive and able to stay on point. When giving the interview: ! ! ! ! ! !

Be relaxed, clear, and convincing, Give good quotes – have sound bites ready, Avoid jargon and technical terms, Don’t worry about taking time to think (especially if the interview is taped -­‐ your silent pause can be edited out of the final interview), Be honest, don’t exaggerate, and If you are unsure of an answer, offer to follow-­‐up with information or tell the audience where they can go to find more information.

C OMBINING M EDIA AND C OMMUNITY O UTREACH IS Y OUR B EST A DVOCACY T OOL By combing community outreach and events with a well-­‐developed media plan, organizations can realize long-­‐term success in protecting human health and the environment. An effective media campaign can create an environment of political pressure, convey general information and education, counter misconceptions and open a wider forum to explore solutions.

Ultimately, when a community speaks out, and the media is there to record and report, decision-­‐makers are reached and change can happen.

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