MAKING YOUR EXPERIENCE COUNT:
TIPS FOR MEDIA ADVOCACY

Upon your return from the delegation, IFPB will send out your personalized Press Release to media in your area.  This will be followed by a phone call with you to discuss your media work.  It is natural to feel overwhelmed upon your return.  However, one way to channel these feelings and turn them into productive energy is to begin telling your story.

Our post-delegation media work is timely.  The news changes daily and reporters want the most up-to-date information.  Delegates usually only have a short window of 2-3 weeks to get the story before it becomes “old news”.  For this reason, follow-up on the press release should be immediate. 

The tips below will help you arrange Interviews and Editorial Board Meetings, pursue media for your speaking events and give you resources for writing Opinion/Editorial Pieces and Letters to the Editor.  A List of Online Resources for post-delegation media work are also included for your reference.

General Information on IFPB’s Media Work

Interfaith Peace-Builders believes that individual citizens can be empowered to take constructive action in the pursuit of peace in the Middle East, an end to the Israeli occupation and a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A deepened personal understanding of the conflict is important, but it does not change the situation by itself. Our partner organizations in Palestine/Israel want us to have an impact on public and foreign policy. This continuing work after the delegation is the most vital component of our program in trying to reach a just, peaceable solution to the conflict.

We ask delegates to make a commitment to informing others when they return, in order to increase public awareness and advocacy in the US. The goal is to persuade others to take action, which will affect US public policy and funding as it relates to violence in the region.

Advocacy with the media is one of the easiest and most effective ways individual citizens can support peace and equal rights in Palestine/Israel. Racism, structural inequities and corporate ownership of the mainstream media in North America makes it increasingly difficult to find honest and factual reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  As a first-hand witness to the situation on the ground in Israel/Palestine, you are uniquely situated to bring an alternative voice.  By telling your story and those of the people you met on the delegation, you can bring to light the reality that does not often find the pages of North American newspapers or other media. 

Tips for Media Advocacy

Media advocacy can take many forms.  The tips below are drawn from IFPB’s own experience as well as resources compiled from experienced media consultant Pete Wirth of GW Associates and the activist organization Palestine Media Watch.  More information is also available on their websites which we have included in the resource list at the end of this section. 

Below, we focus on 5 elements of effective media work:

1)  Arranging Interviews

Most people don’t realize that obtaining interviews takes a lot of work.  An interview with the mainstream media usually takes 3-7 calls per reporter.  After your Press Release is sent out, be ready to make a series of follow-up calls to the media in your area.  The delegation has armed you with the information and experience to be an advocate for peace and justice in Israel/Palestine, you should be prepared to do the important media work that follows.

IFPB staff will record the media contacts you listed on your pre-delegation media contact sheet and do some additional research to build a strong database for your region.  Your Press Release will be sent to all these contacts.  IFPB will then discuss the media strategy with individual delegates.  We will work with you to reach a strategy that fits with your schedule.  Remember: Our post-delegation media work is timely - follow-up on the press release should be immediate. 

Follow-up Calls:  When you call a reporter, editor, talk show host or producer, you can assume that they will not have noticed your release.  Media contacts receive hundreds of press releases every day and do not read most of them.  That is why your follow-up calls are essential.  Chances are, you will need to resend them the Press Release again.  Specify the subject of the e-mail you are sending and send it as soon after the phone call as possible.

Messages:  Many times you will not reach the media contact you are calling and will be asked to leave a voicemail message.  If this is your first round of follow-up calls, it is a good idea to leave the message and re-send the release via e-mail (again, specify the subject of the e-mail in your voicemail message).

More Calls:  One follow-up call will rarely be enough to land an interview.  We suggest that you keep an updated contact sheet for each media contact you make.  Record the date and result of every contact.  Use these notes when you make the next call.  Remind the media contact when the last time you spoke was and what he/she told you at that point.  Keep calling until you get a definite answer – either a Yes or a No – but don’t be a nuisance.

The Interview:  Once you land an interview, IFPB staff can help you develop talking points or consult with you on interview strategies.  Just call us.  One immediate tip:  we have noticed that many North American reporters prefer to focus on delegates’ individual experiences at the expense of the facts on the ground in Israel/Palestine.  You may want to pay extra attention to bringing facts and stories that illustrate what you witnessed.  Check out examples of articles from past delegations here.  For more tips on interviewing click here.

Build a Relationship:  Use your interview to build a relationship with the reporter/interviewer.  To this end, you may also want to make small talk before or after the interview.  Be friendly and ask the interviewer questions about their own interest in Israel/Palestine.  Relationships with reporters can open up many avenues for later media activism.  You can return to the reporter later for coverage of local events, a return trip to Israel/Palestine, or even other related issues.  The reporter may even begin to use you as a resource in their own work.  When an article is published, be sure to follow-up with the reporter to thank him/her and mention your interest in continuing the relationship. 

2) Arranging Editorial Board Meetings

In addition to direct interviews, Editorial Board meetings are a crucial aspect of an effective media strategy.  An Editorial Board meeting is a closed meeting with one or more of a newspaper’s editors.  It is an opportunity for you to speak directly with the people in charge of editorial policy at your local paper.  It is not unheard of for an editor to write an Editorial piece following a board meeting, however, it is more likely that they will use the meeting for their own background information when making editorial decisions.

Making an Appointment:  To schedule an editorial board meeting, follow the same process for an interview detailed above.  Editors are even harder to reach than reporters and receive even more volume of e-mail and phone messages.  Therefore, you may also want to send your request for a meeting and your Press Release to Editorial Assistants or Assistant Editors.

Preparation:  Preparation is key for a successful Editorial Board meeting.  Prior to the meeting, do some research to find out how specific editors cover Israel/Palestine.  Look at their past editorials or talk to people who may know them or discussed the issue in the past.  Your paper’s Editors may hold a variety of views on the subject.  Decide what you want to focus on and lay-out talking points and facts that support your arguments.  Call IFPB if you need advice or resources or want to discuss your meeting.

Content:  During the meeting, focus on your experience and what you know.  Editors will most likely be interested in hearing about your first-hand experience and will want to hear about conditions on the ground at this time.  We recommend crafting your presentation around these considerations. 

Prepare a 15-20 minute presentation, but be prepared for the editors to interrupt with questions.  Editorial Boards can vary wildly – some will be content to sit quietly and take notes with limited questions, others will interject often and steer the discussion towards topics which interest them.  It is important to state up-front that you are not a politician.  You may not be comfortable answering certain questions and that is fine.  It is perfectly acceptable to decline to answer a question that you do not know the answer to.

Leave Reading Materials:  It is a good idea to leave editors with reading materials (fact sheets, important articles, maps, etc.).  Ideally you should use materials that support your presentation and which you refer to during the course of your talk.  Contact IFPB if you’d like advice on what resources you can bring.

Build a Relationship:  Your Editorial Board Meeting is only the beginning of our work.  An hour meeting is not going to change the mind of an editor or change the course of your paper’s reporting on Israel/Palestine.  You should view the meeting as the beginning of a relationship.  Building a relationship with your editors allows you access to them when they publish facts that are wrong or if you wish to publish an Op/Ed piece or letter in the newspaper.

At the end of the meeting, ask if you could meet with them again in 3 months or so (if you work with an activist group, you may also wish to bring any guest speakers to meet with the Editorial Board).  Ask for the business cards of attendees before you leave, and supply them with your own business card.

View your task as a long term one.  They need to understand that you will always be here.  Be persistent but don't overdo follow-up e-mails or letters.  One mail every few days should be your limit.   For more tips on Editorial Board Meetings click here.

3)  Arranging Media for Your Speaking Events

Media contacts (particularly newspaper reporters) may be especially interested in reporting on your speaking events.  Therefore, additional contacts should be made to your media list prior to your presentations.

Re-write your Press Release:  You can use the original Press Release we sent out on your return from the delegation but you should edit it to include the information about your event.  Include time, place, sponsors and any additional relevant information.  Keep your release short and to the point.  Click here for tips on writing a press release.

Follow-up:  As in your first contacts with reporters, follow-up is key.  The same call volume is needed in order to obtain media coverage for your speaking event.  Contact IFPB for help here.  We should be able to help make calls.  Your local sponsors should also be able to work with you on this. 

Return to Reporters you Worked With:  If a reporter did write an earlier article on your delegation, contact him/her directly when you do a speaking event.  You now have a personal contact with him/her and it will be easier to raise interest a second time.  That doesn’t mean that you will not need to follow-up.  Chances are that even your tried and true contacts will need a number of calls and e-mails before they take on the story.

For more information on arranging media for a speaking event or tour click here.

4)  Writing and Publishing Opinion/Editorial Pieces

One of the best ways to make your voice heard in the mainstream media is to submit an Opinion/Editorial (Op/Ed) piece to your local newspaper.  Media Consultant Pete Wirth defines an Op/Ed as “a written expression of an individual's or group's opinion on a matter of public interest.”

An Op/Ed should be between 600 and 900 words and present a clear argument and/or convey a particular opinion.  It should be tied to a hook – generally a current event, important date in history, or contribution to a continuing debate in your newspaper or local area, etc.

Newspaper editors select Op/Eds based on interest to readers, quality of writing, originality of thought, timeliness, and freshness of viewpoint. Additionally, consideration is given to the number of articles already published on the topic, the strength of the argument and the writer's expertise on the issue.

Getting Your Op/Ed Published:  Publishing an Op/Ed can be a longer process than getting an interview or editorial board meeting.  Once you write and submit a finished Op/Ed, you need to follow-up as you would a Press Release.  Call the Editors of the paper until they acknowledge receipt of the piece, and give you a definite answer.  You could also use Editorial Board Meetings as a time to introduce an Op/Ed.  Don’t be too pushy, remember that you are cultivating a relationship with the Editors.  If your piece is rejected, ask for more information on why they chose not to run it and how you can improve your chances of having future writing published.

More tips for writing Op/Eds are available here.

5)  Writing and Publishing Letters to the Editor

A relatively easy way to contribute to the media discourse is by writing Letters to the Editor.  Letters should be short (100-150 words), simple and usually relevant to an article or ongoing debate in the paper of publication.  Send the letter to the address given in your newspaper for “Letters to the Editor” and address it to the “Letters Editor”.

Focus on ONE point and make that point at the beginning of the letter.  When referring to a specific item published in the newspaper, cite that item in your opening sentence.  Palestine Media Watch references several other guidelines to follow:

• Explicitly indicate that you would like the letter to be considered for publication before the main text.
• If you are asserting facts, provide references below the letter.
• Provide your full name, home address, and a phone number you can be reached.  If your daytime and evening phone numbers are different, provide both.
• Avoid needlessly harsh language, but don’t be afraid to be passionate.  Hysteria will not help, but don’t be afraid to express your anger, as long as you stick to a point of substance.
• Think carefully about your wording.  A list of terminology proposed by Palestine Media Watch can be found here.

Here are two sample letters to the editor:*

* Source: Palestine Media Watch (www.pmwatch.org)

List of Online Resources for Media Activism:

There are a great deal of resources for your media work available online.  Here are a few web sites to get you started:

GW Associates
Peter Wirth, of GW Associates, is a media consultant with a wealth of experience in media advocacy for activists and progressive causes.  Pete’s Media Guide includes resource sheets for a variety of advocacy techniques and is an essential resource and is available in full here.

Palestine Media Watch
A group dedicated to raising awareness and accuracy in the coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  The site includes tips on meeting with Editorial Boards, writing Letters to the Editor and more.

The Institute for Middle East Understanding
An organization providing journalists and editors with information on Palestine and Palestinians.  Their Background Briefings can be used as fact sheets for Editorial Board Meetings or articles.

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting
A broad media watchdog group focusing on many progressive issues in the US.  Their Media Activism Kit is very useful.

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