Tips for working with the media

none 16 Nov 2006 – 10:11 (modified on 03 Mar 2008 – 15:51)

by mlepeska

Below you will find some basic ideas for dealing with the media.

  1. Be clear about your message: the theme of World AIDS Day and your local emphasis (see the World AIDS Day Fact Sheet at xxxxx).
  2. Get a list of relevant media contacts (local, state or province, national) – newspaper, journals, television, radio). Find out who is the best journalist to receive your press releases, and, if they want photos, what format they prefer.
  3. Consider ways you can make your actions more interesting to the media, such as through a local celebrity or public figure or a symbolic action that would provide a good photo – such as presenting signatures to a “Keep the Promise’ petition to government officials.
  4. Name someone for the media to contact, preferably someone who has a mobile phone and is willing to be reached at all hours.
  5. Send a first news release to the media alerting them to the upcoming World AIDS Day events (see “Writing a Press Release”) at least two weeks in advance.
  6. Follow up with key journalists or programs to make sure they have seen the release and to suggest events or angles that would particularly interest them.
  7. Name spokespeople who are articulate, knowledgeable, and comfortable in a media interview.
  8. Arrange for a photographer to cover the events (especially in case a news photographer cannot come).
  9. Send photos and news stories to the media immediately after the event.

You can also write a letter to the editor of your newspaper, or a longer opinion piece, on your concerns for HIV and AIDS and World AIDS Day events.

Other Resources:

Working with the Media: A Guide to help non-governmental organisations and other health communicators become more active and effective in their relations with the media, prepared by the World Health Communication Association.

English: http://www.env-health.org/IMG/pdf/English_final-2.pdf

Deutsch : http://www.env-health.org/IMG/pdf/German_final.pdf

Français : http://www.env-health.org/IMG/pdf/French_final.pdf

Русский: http://www.env-health.org/IMG/pdf/Russian_final.pdf

To help you communicate “Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise”, here are some resources from the World AIDS Campaign and other sources:

World AIDS Day Fact Sheet, plus photos and poster images – free use with credit

World AIDS Day CD-Rom

English: http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/wadcd2006/indexEn.html

Français: http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/wadcd2006/indexFr.html

Español : http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/wadcd2006/indexSp.html

Русский: http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/wadcd2006/indexRu.html

2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic (UNAIDS): http://www.unaids.org/en/HIV_data/2006GlobalReport/default.asp

UNAIDS’ editors notes for authors : http://data.unaids.org/pub//InformationNote/2006/EditorsNotes_en.pdf

25 Years of AIDS: Timeline and factsheet: http://data.unaids.org/pub/FactSheet/2006/20060428_FS_25YearsofAIDS_en.pdf

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