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Involving the media is a great way to get your message out, reach other concerned community members who are not yet involved, and influence key decision-makers. The following suggestions should help you in dealing with reporters and others in the media.
 
KNOW YOUR MEDIA
 
Most news media—newspaper, radio, and television—are geographically oriented.
Some are strictly local and are only interested in a particular town or area. Other media outlets are statewide, national, or international in scope.
 
Know who you are talking to and angle your discussion accordingly. For example, an excellent way to get a national story (like one on the federal abstinence-only-until marriage funding) into a regional or local paper is to pitch a story on how the federal policy impacts your local community.
 
Quick Tips:
  • Read your local papers every day.
  • Clip articles of interest to you and keep them in a folder either in hard copy and electronically.
 
CREATE A MEDIA LIST AND UPDATE IT REGULARLY
 
Read the papers in your area on a regular basis and create a list of the reporters who cover your school board or health issues. Check the yellow pages under “newspaper,” “radio,” and “television” for listings of media outlets. Call each media outlet and ask for the assignment desk. Once connected to the desk, ask which reporter covers schools or health issues. You can also contact organizations that you know support sexuality education. They may have media lists that they will share with you. Remember to update your list on a regular basis.
 
Quick Tips:
  • Visit www.usnpl.com to find newspapers in your area.
  • Do not limit your search to traditional newspapers: newsletters, community bulletins, local blogs, etc. are also great ways of getting your message out.
  • When a reporter writes a good story on your issue, send them an e-mail to thank them.
 
GIVE THEM THE FACTS
 
Facts speak for themselves. Always be prepared with three or four basic messages to support why young people need comprehensive sexuality education. Back up the messages with facts. For example, you might want to tell a reporter that 66% of high school seniors in your state have already had sexual intercourse. 
 
Quick Tips:
  • Have current information and statistics at your fingertips.
  • NEVER LIE TO REPORTERS –You will get caught.
 
MAINTAIN THE HIGH GROUND
 
Reporters need stories and are particularly interested in those that involve controversy and debate. They will always try to pit one side against the other, especially regarding sensitive social issues. Do not feel intimidated. Stick to your main messages and back them up with the facts. Never criticize the media or the groups on the other side of your issue.
 
Quick Tips:
  • Ask who else has been interviewed for a story; it will give you a good idea of who else is involved in your issue and what angle the reporter is taking.
 
PROVIDE LOCAL STORIES
 
Many reporters also seek out stories from a human interest perspective. It is important
to have local stories to feed reporters.
 
Quick Tips:
  • If you’re telling the story of a local individual or agency be sure to warn them in advance and offer to change names to protect their privacy should they wish. 

WRITE A PRESS RELEASE
 
A press release is a tool used to alert the media. You can use a press release to state a position, launch a campaign, or respond to recent decisions or statements. (See “Tips for Writing a Press Release” and “Sample Press Release” for more information.) Send the press release out to everyone on your press list via fax or email.
 
Quick Tips:
  • Reporters are constantly saying that they give publishing weight to “pithy” quotes — ones that are substantive, but also cleverly or memorably phrased. Spend time thinking about and crafting your quotations— the better they are the more likely they will appear verbatim in the story. 
  • Always copy and paste your press release into the body of an e-mail when you send it. Do not send it as an attachment.  
 
WRITE A PRESS ADVISORY
 
A press advisory is a specific kind of press release that announces an event (such as a community forum on sexuality education). These should place the emphasis on the time and location of the event.
 
Quick Tips:
  • Send advisories 2 or 3 days before the scheduled date. 
  • Do not put quotations or extensive details in a press advisory announcing an event because it will deter reports from attending. Include just enough detail to “hook” them.
 
WRITE A LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR
 
Letters to the editor are a great way to get newspapers to cover your issue and they allow you to craft your own message carefully. (See “Tips for Writing a Letter-to-the-Editor” and “Sample Letter-to-the-Editor” for more information.)
 
Quick Tips:
  • Be prompt, letters to the editor most often discuss articles that have recently been published in the paper, you need to submit you letter as quickly as possible (within one or two days) in order for it to still be relevant.
 
KEEP IN TOUCH
 
It helps to develop personal relationships with reporters and keeping in touch is an important part of this. Contact a report to remind him or her of a press event, send an e-mail to reporters who didn’t attend telling them how successful it was, or thank a reporter for writing a good or balanced story on your issues.
 
Quick Tips:
  • The best time to contact a reporter is between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.—before he or she begins to push up against the day’s deadline, but after the first cup of coffee.
  • In general, reporters greatly prefer e-mail to phone calls. Phone them only as a last resort.
  • In the subject lines of your e-mails to reporters, do not put phrases like “Thought you would think this is Interesting” or “Great Story!” Reporters will not read these e-mails. Instead, put a short fact-filled phrases in the subject line that will let the reporter know exactly what the e-mail contains (e.g. Dallas School Board Approves Sex-Ed Budget).