Local Media Guide

7/29/2019 Local Media Guide

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AYCC Local Media Guide

1. What will the media cover?

When?

As a general rule, a weekday morning is the best time to plan an action. Forprint, you can look up the particular publications deadline, or if it is a biggerpublication ask Ramya

For radio, think about the program that you want to have a spokesperson onand plan it for that day.

Where?

The most important thing is that your location is easy for the media to get to!Always remember that journalists are incredibly lazy.

It should also be a central or iconic place, and somewhere busy so you cancreate a spectacle, for instance Federation Square and Bourke Street Mall inMelbourne.

What?

The media will want a good photo. Think about the photo opportunity you aregiving them, and try and make sure it is as engaging and colourful as

possible. Also make sure your action has some movement you shouldactually be doing something! This could be as simple as handing out ascorecard or talking to passersby.

Also make sure that you have signs, T-shirts or other props displaying theAYCC brand and your message. That way if they just use the photo withoutan accompanying story you will still get your message across.

Who?

Local media loves covering young local people! Make sure you emphasise thelocal angle in your media alerts and releases. Also depending on the kind ofaction, you want to have enough people to create a spectacle for the photo.

Why?

Make sure that there is a clear link between your action and your message.You should be able to explain how your action relates to the campaign it is apart of in one sentence. The simpler and more direct the action, the better!


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2. How do you get the media to show up?

What is a media alert?

A media alert is exactly what it sounds like a quick heads up for the media

explaining what the action is, where and when it will be, when the photoopportunities will be (or interview opportunities for radio), and who they shouldcontact for more info or an interview.

Most importantly, it should convince them straight away that this is going togive them an amazing photo and/or story!

What is a media release?

A media release should read like the story you want them to write. It containsthe what, where, when and who right at the start. Then it contains more

information on why the action is taking place, how it fits into any largercampaign, and more background on the AYCC

For both media alerts and releases, make sure you copy the text into the bodyof your email and make your subject line Media alert: [title of alert]. Theywont look at attachments!

For samples of both media alerts and releases see the last two pages of thispack.


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3. What do you do once the media gets there?

Framing your message

Not just what we say to the media, but also the language we use to express it,

it important to getting the right message across. Words like tax, carbon,pollution and sustainability carry emotional baggage for everyone who hearsthem, regardless of their views on climate change. This is what we meanwhen we talk about frames.

There are both progressive and conservative frames. When we use aprogressive frame, we encourage people to connect the issue we are talkingabout to progressive values we move the debate in the right direction.

Here are some examples of progressive and conservative values:

Progressive values Conservative values

Responsibility Discipline

Empathy Self-reliance

Communication Pursuit of self-interest

Opportunity Individualism

Prosperity ProsperityCommunity-building Obedience

Key messages

Make sure you have a list of five or six key messages. These are the pointsthat you want to make sure you get across to the readers or listeners, so thinkabout who they will be when you are writing the key messages.

Your key messages should include the following in no more than one or twosentences each:

A brief description of your action How your action reflects the issue or campaign A call to action what is the problem, what is the solution, and why

does it matter to your audience? A brief description of who the AYCC is

Make sure your key messages reflect the AYCC messaging Check theSelling the Sizzle, Campaign Policy and Messaging and also Communicationsinformation in the drop box


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How to give an interview

Make sure that you have one person who is going to be your spokesperson,and that they are confident with the key messages, your action, and AYCC.

They should be a local and an organiser of the action. Their contact detailsshould be the first on the media alerts and releases.

When giving an interview, remember that your audience is not the intervieweror journalist, but the readers or listeners. Think about who they are - will theybe young or old? Sympathetic or hostile?

The most important thing in an interview is to get across the key messages.This is more important than answering the questions! You should think ofquestions as a springboard from which you can talk about your keymessages.

Also think about the language you use. Try and make it engaging andcolourful. For radio, use visual language. Visual language encourageslisteners to picture something as they listen e.g. Tony Abbott and JuliaGillard are trying to sweep climate change under the carpet.

Dealing with difficult questions

Key messages, key messages, key messages!

While you do need to make it look like you are answering the question, youdont need to engage with everything that the interviewer is suggesting. Withsticky questions, try and find a way to link it back to your key messages ratherthan reinforcing the premise of their question.

For example, if you are asked:

What do you think of climate scepticism?

Dont answer:

I think climate scepticism is really concerning. We really dont have the timeto be debating climate science.

Do answer:

We know that the vast majority of Australians are looking for climateleadership. Thats why we are here today with the climate elephant to showthat this issue is too important to the Australian public for our political leadersto ignore.


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Media Alert12 August 2010

The Climate Elephant set to cause a stir in Epping

Young local residents will converge outside Epping Station on Friday 13August to draw attention to the climate elephant in the room this election.

The climate elephant, after being snapped at Tony Abbotts press conferenceand featured shaking Julia Gillards hand on Sky News (http://tiny.cc/z277u)and the 7pm Project will be making a stir in the seat of Bennelong onThursday morning. The elephant will be supported by a team of young peopleequipped with colourful signs, and scorecards ranking the major partiesclimate policies.

The action will be taking place as part of the Australian Youth ClimateCoalitions (AYCC) nonpartisan and youth run campaign that comes as aresponse to a lack of leadership from either major party to put a price oncarbon and commit to strong investment in renewable energy.

WHENFriday 13 August, photo opportunities from 10.00am 11.00am

WHERE

Outside Epping Station, Epping

VISUALSThe climate elephant (http://ow.ly/i/36jN) and a team of about a dozen youngpeople in bright blue AYCC T-shirts, causing a commotion amidst passersbyand commuters.

Media Contacts:

Mark Cachia, local AYCC spokespersonPh: 0409600860

e: [email protected]

Ramya Krishnan, NSW Media CoordinatorPh: [email protected]

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The Australian Youth Climate Coalition is a coalition of Australia's largestyouth organisations and over 50,000 young people from across Australia. TheAYCCs mission to is build a generation wide movement to solve climate

change before it's too late, through bringing about short term political impactand long term cultural change.


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Media Release12 August 2010

Young local residents bring the Climate Elephant to Epping

Young Bennelong residents will converge outside Epping Station on Friday 13August to draw attention to the climate elephant in the room this election.

The Climate Elephant, after being snapped at Tony Abbotts pressconference and featured shaking Julia Gillards hand on Sky News(http://tiny.cc/z277u) and the 7pm Project,will be making a stir in the marginalseat of Bennelong on Friday morning.

The action will be taking place as part of the Australian Youth ClimateCoalitions (AYCC) nonpartisan and youth run campaign that comes as aresponse to a lack of leadership from either major party to put a price oncarbon and commit to strong investment in renewable energy.

Our leaders are trying to ignore the climate elephant in the room, says MarkCachia, AYCC spokesperson. But pollution cant be ignored, because theAustralian public knows that it is too important.

We are here in Epping because we think that the Bennelong community arelooking to local candidates Maxine McKew and John Alexander to show their

commitment on this issue.

Greeting commuters outside the station, the Climate Elephant will besupported by a team of young people equipped with colourful signs, andscorecards ranking the major parties climate policies.

We need the major parties to commit to a price-tag on pollution and greaterinvestment in clean energy, explains Mark. And well be asking passersbythis morning to think about this at the polling booth this election.

Media Contacts:

Mark Cachia, local AYCC spokespersonPh: 0409 600 860e: [email protected]

###

The Australian Youth Climate Coalition is a coalition of Australia's largest youthorganisations and over 50,000 young people across Australia. The AYCCs missionto is build a generation wide movement to solve climate change before it's too late,

through bringing about short term political impact and long term cultural change.

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