Choosing your target …PrintThe local newspaper is usually your best bet for a story. They've got a lot of pages to fill and they like anything with a local touch. They may want a picture too, so see if you can think up a creative location or subject that relates to your action.
You may also have regular publications such as school newsletters, council mail-outs or politicians flyers that you may like to consider approaching.
Local or subject-specific websites may also be useful in promoting your action.
BroadcastEvery major centre in Australia has an ABC radio (and possibly TV) office. You can find their contact details by logging onto
>http://www.abc.net.au. Click on 'Radio' then 'Local Radio' then click on the dot on the map closest to your town. If you hit 'Contact us' you'll find the phone, fax and email details of people on different programs at that station.
There are also local FM and AM radio stations in most towns. You’ll find these under ‘media’ in your local phone book.
You may also have local television stations near you, especially if you’re in a regional area. These journalists can be quite receptive to your story if you provide a decent opportunity for vision. The more colour and movement the better!
Note: Not all stories will be useful to all types of media. Think about whether print, online, radio or TV will best suit your purpose and target them. Sending all information to all media is not necessarily the best approach and the highest profile media such as TV may not be that good at targeting the type of person you want to communicate with.
Getting the information out there …1. Start by sending out a media release, by both e-mail and fax, or deliver it in person.
2. Follow up with a phone call later in the day or the next day. Speak to a journalist or the editor, not the person on the front desk.
3. If you've got time, find out the names of the editors/journalists/presenters and address correspondence to them personally. This flatters the journos (we're very ego driven!) and makes sure it doesn't get lost in the 200 faxes newsrooms receive each day.
4. Be aware of deadlines. For newspapers it’s usually the afternoon before the paper comes out, but can be two days before in some remote places. For TV it’s best to give a days notice because journalists decide their stories first thing in the morning and it takes all day to put them together. Radio usually only needs a few hours notice, but as with all mediums, the earlier the better!
5. For all mediums, a personal perspective from yourself or another young person is important and could be the thing that persuades a journo to do the yarn. It’s very helpful if you can give the journo someone to interview/film who’s experiencing the problem you’re trying to fix. This gives a reader/audience a personal perspective and enables them to relate to the issue more easily.
6. Push, push, push. Don't be afraid to sell yourself and your story. Tell the journo what you can offer by way of people to interview and picture opportunities. Journalists are very busy people and they won't necessarily pay attention the first time you contact them.
7. Finally, remember that even if the media doesn’t pick up a story about your action straight away, they might do it another time. Don’t give up.
8. And my very last tip … don't do anything you don't feel comfortable doing. If you don't want to talk about a personal experience just say "I don't feel comfortable discussing that". This also applies to specific information or data you may be asked for. If you don’t have it - don’t guess! Tell them you’ll find out and get back to them soon.
This content was written by Jayne Stinson, an ABC television and radio journalist and a Youth Ambassador for Reachout! in the Northern Territory.
