it often seems that no matter what
we do the mainstream media will trivialize activists and ignore legitimate democratic
concerns and democratic process. sometimes the "alternative" media
don't give us the space and consideration we expect from them. this leaves many
activists wondering if the media are worth any effort at all. it's also annoying
when people we meet say things like "the only way to be effective is to
get mainstream media coverage" or suggest that if an event was not covered
in mainstream media it was a waste of energy. these attitudes can make us feel
like we want to completely avoid media work. that's a totally reasonable response.
this section of the handbook is designed to help you take control of your relations
with the media and think of creative and satisfying ways to engage it.
why do media?
many of the actions we do are intentionally done in the day time and in public
space. this is to draw attention to our ideas, to foment democratic responses
to problems, and to make our dissent confrontational. media work is an extension
of these goals.
media is one of many tools we can use to educate, inform, and energize people.
think about the feeling you get when you read a good article, or notice a new
poster in your neighborhood about an issue you care about. seeing our ideas,
values, and projects in print, well illustrated, and arousing the concern of
journalists is affirming. it also does help to spread the word about what activists
are working on and good media helps people understand why and how we are working.
also it's good to do some media work to gain skills at it because in some circumstances
we're forced to do it whether we like it or not or we might want to do more
media some time.
if your group is very visible (with costumes, carrying puppets, etc.) it is very likely you will get a lot of media attention and you will need to be ready for it. that's good if you're trying to attract media, but it's a hazard to be prepared for if you're wearing costumes for some other reason.
this section is organized as follows
when we decide to do media work or to include a media component
of an action, we want to think about the many different kinds of media that
exist. a media strategy includes a lot of choices about which media to engage and
which to disengage. these decisions should be made
in relation to the GOALS of the action. here’s a brief
topology of the media landscape in most towns:
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the “mainstream”/corporate-owned media
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the “alternative”
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activist media
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local organizations’ media for members
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popular/street media/“working class art”
no media group can do everything (or even everything they want
to do). which engagements are possible with available
(or gettable) resources? which of these are most likely
to be successful in reaching the ACTION GOAL? media
activists working on an action need to be very clear with themselves and other
folks about what they are NOT willing to be responsible for. here
are a few examples of what the media group might take responsibility for:
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the media team will only be dealing
with the mainstream media and major alternative media through press releases,
designated spokespeople, and press conferences.
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the media team will focus on setting up a dispatch system with
indymedia reporters
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the media team will focus on ensuring
all actions have good media messaging (banners, stickers, leaflets) and liaisons
standing by to intercept reporters.
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the media team will focus on direct
outreach with posters and fliers to designated neighborhoods and community organizations.
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the media team will aim to protect organizing spaces from media
pressure through media handlers stationed outside the gathering/action space
along with deciding what to take responsibility for, the media team
needs to make clear its expectations from and services to other working groups
in the action. will the media team expect people from
the legal team to make statements/provide statistics? will the media team be “representing” activists? if so, how will diversity be represented? will
the media team endeavor to deliver mainstream media to each action? most importantly the media team needs to understand that other
activists may be very concerned about helping to shape the message. messaging needs to be developed jointly and outside
the media working group!
don’t forget that “engaging” the media landscape doesn’t have to
mean conveying your message politely to corporate-media reporters. it can also mean
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disrupting live tv
news reports (or holding your message behind the reporter’s head). see we interrupt
this empire video.
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targeting the media by blockading their doors
or making a lot of noise until they agree to play/print your message in its entirety.
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tricking or manipulating the media (hinting
at breaking windows to attract them to a very different kind of action).
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refusing interviews with mainstream media (just faxing/handing
to them the call to action, informational broadsheets, action guidelines, and
referring to them to the local indymedia website)
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putting all your interviewing resources
into activist media.
There are lots of ways to get your message out. There is a temptation/tendency for groups to sometimes spend tremendous amounts of energy on planning and going to an action while neglecting (or paying less attention to) getting the word out about what they are doing and why.
whether you are a media working group for a large
mobilization or a 2-person media team for a small rally, you can do some incredible
media work. in choosing a tactic, your first consideration
should be the GOAL of the action, your second consideration should be your resources,
and your third consideration should be your own good judgment about how you
can honor the tone and intent of other activists while doing something that
sounds fun and empowering to you. don’t forget that
doing something hard for the first time (like writing a press release) can end
up being a really good experience! large media teams
can do multilayered, complex strategies involving hundreds of contacts. a
small media team for an affinity group action or a local event might choose
smaller tactics like these:
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recruiting an indymedia
reporter to cover the event for the local site and making sure s/he has a digital
camera to take photos for the feature.
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acting as an indymedia
reporter…
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identifying one seemingly progressive reporter in the local
newspaper and building a connection with them, providing them with information
about the event, setting up interviews, greeting them when they arrive, thank
them for coming, doing follow up with them after the event (particularly if
they can’t make it), and thanking them for the coverage they do.
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writing an opinion article for the local
“alternative” weekly or radio station.
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organizing graffit,
stencils, chalking, or banners announcing the event in the days prior.
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making a leafleting run to the local farmers market, plaza,
or other high-traffic location
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writing a brief report on the action for
publication in newsletters of local progressive organizations.
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faxing out press releases to a list of
local mainstream and alternative media before and after the action.
There are lots
of different ways that you can do media… and even if you don’t actually go the
action! Doing media strategically means
starting your media work before you go to an action, doing media work during
the action, and following up with the media after the
action is over.
We like
to think about these distinct ‘roles’ or ‘teams’ whose work should hopefully
complement each other: an ‘at home’ media
team, a media liaison as an affinity group role, the ‘action’ media team, and
independent media or the IMC.
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help activists get ready to talk
to the media
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media watch
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pressure local and national media
to cover the events accurately
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send updates on the mass action and your
local action to your local independent media center (imc).
to find your local imc, go to the main imc page and scroll
down the left hand side
affinity group
media liaison(s): it is likely that many people in your group will not
feel comfortable talking to the media. most of us are
not used to speaking in front of cameras and microphones so they make many of
us nervous (which in turn makes us sound less sharp or pithy than we might actually
be!).
we recommend making sure your group has a media liaison. this person should be very familiar with the talking points (find these online or maybe your group has prepared its own) & feel comfortable speaking to the media. however! everyone in your group should also be responsible for being able to intelligently answer the question "why are you out here today?" if a microphone is stuck in their face. after that, people can feel free to refer media inquiries to the group's media liaison. this is an important role and a good media liaison really, really needs to practice! it is a great role for someone who wants to sharpen their understanding of the issues because you will have to practice with the talking points and you will get very good at explaining complex issues in a concise way.
some tips
for being a good liaison [from Spin Works!
by Robert Bray]
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you have
something important to say and you want people to listen. Build up your self-confidence and command
attention
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have your
messages in mind before the interview!
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don’t be thrown
off by their questions. Turn the question
back to your key messages
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don’t try to
explain everything in your soundbite or interview.
stay on message.
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if you goof,
it’s OK. ask the reporter if you can
start over, unless you’re on live (very rare)
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practice, practice,
practice. and if you do mess up don’t
worry; the movement won’t collapse
independent media
(imc): be the media with the imc! If there is not
already an imc in the city where an action is taking
place, a temporary imc will usually be set up locally
by imc’ers from out of town. Find out (at the convergence center) where the
imc is set up and stop by to get involved. there are many roles to take. assess your skills,
maybe you aren’t excited about being a media spokesperson but you have important
computer tech skills or are good at typing. The imc may need you!
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join a team producing a video segment
or a daily local newspaper
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work security
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do tech support for the imc computers
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answer the phone, take street reports,
and put them on the newswire
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translate documents
and reports into another language, e.g., Spanish.
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be a video “runner” — dash into the
action so videographers can unload their tape and
get it back safely to the imc
action media team: this is not the same as the imc. usually the organizing committee
for the direct action sets up another kind of media team to deal especially
with press inquiries and stage press conferences. they
act as ‘media handlers’ and communicate with the mainstream media.
they need help with:
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media analysis
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finding a diverse collection of articulate
activists willing to give interviews
the media working group needs to make a stark evaluation of its
resources.
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are there folks skilled at giving interviews
with corporate-owned media who are likely to twist words? if so, which of the following media are the media spokespeople
comfortable with: print, radio, tv?
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are there folks willing and able to do other relations with
mainstream media such as organizing press conferences, writing press releases,
making follow-up calls with reporters, logistics like arranging interviews,
etc.
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do people have strong connections with workers
in the local “alternative” media? which ones?
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is there a functioning indymedia center or activist radio station?
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what sounds fun to us? what do we have energy for?
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does the media committee have access
to funds to create its own media?
your message is central to your media strategy! you will need to decide what is the core of what you want to say. the goal of a message is to capture the very essence of your issue, stated in an accessible way. great messages will capture how you are framing the issue, what your position it, and a call for action. amessage is not, "that full truckload of information and issues that you want to dump on the American people" as Jim Hightower insists. instead, it is what this truckload boils down to, articulated in a provocative way so that people will get it, remember it. be imaginative about how to display and convey your message. the possibilities are endless. sometimes people focus messages on large, highly visible things like banners or signs.
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don’t answer reporters’ questions, RESPOND to them
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speak in soundbites
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repeat your messages
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stay ‘on message’
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make ‘key messages’ your mantra
l good messages will be consistently conveyed to your audience in multiple media, including banners, signs, posters, stickers, soundbites, song, radical cheers, chalking, and so on
Talking
points are a good investment because they can be used over and over again in
letters to the editor, press releases, posters, flyers, and interviews.
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Never wing it. and don’t make up stuff. if
you do, you are likely to say something you regret.
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translate your message into soundbites and into language that wide audiences will understand.
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a soundbite is
a short, pithy version of your message that you can say in 8 to 10 seconds.
good soundbites don’t come naturally for most
of us so you will need to spend time thinking up and practicing them
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the longer you speak, the more likely
the media is to make you sound stupid. soundbites should be pre-written
and preferably memorized.
It helps personalize things when talking points tie the big protest issues to
local consequences. For example
Q “did you come here to get arrested?”
A “i’m not here to get arrested. we don’t want to go to jail, but we’re willing to risk our freedom to help abolish the death penalty.”
don’t feel obliged to answer a difficult question, you can reply with a soundbite.