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Pro-Palestine organizations face special challenges when
working with the press and other segments of American mainsdtream
society because of the effectiveness of the Pro-Israel propaganda
and public relations program. But there are standard steps
to follow when attempting to interest the media in an event
you are planning, or trying to utilize media resources in
support of your cause.
It is important to note that steps 1 & 2 involve advance research in your area,
and ongoing interaction with professional media resources.
- 1. Research local news outlets for media professionals
to establish personal relations with (foreign desk editor
or editorial board member, for example).
- 2. Research local news outlets for procedures for submitting
advertisements, press releases and PSAs, and input the different
steps to follow on a calendar. Keep notes for future use
before future events.
- 3. Utilize your media contacts strategically for different
events. Don't use them too much. Take them out to lunch.
Keep notes of your meetings so that you can remember pertinent
information about them. See NOTE below about attitude.
- 4. Send Press Releases and PSAs to news outlets according
to your calendar. Blast fax when possible. See NOTES below
about how to write Press Releases and PSAs.
- 5. Follow up with phone calls or faxes.
- 6. At your event , make special arrangements for media
covering your event:
- A. Media reception area and/or Media Tent (with desks,
electrical outlets, refreshments, A/C, privacy, etc.,
when possible).
- B. Media package for Media which contains basic info
for your event (who, what, when, why, how, background
information, resources, and contact information).
- C. Media escort to provide special attention, answer
questions, 'massage' the messageand what they see at
your event, explain controversies, and steer the reporter
to what you want them to see.
- 7. Follow-up after the event (phone calls to see if they
have any other questions and also send thank you notes,
and feedback inquiries).
NOTE: Advertising - the most expensive, but it gives you
the most control over what your ad looks like and what it
says. You also might have control over where in the newspaper
or magazine your ad is placed.
Design your ad so that its look and feel (formatting) and
words attract attention and provoke curiousity and excitement
about your event, and motivates people to attend. You can
also include images, borders and shading, but the more you
include and the larger it is, the more it will cost.
Be sure to include the pertinent information about your event
- who, what, where, when, why and how, and contact information
for more information.
~*~
NOTE: Attitude - when meeting with media professionals, it
is very important to act professional yourself. This means
to present yourself as a trustworthy source of information
on your topic, who also happens to be friendly and generous.
Thus when you talk about your subject you should be truthful
and calm and listen carefully to your guest's concerns and
understanding. It is important to then respond in a calm and
factual manner. This will then result in you being considered
a reliable source of information who is enjoyable to hang
out with.
It is important to remember that these professionals are
constantly talking to people and assessing their reliability,
and thus they are usually experts in catching lies and exagerations
and bias. If they feel that this is true of you then they
will not meet with you again as a source of information on
this topic.
~*~
NOTE: Press Releases - describe how your event or what
you have to say is newsworthy. Thus it is written like a news
article itself, as a suggestion or model of what the editor
might put in his newspaper to report on what you are claiming
is an important news item.
Thus, plan your Press Release carefully so it says what you
want it to say, while conveying to the editor what you think
he needs to understand in order to realize that your event
or your POV is newsworthy and should be printed in his newspaper.
This means that the Press Release should include:
- 1. Your suggestion for a headline which captures the reader's attention, but
yet it is still a very brief 1-sentence or phrase summary of what is important
about your event.
- 2. The headline, and then the succeeding paragraphs (3 maximum) should start off
with the generalities of the event, and then get more and more specific.
- 3. These paragraphs should include the basic information about
your event - who, what, where, when, how, and why.
- 4. The final sentence should be separate and give the contact information
(name, phone, fax) for the press contact for your organization.
~*~
NOTE: PSAs (Public Service Announcements) includes just a catchy phrase describing your
event or urging people to attend, the name of your event, and the date, time, location
and a phone number to call for more information. PSAs are usually free, and are
published near the classified ads.
SOME ONLINE RESOURCES
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