#media guide

League Prints

League Prints helps youth, high school and amateur sports leagues design and print media guides and yearbooks.

I realize there’s a lot of things that most people don’t understand completely about how news outlets do or don’t decide to cover things and how stories go viral. And I know, especially now, there is going to be a lot of activism you want the media to pay attention to. So I figured I, a member of the media, would try to do something to help fix that.

Here are the best tips I can offer if you’re trying to get the news media’s attention:

1. Start local. Think local newspapers -- dailies and weeklies. Getting the attention of large, national outlets is fucking hard if you’re just starting out. But a local media outlet, especially newspapers and local TV stations, are a good place to start. They wants to know what’s going on in their communities, and they want to beat out any other local outlet that might cover it. If you have an event coming up -- a vigil, a protest, a guest speaker -- call the newsroom, say you have a story idea. You should be connected to either an assignment editor or a reporter who’s most likely to cover the event. Be polite but firm and direct. Tell them what the event is, where it is, when it is. Mention any local big-name people who might be attending (the mayor? the leader of the local ACLU? a minor celebrity?). (If you don’t want to or can’t call, emailing works too.) The good thing about local newspapers is that they feed into larger outlets. The Associated Press, McClatchy, and to a slightly lesser extent Reuters, pull a lot of their non-national news coverage direct from their local news subscribers. So if your local paper subscribes to the AP or McClatchy (the dailies almost certainly do; the weeklies might, too), then AP and McClatchy will have access to the local outlet’s information. And a lot of larger newspapers -- think Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, etc. -- also subscribe to the AP and McClatchy (and Bloomberg and a few others. But AP is the big one). Which means those larger outlets now have access to that story, too -- and they’re more likely to publish that story when they get it from AP, because it now takes very minimal effort on their part. (John Oliver did a pretty decent job of explaining how local outlets’s coverage feeds into larger outlet, although he didn’t specifically cite AP -- more to the point that local papers cover local things, which then wind up drawing national attention.) If you want it in a graphic, it’s kind of like, um... Local news outlet ==> AP/McClatchy/etc. ==> National outlets

2. Write a letter. Letters to the editor are old-fashioned, I guess. But you know who reads them? Old people. And you know who votes more and are more likely to hold positions in government? Old people. Writing a letter to the editor is free. Individual papers will have their own guidelines, which are usually listed on their websites and in their papers. If you can, write an OpEd (an opinion-based column usually run on the page next to the editorial page), which will give you a lot more space to work with: Letters to the Editor are usually about 100-150 words long, OpEd columns are about 600+, depending on the outlet. If you want to write an OpEd instead of a letter to the editor, I’d recommend getting in touch with the editor in charge of that section first. Their contact info should be listed on the newspaper’s website, and in the newspaper itself.

3. Talk to a local radio station. College radio stations are good for this. Alt-rock radio stations might be more sympathetic to your cause than, say, Christian contemporary stations. Local NPR stations are a good place to check, too. You might not get a prime time slot, but you’re still getting your message out to an audience you might not otherwise reach. Does your local news or PBS station have a morning talk show that features local people doing interesting local things? Try to get on that, too.

4. Make a Facebook page for your event. If you have a larger group that’s going to keep meeting beyond just one event, make a page for that, too. Make sure it has contact info on it. If you email a media outlet about your event, include a link to the Facebook page. This makes everyone’s life a lot easier for sharing information. And if a reporter sees the event has a bunch of people planning on attending, they’re that much more likely to cover the event. Post photos of the event to the page soon after or during the event, if possible. If a media outlet asks to use a photo, say yes (so long as it’s yours to share). Make sure you get proper credit; raise a stink if you don’t. If they ask to use multiple photos, say they can use one for free with credit, but ask for payment for others. Seriously, if they wanted multiple photos to use, they should have sent their own damn photographer. If they use a photo you posted without asking your permission first, that’s bullshit and violates copyright law. Let them know you know as such (maybe lead with the copyright law violation and move onto the accusation of bullshit if they’re not nice and don’t immediately fix it). If they do it more than once, they’re assholes. Threaten to call a lawyer; follow through if need be. The creator of any work retains the rights to that work, even when it’s posted on Facebook. You’d be amazed at how many seasoned journalists don’t get this. (I once sat through a 90-minute group lecture from a company lawyer about copyright law after a reporter I worked with got the company sued for illegally using a photo. This shit is serious.)

5. Please don’t try to bribe or threaten anyone. Do I have to say this? Bribing is unethical. Threats will get the police called on you (unless you’re threatening to sue and have a legit claim). It helps no one. You can express your frustration, of course, and be direct. But don’t be a creep.  

6. If you’re going to call, do so during fairly normal business hours. Definitely before 7 p.m., if you can swing it. By 8 p.m. is OK but pushing it. If you call after 9 p.m. (and people do), chances are good that there won’t be an editor or manager there to take your call, and any reporter on duty is going to be busy. If you don’t want to get a call at a weird hour, neither does the newsroom. If you can’t call, email. If you can’t email, send a message on Facebook (direct message, not a wall post). Twitter messages and mentions are not ideal and are much more likely to be ignored.

7. Be prepared to give your name, town of residence, and phone number. This is standard. You can give only your first name if it makes you feel more comfortable. Asking for this information isn’t the reporter trying to be a creep or sell you out (although I know it can feel like that). They just want to know who they’re talking to, if you’re local, and how to contact you if they have any further questions. If you don’t want to give a phone number, email will probably work too. 

8. Share the story/OpEd/video/radio interview on social media. Everywhere. Get your friends to share it. Get all of your family to share it. Share it back on the Facebook event page. Share it literally everywhere you can think. Use hashtags. Pew Research Center found that 62% of US adults get their news through social media. Meet your audience where they already are.