Biodiversity
is the variety of life on Earth – plants, animals,
ecosystems. It
is essential to sustaining the living networks and
systems our lives depend on. We have a biodiversity
crisis and the community is very concerned about it.
Protecting biodiversity
with its vast permanent carbon stores is essential to
tackling climate change.
Australia has failed
to achieve its 2010 Biodiversity Target; to significantly
reduce the rate of biodiversity loss.
The Australian
Government needs to commit to the Boobook Declaration.
The Government needs to acknowledge the importance of
biodiversity by increasing investment in its protection
and building the capacity of the Australian community
to take action. (for more detail see www.boobook.org.au)
Use every opportunity to repeat
these messages in media releases, interviews or letters
to editors, etc. See
our Biodiversity in Brief for more detail on the values
of biodiversity.
2 Getting
the messages out – local media
Local media is an easy and effective
way to get our messages out to the wider community, and
to politicians. MPs
are keen to know what their voters think, and what appears
in the media is considered a significant guide to this.
What do we mean by local media? – Local and regional
newspapers, local and regional radio & TV as well as
community radio. Local and regional newspapers are widely
read in the community, while local and regional radio & TV
are widely watched & listened to. Local media
is also well read and monitored by local politicians and
relevant government agencies, while media monitoring services
ensure that media stories are reported to decision-makers.
Imagine the impact of regular stories about biodiversity
in dozens of local papers and on local radio & TV right
across Australia.
Using a media release to maintain control of the process
The best way to communicate your
messages and avoid the ‘surprise’ of being misquoted
(or of saying something you don’t mean to) is by writing
and sending in a media release.
Click here for tips on how to write your media release
and here for a sample media release.
Remember that journalists are professionals and they are
after a story. Make sure you don’t inadvertently
give them a story you didn’t mean to. This applies
to even friendly local journalists. Only say
things that you want to have printed or broadcast.
Try to use your media release as the basis of everything
you say to the journalist. If you are talking to
the journalist by phone, it’s easy and totally acceptable
to read from your media release - as if you are speaking
spontaneously. If it is a face-to-face interview,
try memorizing it before the interview.
As well as your media release, it is handy to have a list
of potential questions and answers. See biodiversity
in brief to help you prepare for any potential curly questions. Send a copy of your media release and any media coverage to advocacy@boobook.org.au
Local newspapers
How to get a story about the Boobook Declaration
in your local paper
Local papers cover local news stories. They are keen
to cover stories about significant things that are happening,
or are about to happen, in the local community. Local
journalists are generally friendly and easy to work with.
You may already know journalists at the local paper/s. If
so that’s great, you are well placed to get the coverage
needed to support the campaign. If you don’t already know
the local journalists – there’s no time like the present.
The best way to get your story in the local paper is to
send your media release to the journalist and follow up
with a phone call.
Journalists on local papers are extremely busy, often part-time
and are expected to write a number of stories and articles
each week. A media release makes their job easier
for them – you might even find your well-written media
release reproduced fully in the story that appears in the
paper.
Some local newspaper publishers now provide for people
to directly submit stories online, such as Leader Newspapers
in Victoria http://leader-news.whereilive.com.au/your-news/new/
Deadlines
Before you start preparing your media story check when
the deadline is for your local paper. Weekly papers
will all have deadlines on different days, and deadlines
for stories are often different from deadlines for photos. It
is better to get your media release to the journalist early
in their week – soon after the paper for the current week
is completed. Create photo opportunities
It is much easier to get a story printed if there is a
great picture that goes with it. Think about possible
pictures that the local paper could take to go with your
story and suggest them to the journalist, and/or provide
a high resolution good digital photo and caption, with
permission to use it, to the journalist. Letters to the editor
Letters to the editor are a very easy way to get the message
in the local paper. It enables you or others to voice
an opinion to policymakers and to educate readers.
You can use letters to correct or interpret facts in response
to an inaccurate or biased article, to praise or criticise
a recent article or editorial, or simply provide your opinion
on a current issue.
Without exception, the letters section is one of the most
highly read sections in the paper. Make sure you read the
paper before you write to get an idea of the format, Don’t
miss out on this chance to reach the public - write early
and often.
Be timely – Capitalise on recent
news and events that have been covered in the paper
or that have happened locally – write within 24 hours
if possible. Use
special days and events to highlight your issue, such
as World Environment Day on 5 June .
Keep it short and simple – Keep your points clear and
stick to one subject. If you look at the editorial page,
a few paragraphs are all they usually print.
Think locally – make your emphasis local, explain how
lack of funding for biodiversity affects people locally;
mention what the Government can do to solve the problem.
Include your name, address and
telephone number. The
paper may need to contact you if they are considering
printing your letter. Don’t worry—they won’t print your
phone or street address. Most newspapers prefer to receive
letters by email; their email address will be provided
in the paper.
Don’t be discouraged if your letter
is not printed. Every time you submit a letter, you are
educating the editor of your paper and paving the way
for future letters to be printed. In larger papers a ratio of one printed
to ?four [tbc] sent would be very good going; in
smaller ones you have a better chance.
Local and regional radio
How to get a story about the Boobook Declaration
on local radio
Radio coverage can be either on the news or during an interview
by a presenter of a regular program - current affairs,
drive time, etc.
If you are planning an event or activity, be sure to write
a media release and send it to the local or regional radio
station/s. Or if you have a simple news story
which makes an announcement or comments on Government actions
or policy write your media release and send it in.
News On the day before your event send
a ‘media alert’ to the radio station
newsroom – it should simply say in
as few paragraphs as possible what
will happen tomorrow, when and where,
and who they can contact for more information. It
should not include the core information that will be released tomorrow. Don’t
turn your ‘media alert’ into a media release.
If you already know the journalists in the newsroom that
will make your job easier – you can just ring them and
make sure they know the event is on and that it’s in the
newsroom diary for tomorrow with your contact details. If
you don’t know anyone in the newsroom, just speak politely
to whoever answers the phone. Check they have the
alert and that your event & contact details are in
the newsroom diary for tomorrow (remember, the person you
are speaking to may not be working tomorrow). On the day of your event or if you have a simple news story -
send your media release through to the newsroom as soon
as possible after the event has started or, if it is short,
as soon as it is over. Be mindful of when
the news is broadcast – give journalists plenty of time to write & record
the story before the news. If you can send a photo as well, that’s even
better.
Again ring the newsroom. Identify yourself and your
organisation and check that your media release has got
through and ask whether they need any further information,
or would like to do a brief interview (a ‘grab’) for the
news broadcast.
Remember that radio news will probably play no more than
a few seconds of your ‘interview’. Having spent the
time writing your media release, it should double as your
‘script’ for radio. Think about the ONE thing that
you want the listeners to hear and make sure you can say
it in a few seconds. Say it first and say it again
in response to later questions – make sure the thing you
want to say is the thing that is picked for broadcast.
Current affairs and daily presenters’ programs
Local current affairs programs and the daily round
of talk shows throughout the day are a great way of
getting good media coverage.
If you have an event planned, for example the launch of
a project relating to biodiversity conservation, contact
the program’s host or the producer the week before and
explain what’s going to happen and why, and ask if they
would be interested in covering your event next week.
Before the interview, be sure to write a media release
and use that as the basis for what you will say in your
interview, and relate it to the Boobook Declaration.
Interviews are generally short – they’ll be over in a flash,
so be prepared. If you are going live to air the
whole interview might be as short as 3 or 4 minutes. If
it is pre-recorded it could be 5-10 minutes. Either
way you will probably not get more than 4 or 5 “sound bites”
sandwiched in between the interviewer’s comments and questions,
and each sound bite might be as short as 10 – 20 seconds. So
be prepared to be brief and succinct. Again, think
about the ONE thing that you want the listeners to hear
and make sure you can say it (more than once if you can).
3 Metropolitan
daily newspapers
The daily newspapers with state
or nation-wide circulation are only interested in news
and views that have a correspondingly wide appeal. The
advice above for local newspapers applies to the dailies,
but it is more difficult to get coverage. If
you are successful, it will be very valuable publicity.
Letters to the editor are probably the best opportunity.
Keep your letter short, sharp and witty and it will have
a much better chance of getting published. It is a good
idea to refer to a topical issue that has just been reported
or featured in the newspaper, and relate this to the broader
biodiversity crisis and the Boobook requests.
Metropolitan daily newspapers particularly like stories
about animals and people. Photo opportunities will be especially
valuable with getting a story in this case.
4 Ideas
for media stories
Launch your local biodiversity project.
Run up a series of stories to highlight the ‘good news’
(e.g. surveys for a local threatened species) and ‘bad
news’ (e.g. loss of local habitat; lack of funding for
a specific project; decline of a local threatened species).
Use a key date such as International Day for Biodiversity
(22 May) to publicise a local biodiversity story.
Publicise your letters and/or delegation to the local
MP/s and what you have asked them to do.
Publicise any great things your organisation is doing
(especially new things).
Publicise visits or events with interesting personalities.
PS. Spend
some time reading newspaper articles and listening to radio
and TV (including their web pages) to see how stories are
put together. It’s also a good
idea to scan the news each day to see if there is an
issue you can respond to that helps get your message
out.
Tips on writing a Media Release [1]
1. A good media
release will be simple,
brief and accurate.
2. Use a catchy title to
attract attention. It is unlikely this will be reproduced.
Its purpose is to get the journalist to read the release. It
should accurately reflect what your story is about.
3. Announce the basic message
in the first paragraph including who, where, when,
how and what. The ‘when’ should be very recent for
it to be news. This paragraph should be an announcement
giving a succinct overview of the story.
Always start with the strongest and most important point,
the most important facts and ideas. The newsworthiness
of your release will depend on the first couple of paragraphs
– and the editors will cut from the bottom up. Be
sure to include your organisation’s name in the first paragraph
or two.
4. The second paragraph expands on the
first by introducing the speaker. Identify
the person quoted by giving their title or position the
first time their name is used. You should also include
any other relevant information that puts the story in context,
e.g. where they were and what happened or will happen or
was said. It is preferable to have only one
speaker in the release.
5. The remainder of the release, after
the first paragraph, should contain no more than about three
key ideas, concepts or aspects of the story. It
should be broken into about 3-5 paragraphs, with the less
important information towards the end of the story. Keep
it simple. Don’t write an essay.
6. Quotes ensure that
the exact words you want are used. In fact, the core
of the release after the first paragraph can all be quotes,
if you wish.
7. Language should be
simple. No long or unusual words. Use a good
simile or metaphor or some colourful picture language to
liven up your story, and graphically convey your message
in a succinct, memorable way.
8. Ideally, the length should
not exceed a page.
9. If you are emailing, include
the release in the body of your email so the reader
goes straight to the story. Hide any other recipients as
Bcc addresses,.
10. Contact
information MUST be provided at the end of the
story. This should include phone contacts outside usual
working hours and numbers for which you are sure someone
will be available, if a journalist rings. This is
essential information to ensure coverage.
11. A
phone call to confirm that it has been received also draws
attention to your story.
12. Style
Pointers
Favour short, simple
words (i.e. ‘begin’ not ‘commence’)
Write simple sentences.
Use direct expression
(i.e. ‘Three engineers worked on the project’, not ‘There
were three engineers working on the project’).
Use active voice, never
passive (i.e. ‘The Minister said’, not ‘It was said by
the Minister’).
Avoid beginning
sentences with “There is/are/was…”.
Don’t state
the obvious, and always be on the lookout for tautologies/repetitions.
Include the
date.
5. Media
links
Its best to send your media release
as widely as possible to newspaper, radio and television
outlets that you consider should be interested in your
story. For a local story,
it is a good idea to find the contact details for your
local and regional papers and radios. Some links
to national newspapers, radio and TV are provided below.
NAIDOC Week celebrating
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and
contributions
September
Biodiversity Month
7 September
Threatened Species Day
4 October
World Animal Day
18-29 October
10th meeting of the Conference
of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity,
Nagoya, Japan
23-29 October
Bird Week
December
– January is also a good time to send stories into media,
as this is their quiet time.
NB. 2011 is the International Year of Forests (www.un.org/esa/forests/2011/2011)
and 2012 is Rio+20, the 20th anniversary of the Rio Earth
Summit when the Biodiversity Convention was negotiated. Brazil
will host EarthSummit2012 in December 2012 (http://www.earthsummit2012.org/)
7. Media
Release template
<<Insert your logo here>> Media Release 5
June, 2010 Landcare Group plants 2010 trees for Endangered
parrot
Boobook Declaration: call for action in 2010 International
Year of Biodiversity
In a huge effort to celebrate 2010 as the International
Year for Biodiversity, today the Potts Landcare Group finished
planting 2010 eucalypt trees for the Endangered Silver-spotted
Parrot.
Landcare group President Amy White said that over 200 people
from the local community came along to the weekend-long
planting. “The support today demonstrates the huge
interest that we have for biodiversity protection in our
community”, Ms White said.
Ms White said that the planting will provide essential
habitat to the Endangered Silver-spotted Parrot. “The
Silver-spotted Parrot is relying on the support of the
community to protect vital habitat and ensure the bird’s
survival into the future.” Ms White said that much
more work needs to be done to protect the parrot’s habitat
and monitor its recovery, but resources are limited.
The Silver-spotted Parrot has declined by 60% in the past
25 years, largely due to land clearing and a resulting
loss in available habitat.
This week the Potts Landcare Group wrote to the Australian
government and asked for increased funding to protect threatened
species and their habitats. “Especially in the International
Year of Biodiversity, our biodiversity should be a priority”,
said Ms White.
The group has also asked the government to adopt the Boobook
Declaration, which acknowledges the critical importance
of biodiversity and the need for urgent action.
Ends For more information contact
<<Name
<<Email
<<Phone Note to editors
- Photos
are available.
- Interviews
are available with <<name>>
About the Boobook Declaration
The Boobook Declaration calls on the Australian Government
to
1. Acknowledge the critical importance of safeguarding
biodiversity as part of Australia’s climate change response
and commit to correspondingly urgent action to address
the systemic drivers of biodiversity loss.
2. Increase investment in biodiversity and ecosystem protection,
restoration and management to at least $9 billion over
the three years to 2012 and establish an independent consultative
process into future funding and stewardship of Australia’s
terrestrial, aquatic and marine biodiversity.
3. Restore and increase publicly funded research capacity.
4. Develop education and training programs for all sectors
of the community.
The International Year of Biodiversity is designated by
the United Nations to celebrate biodiversity and raise
awareness of the huge loss of biodiversity on Earth.
Full text of the Boobook Declaration: http://www.boobook.org.au
International Year of Biodiversity: http://www.cbd.int/2010/welcome/
[1]These
notes were prepared by Joan Staples and modified for
the Victorian Association Neighbourhood Houses and Learning
Centers by Linda Parlane. Thanks also to Media
Training Notes and Manual, prepared by Luke Giribon for
the Queensland Conservation Council 1998 Conference.
