Difference between revisions of "Building Personal Relations with the Media"
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One approach would be to have a joint press conference with a representative from the government, especially if they have money going into a project, or they are making a facility available. Also, remember that reporters in this controlled media are restricted by state controls, they know the stories they write have to meet certain requirements or they will never be printed. To the extent you can give them what they need--a package deal, not just what they need straight from your organization-- you have solved the problem for him and the information goes out. | One approach would be to have a joint press conference with a representative from the government, especially if they have money going into a project, or they are making a facility available. Also, remember that reporters in this controlled media are restricted by state controls, they know the stories they write have to meet certain requirements or they will never be printed. To the extent you can give them what they need--a package deal, not just what they need straight from your organization-- you have solved the problem for him and the information goes out. | ||
| − | Another resource well worth the time invested is having a good website which serves as a great reference for reporters or anyone else interested in one’s organization. These are invaluable tools for NGOs and a great way for really getting your message out. | + | Another resource well worth the time invested is having a good website, which serves as a great reference for reporters or anyone else interested in one’s organization. These are invaluable tools for NGOs and a great way for really getting your message out. |
==References== | ==References== | ||
The foundation for this article is a presentation on October 20, 2002 by James Weidman at the 2002 WANGO Conference in Washington, D.C. James Weidman was serving as the Director of Public Relations for the Heritage Foundation. | The foundation for this article is a presentation on October 20, 2002 by James Weidman at the 2002 WANGO Conference in Washington, D.C. James Weidman was serving as the Director of Public Relations for the Heritage Foundation. | ||
Latest revision as of 09:18, 1 October 2008
Ideas and stories cannot be brow beat, whined, or nagged into the newspapers or onto the airways. The only way is by working with the media and marketing stories and ideas to them. The key word here is “with.” There is not much point wasting time bemoaning how bad the media are and the fact that they will not reshape their world to accommodate yours. Your job is to figure out how you can fit your ideas into their world, into their stories, and into their minds.
How do you go about marketing your ideas? To do it effectively, the most important thing is to get to know the reporters that you are dealing with, and the editors that will be writing the opinion pages or that edit the op-ed pages. Get to know the bookers and the producers at the radio and television shows that you want to have your people on. Though it is simple enough, it takes time. This article provides an overview of how to market your ideas to the media.
