OVERALL STRATEGY:
- (1) It is important to remember that the facts, the law, and
morality are on the side of the Palestinian cause.
- (2) Thus the pro-Israel groups have a much more difficult time
defending their cause, and thus must resort to desperate measures
- such as distortion of the facts, bullying and threatening, attacking
the messenger, distraction, etc.
- (3) We do not have to use such tactics because the facts, etc.
are on our side. In the long run those other tactics do not work - people
know when they are being manipulated and conned. Thus in the long
run we will succeed in securing the liberation and full rights
of the Palestinian people.
- (4) But the pro-Israel groups have much more wealth and power
than we do. Thus many of our protests and public education efforts
are thwarted and/or overwhelmed by their counter-measures.
- (5) But with the US Media we find that we do have a way to compete
with them despite their greater wealth and power, because:
- A. Journalists still feel the responsibility of their journalistic
ethics to respond to truth over money and power.
- B. Journalists have a tradition of rebellion against the
status quo and blind acceptance and obedience.
- C. Stories which are controversial or express a new perspective
tend to sell more, and hence are attractive to journalists.
- (6) But the US Media needs the facts and ideas about the law
and morality. Thus our effort is two-prong -
- A. To give feedback to the Media when they are inaccurate
or biased.
- B. To provide the Media with the facts and information about
the lawfulness and morality of the Palestinian cause so that
they can write more accurately and unbiased about it.
- (7) Thus focusing on the US Media has important strategic reasons:
- A. The US Media has tremendous influence over US public
opinion.
- B. It is one of the few ways to compete with the overwhelming
wealth and power of the pro-Israel groups.
- C. Media work is a very powerful way to develop and distribute
free public education.
- D. Once the Media is more sensitive to our cause, it will
then cover all of our other events more sympathetically.
- E. Media work is easy to develop pro-Palestine events around,
and to motivate activists with.
WRITING MEDIA ACTION ALERTS:
Thus because the facts, law and morality are on our side, and we don't need to use manipulative tactics to win influence, when writing alerts or meeting with media professionals:
- (1) Be polite and respectful. Let the facts speak for themselves.
If you are pushy or over-dramatic then your audience will feel
pushed and manipulated, and then lose their trust and respect
for you. Also, remember - these are the tactics of desperate people
who are having a difficult time defending their cause - that is
not our situation.
- (2) Please use non-emotional, objective, academic language -
let the facts speak for themselves. This conveys the impression
to the reader that you are objective about the material, and hence
are a trustworthy source of information. Over-emotional expressions
reduce trust because they suggest the writer's thinking is being
swayed too much by their emotions.
- (3) If possible, give sources for your information - this increases
the trust that you are a reliable source of information because
you can back up your facts.
- (4) Do not exaggerate or distort or leave out information about
an issue if some of it does not support your position - this will
help convey the fact that you are objective and can be trusted,
and remember - ultimately, the facts, morality and the law support
the Palestinian position. It is very difficult to defend the policies
and actions of Israel - that is why Israel supporters often distort
the facts and bully editors. We are known for being polite and
clear in our expressions because we do not need to resort to such
tactics to make our points. Let's keep this up and maintain this
reputation.
- (5) Please, do not copy us directly in your emails to the editors,
or forward our Action Alerts to editors or authors. This is so
they do not get the impression that you only represent or are
only expressing an organizational point-of-view. It is important
that they see that truly you are expressing your personal individual
opinion.
IN CONCLUSION:
We believe that this strategy will ultimately help the Palestinian
cause by providing an increasing quantity of accurate information
to the public through their news media, who will then be more motivated
to support efforts to influence US politicians to stop support for
Israeli policies which violate Palestinian human and political rights.
Once the US support ends, then it will be easier for the UN and
international community to then prosecute Israel for its crimes
and thus force change.
And we are already seeing signs of success.
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