Overview

Our ultimate job as activists is to change laws and influence public policy. Which means we have to do two things: 1) educate elected officials and then 2) persuade them to do the right thing based on that education. But most elected officials are inherently cautious. They like to avoid big change, especially if there’s opposition from the business community. So simply educating leaders is rarely enough, even with most progressive leaders. They have to be convinced that large numbers of voters are educated, too, and that voters want big change. Getting your core supporters to produce letters, phone calls, and constituent meetings with leaders will help enormously in this regard. But what seals the deal for most politicians is when your issue is covered favorably in the media. Whenever important social/environmental campaigns are regularly in the news, the outcome is usually positive. When they are not, the outcome is usually negative. Which means you must, finally, get the media’s attention and, once you have it, significantly influence their coverage. This can be one of the toughest tasks an organizer faces. But very successful media campaigns are possible through dogged persistence, sharp messaging, and a willingness to use creative, attention-grabbing tactics.

Get to Know Your Local Journalists

Pick up the phone and say hello -- The first, obvious step to successful media relations is getting to know the journalists in your area who are most likely to cover your campaign. Which newspaper writers cover environmental and/or energy stories? What progressive radio station can be counted on? Who are the assignment editors at the local TV stations? Get to know these people. Call them up and introduce your organization and your campaign. Let them know that your initiative has broad support and will be very newsworthy in the coming weeks and months. Begin selling them on the story even before your first planned press conference or direct action. Journalists are always, always looking for compelling stories, especially if they perceive an interesting conflict is involved. And they like it when advocates take the time to make a thoughtful pitch.

Create a media database -- Make sure you keep a file with the names and contact information of all the journalists you meet. Highlight the ones who show interest or actually begin covering your issue. Regularly update your database since turnover is common at media outlets. If you have a media event and reporters you don’t know attend, always ask for a card and add them to the database. Being organized like this prepares you for thorough and rapid outreach during the campaign.

Learn to write winning press releases – This isn’t rocket science. A good press release or advisory is simply a good story well told. First, make sure you have a good story (see more on “tactics” below). Then tell the story well (see sample press release in the appendix). Releases should be clear, well organized, full of good quotes from campaign leaders, and – most important – they must be bold, confident, and forceful.

Follow up with journalists -- Make sure you promptly thank individual reporters whenever they cover your story responsibly. Keep them interested in the campaign’s next steps so they’ll stay on the story. And whenever you get bad or inaccurate coverage don’t hesitate to respectfully call up and convey your concerns, making the argument that the truth is something else. Politely but firmly argue your case.

Creative Tactics: Give the Media Something Big to Cover

It’s not enough to personally know your area reporters and maintain a good database. What they need more than anything is a good story to cover. They seek out things they’ve never seen before. Some action that’s creative but not frivolous. Something that shows real public support and grassroots organization and that, finally, is important. We already know our cause is important but how do we make it immediately newsworthy. The trick is to be bold and actually do something.

Shake things up -- Time and time again we at CCAN have watched an important bill make unacceptably slow progress or lose steam altogether because not enough people were paying attention. Basic education wasn’t enough for the politicians or the media. So we had to force the issue with carefully planned actions in a highly public space. Examples:

Plan a hybrid car parade. In 2003, an important energy-efficiency bill was passed by the Maryland general assembly but was vetoed by the governor. So the day before the legislature scheduled a veto-override vote, we decorated dozens of hybrid cars from all across the state and drove endless circles around the governor’s house. The media turned out in droves and the stories were all positive. Two days later, the veto was overturned.

Dumping a ton of coal on the U.S. Capitol lawn. To protest the flawed U.S. energy bill, we purchased and dumped one ton of raw coal a few hundred feet from the Capitol steps. We had a permit to do this, but the action was so novel that CNN and lots of other media came. The bad bill eventually passed but we made a strong statement. We then cleaned up the coal and we have used it again at other confrontational events with good results.

Testing politicians for mercury poisoning. In support of a Maryland power-plant cleanup bill, we boldly invited state representatives to submit strands of their hair for mercury testing, knowing that elevated mercury levels were prevalent in the state from coal-fired power plants. A shocking one third of the several dozen politicians tested showed significantly elevated levels. The media coverage was tremendous and the bill eventually passed.

Civil disobedience – The tactic of nonviolent civil disobedience can be very powerful when used strategically and only when absolutely necessary. We at CCAN have used this tactic only once, when six of our supporters peacefully blocked the entrance to a Maryland coal-fired power plant until arrested. Again, the action was in service of a power-plant cleanup bill and again the media turnout was enormous. The key is to use this tactic only when the stakes are very high and no other prior tactic has succeeded in generating sufficient attention.

Conclusion

Politicians always prefer to take the path of least resistance. If they can pass a weak bill or no bill at all, thus avoiding the wrath of a powerful industry like the power companies, then that’s what they’ll do. They’ll take big steps only if they see an organized campaign and they sense that lots of people are paying attention. Nothing achieves this kind of pressure better than sustained and positive media coverage. And that coverage comes best when people like us “act up” in creative ways behind an issue that really matters.