How to Communicate with the Media
There are 101 excuses for not writing or calling the media when you see unfair, biased
or inaccurate news coverage: "I don't know enough"; "I'm too busy"; "My computer crashed."
Communicating with journalists makes a difference. It does not have to be perfect;
not all letters to journalists need to be for publication. Even a one-sentence, handwritten note to a reporter can be helpful.
If you take the time to type a substantive letter, send copies of it to two or three places within the media outlet-perhaps
to the reporter, his or her editor, as well as to the letters-to-the-editor department.
If media outlets get letters from a dozen people raising the same issue, they will
most likely publish one or two of them. So even if your letter doesn't get into print, it may help another one with a similar
point of view get published. Surveys of newspaper readers show that the letters page is among the most closely read parts
of the paper. It's also the page policy-makers look to as a barometer of public opinion.
When you write to journalists, be factual, not rhetorical. Do not personally attack
them; that's more likely to convince them that they're in the right. Address them in the language that most journalists are
trained to understand: Call on them to be responsible, professional, balanced and inclusive of diverse sources and viewpoints.
Letters that are intended for publication should usually be drafted more carefully.
Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Make one point (or at most two) in your letter or fax. State the point clearly, ideally
in the first sentence.
Make your letter timely. If you are not addressing a specific article, editorial
or letter that recently appeared in the paper you are writing to, then try to tie the issue you want to write about to a recent
event.
Familiarize yourself with the coverage and editorial position of the paper to which
you are writing. Refute or support specific statements, address relevant facts that are ignored, but do avoid blanket attacks
on the media in general or the newspaper in particular.
Check the letter specifications of the newspaper to which you are writing. Length
and format requirements vary from paper to paper. (Generally, roughly two short paragraphs are ideal.) You also must include
your name, signature, address and phone number.
Look at the letters that appear in your paper. Is a certain type of letter usually
printed?
Support your facts. If the topic you address is controversial, consider sending documentation
along with your letter. But don't overload the editors with too much info.
Keep your letter brief. Type it whenever possible.
Find others to write letters when possible. This will show that other individuals
in the community are concerned about the issue. If your letter doesn't get published, perhaps someone else's on the same topic
will.
Monitor the paper for your letter. If your letter has not appeared within a week
or two, follow up with a call to the editorial department of the newspaper.
Write to different sections of the paper when appropriate. Sometimes the issue you
want to address is relevant to the lifestyle, book review or other section of the paper.
An increasing number of broadcast news programs (60 Minutes, All Things Considered,
etc.) also solicit and broadcast "letters to the editor." Don't forget these outlets.
Please sign your letters as an individual or representative of a community group,
not as a member of FAIR.
Please send us a copy of your letters (published and unpublished) to FAIR. Address
them to the attention of the activist co-ordinator.
