Training Manual for Media
and Disability Rights
Disability Awareness in
Action, 1999
All rights reserved
Written by Rachel Hurst
Designed and edited by Richard Light,
Published by Disability Awareness in Action.
Contents
Introduction
- Training manual
- Objectives
- Partnerships
- Funding
- The programme
- Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Sessions 4 and 5
Session 6
Session 7
- Delegates and training
- Working environment
- Opportunities
- Administration
- Appendix 1
- Statement from harare seminar
- Harare human rights & Media seminar
- Plan of action
- Appendix 2 - Tips for trainers and workshop leaders..
- Training
Trainer's Check List
Assessment and Action
Learning from Mistakes
Training Model
Involving Everyone
Complaints
- Appendix 3 -
Ground rules
- Appendix 4 - Tips on how to write a story
- The Inverted Pyramid
- Appendix 5 - Tips for dealing with journalists
- Press Releases
Press Conferences
- How to prepare
for an interview
- How to give a good interview
Improving media awareness within your organisation
Types of story
Does getting news coverage matter?
- Appendix 6 - Example of delegate monitoring form
Introduction
This is a training manual for organisations of disabled people, as guidance
for seminars with the media on disability as a
rights issue.
The media coverage of disability is one of the main obstacles to disability
rights being given the priority they deserve.
In every country in the world the media either ignores the rights of
disabled people or portrays disabled people as
pathetic recipients of charity or tragic but brave victims. The struggle for
equality and freedom from oppression and
discrimination, which is the real story of the disability movement, is given
little space on radio, TV or the print media.
In 1998 Index on Censorship (a UK organisation promoting freedom of
speech), the BBC World Service
Education and DAA formed an alliance to gain funding for a programme of
activities to raise awareness of disability as
a rights issue in Africa. In January 1998, Index on Censorship produced a
report on the situation of Disabled Africans
and in April and May 1998, the BBC World Service produced a series of
programmes in the six main languages of
Africa (English, French, Portuguese, Hausa, Somali and Swahili) on
disability as a human rights issue.
A resource kit produced by DM supported these programmes. Then in October,
1998 a three-day seminar was
held in Harare, Zimbabwe to bring together disabled and media delegates from
all over English speaking Africa to
share experiences and to work out a way for using the media to get the human
rights message across.
This training manual is based on the experience of that seminar -
learning from the successes and the failures of that
event - and the training and experience of the writers as educators and
trainers. We hope this manual will be used
by the disability organisations whose delegates attended the seminar and
encourage them to arrange similar seminars in
their country and region. We also hope that it will encourage other readers
to support similar events in their own
countries, across the world.
There is a serious need for disabled activists to be able to use the media
effectively - and for the media to
understand disabled activists and our issues are as important and newsworthy
as any other. We have to learn to make
friends with the written word, the camera and the microphone so that we can
make our message heard. The media needs
us as much as we need them - they need our stories to fill their
news-slots!
As well as the suggested programme for a seminar on media and disability
rights, we have given organisational guidance
and tips for trainers and workshop leaders which should prove useful for any
training seminar or workshop that
organisations may wish to run on any other subject.
The DAA Resource Kit 1 - How to Work with the Media, would be helpful
when used alongside this training
manual.
Training manual
These plans and guidance are for you to use as you wish. They are not rules
that you have to abide by, but are an aid
your own creativity in making a three-day event an exciting learning
experience for all concerned.
Good training is stimulating and enjoyable
This manual should help that enjoyment by assisting you to make sure that
you have:
- clear objectives
- established good partnerships with the media
- sufficient funding for the seminar
- a well-thought out programme
- the right mix of participants and trainers
- a good, relaxed working environment
- the opportunity to problem-solve, share ideas and stimulate
- a clear administrative strategy
Objectives
You have to be absolutely clear about your objectives and ensure that you
communicate them clearly and accurately to
everyone concerned. Make them short and focussed. You cannot do everything
in one seminar! Repeat them as
often as you can - on funding applications, invitations, press releases,
reports, programmes, anything and
everything you send out regarding this training.
For the Harare Seminar our objective was:
to raise awareness of disability as a human rights issue and to work
with the media on how to get
that message across.
Partnerships
As the objective is to work with the media, then the next task is to build a
relationship with our media. You may
already have contacts. Strengthen them, invite one or two to a planning
meeting to help with technical advice
The seminar in Harare would not have been successful if we had not
established a good partnership with the BBC
World Service and other media people in Zimbabwe. The journalists felt that
it was just as important for them to be
part of the seminar as it was for the disabled delegates.
Journalists may be unable to participate in more than one day of a seminar
but input from a variety of media people will
widen your audience as well as give you a greater breadth of experience.
Helpful hints!
Make friendly contacts with journalists. If you or your organisation is
invited to a reception, contact the press officer, who
will be an ex-journalist who may be able to help you and suggest other
useful contacts.
- Find out where journalists like to meet informally and meet them
(hotel bars are a good place).
Do not forget they are as keen to get a good story as you are to tell one.
- You can get a list of members of the Foreign Correspondents'
Association
at most Embassies.
- There is a 'stringer' for the BBC World Service, Voice
of America and
CNN in most countries.
- Tell the journalists about the Harare Seminar and the valuable
experience it offered for journalists who took part.
- Try to find journalists that are sympathetic about human rights issues.
See who writes/produces programmes
on these issues and contact them.
Funding
This is everyone's nightmare - but it has to be overcome if you want
to have a good seminar. If you have clear
objectives and have already built up a partnership with the media, then you
are halfway to having a very good funding
application. Building on the success of one seminar, your media friends may
well be able to suggest new funding
opportunities in your region/country.
Your organisation may have considerable experience in raising money but
further information is given in DM's
Funding Resource Kit, available from the DM office in London.
Helpful hints!
Try local businesses for sponsorship - they might be more enthusiastic
about supporting projects involving the
media.
- Make sure you have a proper budget.
- Do not forget the extra costs of disability or that these may have to be
explained to a sponsor.
- Do not forget to include sign language interpretation, alternate media
costs, transport costs and any personal
assistance needs that you may have to meet.
- If you are inviting delegates from other countries, remember that they
may have difficulties reaching your
country - it is possible that they will have to stay extra nights and
will expect those costs to be covered too.
- Contact funders who are already supporting your work and talk to them
about this project. It is a new area for
them and they might be interested, especially when they see you have planned
everything so well and know what you are
doing.
Good Luck !
The programme
The programme should allow participants to:
- Clearly analyse and understand the objectives
- Problem solve
- Implement
- Devise further action
The programme for the Harare seminar lasted three days. We have divided the
work into sessions so that you can
arrange your own programme over whatever period you wish. Experience in
Harare showed that clearly
stating the aims for each session helped delegates
to get the most from each
session. We have suggested timings for each session.
Remember that people cannot learn efficiently for long periods. Educational
psychologists suggest that 45 minutes is the
maximum period over which most people can remain focused and fully involved.
Where the session includes smaller
work-groups, the sessions can be extended but, in any event, 90 minutes
should be the longest trainees are
expected to work without a break.
If there is sign language or other translation with only one translator, you
will need to ask the interpreter how often they
will need a break (probably every 45 minutes).
Opening Ceremony
15 minutes
This is not compulsory but it will raise the profile of your seminar and
give you further media contacts.
A well-known personality or the head of your national TV or radio
network, could open the event - this is
likely to attract more attention from the media.
Ask the opening speaker to stay for the introductions and discussion of
objectives if possible.
Session 1
The aims for this session are:
- to look at the situation as it is
- to look at the way national and local media are responding (or not
responding) to disability as a human
rights issue, and
- discuss how the media attitude has affected disabled individuals and the
movement.
Suggested method:
15 minutes
Introductions and short discussion on objectives and programme.
25 minutes
Split into small groups and discuss problems that
individuals/organisations have had with the media in either their
presentation or disregard of disability rights stories.
30 minutes
Bring that back to the full group with highlights from each group with full
discussion on how the problems arose and what is the possible solution.
(5 minutes are allowed for the change from groups to plenary and back
again)
Session 2
The aim of this session is for delegates to:
- analyse what makes a good human rights story, and
- how the media present positive images.
Suggested method:
1 hour
Split into groups again and look at positive images in the media. These can
be positive images of disability or any other
human rights issue.
Feed back to whole group and discussion on what are the shared elements of
these positive images - how did the
journalists make them into positive, rather than negative images?
Session 3
The aims of this session are:
- to build on the learning of the previous sessions, and
- to look at techniques for getting the message across.
Suggested method:
30 minutes
Discussion on how to get the message across. Brief overview of the five Ws
and an H. (Who, What, When,
minutes Where, Why and How - all questions that should be answered in
any message giving.)
30 minutes
Individuals write their own story in 100 words trying to answer all those
questions as clearly and excitingly as possible.
15 minutes
Two willing volunteers chosen to read out their stories and accept comment
from the rest.
15 minutes
Discussion of what is to happen in the next two sessions, which will be
practice interviews on TV and radio.
Delegates asked to think overnight of stories they want to tell in
interviews.
Sessions 4 and 5
The aim of these sessions is to:
- continue practising techniques of message-giving, through simulated
TV and radio interviews
Suggested method:
Each session should last 2.5 hours with a 15 minute
break
Practical session in TV and radio studios to simulate real studio and
interview conditions.
The delegates should be divided into two groups, the first group does TV and
the second group radio for Session 4.
They change round for Session 5.
Each group will have an introduction from their trainer giving general
points for the most effective ways of getting the
message across. Then each individual should take it in turns to be both
interviewer and interviewee and comments given
from the group on performance.
Technical requirements for these sessions:
- A radio studio with play-back facilities
- A TV studio with digital camera and sound, with play-back and
(if possible) video recording
facilities
Session 6
The aim of this session is to:
- consolidate what has been learnt, both by disabled delegates and members
of the media.
Suggested method:
20 minutes
Choose a journalist to talk to the group about what they think:
1. are the difficulties in understanding disability as a human rights issue,
and
2. are the best ways of building co-operation between the disability
movement and the media.
40 minutes
Questions and discussion
1 hour
Full feedback from all delegates and trainers and any observing media people
on what they have learnt.
It might be helpful to have warned everyone at the end of Session 5 that
they will have to do this so that they can think
about it and perhaps make some notes.
Session 7
Aims of this session are to ensure that:
what has been learnt will not be forgotten or unused,
- people who have not been able to attend the seminars will have an
opportunity of reaming and perfecting their
media message-giving, and
- there is a final plenary session, that agrees an action plan for
delegates and either a joint statement or press release for the
media.
Suggested method:
45 minutes
Delegates who have been so active for three days need to apply that sense of
purpose to something practical. An action
plan, which actually requires individuals to take some responsibility within
a set timeframe, is helpful (Appendix 1
gives the Statement and Action plan of the Harare seminar). For Harare
it was a requirement of the invitation to
delegates that they would take responsibility for putting on similar
seminars in their own countries or regions, creating an
ever increasing circle of activity to focus on this important issue.
15 minutes
Leave time for saying thank you's and good-bye's. Remind
delegates to complete the monitoring forms
and leave them with you before they leave (rather than forgetting to
post them!).
There are many other things that you can do to become more skilful
when 'puffing the message across' on
TV or radio:
- Watch TV and listen to radio in an analytical way. See how pictures are
made, listen to how experienced radio presenters put the message across.
Note their use of humour, change of pace, without losing the focus of what
they want to say.
- Respond to bad press with letters etc.
- Complain about advertisements that portray disabled people in a negative
way.
- Talk to advertisers and the media about accurately showing disabled
people as ordinary members of the public.
- Get involved with the media in formulating policy concerning the
presentation of disabled people.
- Encourage and support the provision of signing or subtitles
(captions) on TV.
- Support the employment of disabled people in the media.
Delegates and
training
This is an intensive three-days in which everyone should have the
opportunity to participate on an equal basis.
It is very difficult to ensure that this happens with too many delegates
taking part - even when you divide the
delegates into smaller workshops. For the Harare Seminar, we agreed
15-20 delegates - which was a
manageable number - and suggest that you limit the people at your
seminars to a similar number.
Quite apart from the need to ensure that all delegates participate on an
equal basis, greater numbers will cause
difficulties for the trainers.
It is important that there should be a good gender balance among the
delegates. We managed to achieve this in Harare
by asking organisations to make a special effort to send women delegates. It
is also important that people with different
impairments are able to participate.
Helpful hints!
Working
environment
Comfortable, accessible meeting rooms and accommodation are essential
factors for a good learning/working
environment. It is also important that delegates do not get tired travelling
from one place to another and are able to go
to their rooms for rest, if necessary.
Helpful hints!
- You will need to find fully accessible residential accommodation for
delegates and trainers and ensure the availability
and accessibility of the studios for Sessions 4 & 5. We recommend that the
accommodation and meeting room are in the
same place. You will probably need to travel to the studios, so lunch and
drinks will have to be arranged there as well.
- You will need a meeting room that is large enough to accommodate the
delegates and sufficient tables and chairs.
Remember that some of the delegates are likely to be wheelchair-users
and that they need to be able to move
around safely. Overhead projectors and flipcharts should be available.
- To ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate equally, you
might find it helpful to agree some ground
rules for conducting the meetings at the beginning. A list of possible
ground rules is provided in Appendix 2. These should
be agreed at the beginning of the meeting and kept visible so that people
can be reminded of them. These may be
particularly necessary for the practical sessions.
- It is vital to remember how nervous everyone feels (even if they do
not show it) when they are on
television or radio. Comments on a delegate's performance must be
supportive and encouraging, rather than
critical or discouraging.
- Make sure that water is available throughout all the sessions and that
tea, coffee and a light lunch are served at the
appropriate times.
- Ensure that the temperature of meeting rooms and studios is comfortable
and that you know whom to contact to
adjust the temperature in the room.
Opportunities
If:
- you have a programme that has a similar balance to the one we have
suggested,
- the trainers are enthusiastic and fully aware of what they are supposed
to do, and
- you have the organisation of the event under control
then you will have given the delegates and the media present the best
possible environment in which to take up the
opportunities of sharing experience and seeking solutions to problems.
Administration
Below is a list of administrative tasks that are involved in organising a
seminar, once funding has been promised,
the date and programme has been set and initial contacts with press have
been made.
There may be other tasks that you will need to add-these are
only for guidance
Pre-seminar - at least 6 months (preferably 9
months)-before date of seminar
- Agree action timetable and who is going to do what.
- Book venue, accommodation, refreshment, studios and equipment, ensure
bookings are agreed in writing and that
venues are fully accessible or will be by the time of the event. Give
estimate of numbers - exact needs to be
confirmed later.
- Notify potential delegates of draft programme, venue and dates with
registration form for accommodation,
transport and information needs.
- Confirm trainers, who should also receive the draft programme etc.
- Start collating material for delegate's pack, including monitoring
form.
At least 2 - 3 months before:
- Chase up any registration forms not received.
- Book sign language interpreter or language interpreters, if necessary.
- If you are having simultaneous language interpreters, book the necessary
equipment.
- Confirm exact hotel bookings now that you have registration forms.
- Make travel arrangements and arrangements for picking people up from
airport to take to venue.
- Book accessible transport to go from accommodation to studios (if
necessary).
- Finish collating material for delegate's pack and, if necessary,
have material translated and put into alternate
formats. Include monitoring form in delegate's pack (see Appendix
5).
- Give trainers full instructions of what is expected of them and any
requirements for people with sensory impairments
- Contact airport with numbers of disabled people coming in; agree a
strategy with them.
- If any of the trainers are flying in with special technical equipment
make sure that you have all letters, invoices etc. to
help them clear customs.
- You may have to think about the costs that might be incurred if one of
the delegates is ill and requires medical
attention. Will the delegates be required to have their own
travel/medical insurance or will you have to bear any
costs?
- Prepare press pack of info. on timetable, biographies of trainers, O
some background information - an
example of a good and a bad story and/or pictures might be interesting.
You might like to consider holding a press
conference during the seminar - a lunchtime is quite a good time
1-week before
- Send out press release about the event
- Phone press day after to see if they are going to cover it.
- Confirm menus with hotel and studio (remember that you do not to
have to have meals at the hotel during the
time you are all at the studios)
- Make sure transport arrangements are all right and that you have
completed arrangements for meeting at airport and
transportation to accommodation.
- Prepare per diem payments and expenses forms. Don't forget that some
airports require airport tax in a
different currency, such as dollars. Have you got enough of that currency to
give those delegates who need it?
- Make sure the delegate's packs are all ready and available in
accessible formats.
- Make sure that you have pencils and paper and perhaps a tape recorder
for the writing exercise.
- Are there flip charts in the meeting room?
- Designate one person who is not involved in the seminars themselves to
be available for inquiries, problems etc.
- Make sure that the delegates all know their exact time- table, where
they should go and how to contact the
problem- solver.
After the Seminar
- You might want to send out a press statement on any important O outcomes
of the seminar or write a brief letter on
what took place to your national/local newspapers.
- Send 'thank you' letters to trainers.
- Complete the income and expenditure account.
- Send narrative and financial report to funders - this is most
important and should be done as soon as possible,
it will encourage them to give you funding for other projects. Include
breakdown of returned monitoring forms.
- A short narrative report could be sent to national/international
disability or media in-house newsletters.
Appendix 1 - Statement
from harare seminar
Harare human rights & Media Seminar
Plan of Action
At all times the message is - Disability is a human rights issue.
Our rights are violated systematically, daily in all countries of Africa and
the rest of the world. Our message is ignored
or distorted by the media. Our humanity is not recognised or recorded.
Disabled people's organisations must take action to put our message
across and the delegates of this seminar
will take the following actions:
Work with their organisations to: replicate this workshop in their
countries and throughout their region
- set up an organisational media strategy
- collect evidence to prove the message
- sensitise their national and local media of the message
- promote the inclusion of disabled people within the media and on the
boards/policy-making bodies of
the media
- ensure regular positive disability programmes and articles in mainstream
media
We have the right to be seen and heard!
Appendix 2 - Tips for trainers and workshop
leaders..
The material presented in this Appendix has been taken from DAA's
Resource Kit 4: Organisation
Building (the full Resource Kit can be obtained from DAA).
Training
Training the membership is one of the most important roles of an
organisation. It contributes to the development of
individuals and to the democracy and development of the whole organisation.
People are the central resource of any
organisation. You can make that resource grow by recruiting new members and
by increasing the skills and participation
of existing members.
Training isn't always formal, through workshops or courses. It can
happen through involvement in any aspect of a
project.
An important decision for formal training is who is to be trained. Is
training an individual better than training a whole
group? Who will benefit?
Knowledge is power, but power must be shared.
How things are done may be more important than what is done.
Trainer's check list:
- Is there a real dialogue between members and the leadership?
- Do members wait for ideas to come from the leadership?
- Does the leadership impose its ideas on the group?
- Are there some people who always hang back and don't speak?
- How can they be encouraged to take part?
- What opportunities are there for training others in leadership
skills?
- Can the leadership gradually do less - as others gain the confidence
and skills to take a bigger part in
activities?
- How are decisions reached?
- Are all the women in the group given the opportunity to take part in
leadership?
- Which other groups are under-represented in leadership and should
have training?
Assessment and action
- What training is needed?
- What are its aims?
You should be clear on these things before you commit resources to training.
Answers to improving an
organisation's efficiency may lie elsewhere. You also need to
distinguish between present and future training needs.
Current needs are due to things not working well at the moment. To solve
these problems, change will be needed.
Future needs will arise as a result of change.
Training should be directed towards a specific goal. It should involve full
participation by trainees and regular reviews of
how well the training is working.
Training in groups allows the people taking part to look at themselves and
how they work as individuals and as part of a
group.
Always include time for evaluation of how a particular training session has
worked, what the results were, what the
trainees thought of the training and what they got out of it.
Learning from mistakes
Whenever something has clearly gone wrong, rather than giving blame to
individuals, encourage everyone to look at the
structures of the organisation and what has gone wrong.
Example 1
Perhaps Member A always offers to do something and then doesn't manage
it. Don't be cross with Member
A. Look at structures for change. Give the work to Member A to share with
Member B, who is more likely to do it.
It may be that Member A wants to do the work but does not know how to do it
and needs help.
Example 2
Member C and Member D always argue in committee meetings and contradict each
other. Don't just shout at them
but insist that all speakers should talk to the Chairperson, in the order
the Chair chooses. The Chair can control who
speaks when and can stop arguments developing.
- One: What has gone wrong?
- Two: Why did it go wrong?
- Three: Could it have been avoided within the current set-up of
the organisation?
- Four: How can things be changed to prevent it happening again?
- Five: What action or training needs to be taken? By whom?
Training model
- Participant (the person taking part) does, hears, sees
or says something that aids the development of
the individual and the group
can lead to
- Participant uses the experience and skills gained in a practical
way
can lead to
- Participant develops rules to work by from experience and
observation
can lead to
- Participant shares their reactions and observations
with
others
Involving everyone
Make sure that just a few individuals do not dominate the discussion. It
might be useful to report back the main points
made in the workshop or seminar, without the need to identify which
particular individuals made which points.
It is important to consider the most supportive and relaxing environment for
disabled people to develop their ideas and
their confidence. It is good for people to develop public-speaking or
presentation skills, as this will boost their
self-esteem, but at times it can also be useful to break off into small
groups for support and discussion.
A good way for a workshop leader to start is to identify the main areas of
debate. It is very important that everyone takes
part. There will often be one or two people with a lot to say. The leader
needs to make sure these people don't
dominate and to open the discussion up to others. Often, the quieter people,
who are listening carefully to all that is
being said, will have as valuable points to contribute as the people who
come to the workshop with a lot to say.
Complaints
Common complaints from seminar and workshop participants are that too much
time is taken up by lectures from guest
speakers or facilitators. A good seminar or workshop will have a brief
introduction from the person leading the session
and then will move on to group discussion, guided and prompted to some
extent by the leader. Too many workshops are
run like seminars.
You need to strike a balance. When a seminar is organised to convey new
ideas, some participants will complain about a
lack of opportunity for individuals to exchange opinions and experiences.
Yet, when a workshop is organised to allow for
this exchange, some will feel that there is a lack of new ideas.
Remember that some people need more time than others to express themselves.
Give space to everybody who wants to
make a point or comment. Make sure that everyone understands that they must
be patient and must express themselves
slowly, so that Sign Language interpreters can keep up.
Teamwork takes planning!
Appendix 3 -
Ground rules
You might want to run through these ground rules before starting a workshop
or seminar session:
- This session belongs equally to everyone taking part.
- If you don't understand, please ask the facilitator to explain in a
different way.
- Challenge one another if you don't agree. Don't leave it up to
the facilitator.
- Don't challenge individuals but do challenge views and opinions.
- You have the right to express your opinion; the responsibility to work
with others.
- When talking about how you feel, use "I", not "people",
or "we".
- Respect the need for confidentiality. To get the most from a session, we
need to feel free to discuss things in an
open and honest way that will be private afterwards.
- There will be no smoking in the place where the session happens.
- Please arrive on time.
- Only one person can speak at a time. Follow the facilitator's lead
on this.
Appendix 4 - Tips on
how to write a story
- The role of the media is to inform, educate and entertain.
- Remember that competition in the media is driven by the need for
information that is timely, accurate, clear,
concise, and interesting.
- Every news story and every feature article needs the Five Ws and an H
(WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE
& HOW). And don't forget So what?
- The Inverted Pyramid.
- The news intro or 'lead': finding a good peg for the story.
- News sources: a story is always better when the reporter uses more
than one source to develop it.
The three sources of information.
The inverted pyramid
- There are many ways of structuring a news story. The most common is the
'inverted pyramid'.
This means put all the most important information at the top of the story,
with the remaining information in descending
order of importance.
- Remember that stories have to fit on a page. In the rush to get to the
printing press on time, your story might be cut
from the bottom. Make sure that contains the least important information.
- The Introduction (or "lead") should try to answer as
many as possible of the 5 Ws and
H:
- Who said/did what? When, where, why and how?
- Next try to show the significance-So what?
Writing Clearly in English
- Write the way you talk (but edit out all the unnecessary words that
we often throw into speech).
- Write simply. Small words are better than big words. Small English words
tend to be clear and unambiguous.
Using small words can make a story more intelligent, rather than less
intelligent.
- Use active (subject-verb-object) sentences, i.e.
"John purchased the book" is
clearer than "The book was purchased by John". And "John bought
the book" is better.
- Use short sentences, concrete words, familiar words. Keep most sentences
under 25 words, and if possible under
20 words. Vary the lengths of sentences, but remember that sentences over 30
words are difficult to read.
- Don't overdo adjectives (these are good to evoke a mood or
portrait, but can be judgmental).
Specific is better than vague, thus, it is better to say the "gleaming
black car" than the "clean dark car
- Use active verbs: a creative, but accurate use of verbs makes more
impact than flowery phrases.
- When in doubt use 'said'. Writers get bored with writing
"s/he said" when attributing
a story and often try to vary with words like "stated",
"declared", "asserted",
"claimed", etc. But each of these variations has subtle tones and
meanings, and can be dangerous.
"Said" is neutral.
Use Examples, Familiar Words, Strong Verbs, and Don't Stop
Explaining!
- Use lots of examples. This makes it easier for the reader to follow.
Examples put information into a form that
readers can grasp more easily than abstract terms. If you tell readers that
children love their teacher, show how they
demonstrate their love.
- Explain, explain, and explain! Remember that readers don't have
the journalist's background
knowledge of the subject.
- Use terms readers can understand. When you use unusual terms, define
them.
- Use strong verbs. Start by eliminating the words to be from most of your
prose. Is and are merely express
existence. Good writers will find verbs that move the action along, e.g.
"His report punctured the motion"
is stronger than "His report was against the motion"
- Avoid fancy language, flowery language, pompous language, slang, argot
and jargon. Do not say a child "got
negative reinforcement" if you can say it got a "spanking".
Avoid the language of bureaucrats, lawyers,
policemen and teachers. Paraphrase.
- Use language strong enough to give readers a clear picture of the
story's events. The good writer can be
stylish without writing long, tortuous sentences, and without using flowery
language.
- Avoid negatives e.g. "We haven't failed to notice that an
opponent did not attempt to veto the ban on
smoking". Show you respect the reader and cut down on negatives.
- Do not use extra verbs when nouns can carry some of the meaning. Do not
say: "Everyone interested in
participating in the tryouts should attend" Instead, say:
"Everyone interested in trying out should
attend" Trying out contains the meaning of participating, so the writer
can drop a word.
- Do not use extra nouns when verbs can carry some of the meaning. Do not
say: "The policeman ran a
routine check, which showed the car was stolen". If the check showed
something, we can safely assume the
policeman did run the check. The reporter does not need to spell it out.
Remember, there are many stories competing
for little space, so word economy is primary.
- Use short quotations to make the story interesting.
- Statistics can make a story authoritative-but use them sparingly,
and check, double check and check again
to make sure they are accurate.
- Do not shy away from "embarrassing" subjects. For example, if
you mean "sexy", say it.
- If you want your story to get into the paper, write about unusual,
interesting subjects that other publications are not
writing about, or find a new angle to an old story. This usually means going
for a longer feature article.
Appendix 5 - Tips for
dealing with journalists
These are excerpts from papers presented by Kit Wells, Trainer. If you copy
this material please ensure that Kit
well's is credited with the copyright.
The first enquiry or whoever answers the phone
- Never say 'no comment' or be negative
- Know who the people are and who you can refer to
- Always co-operate and try and find someone who can deal with the
enquiry
- Make a note of who called from where and when
- Indicate (if you know) when the company may make a statement
etc.,
On the spot
- If you are 'on the spot' and take the enquiry/questions,
think carefully, be positive.
- Always state the facts as far as you know.
- But never speculate as to what may have happened if you
don't know.
- Take notes of who-you are speaking to and what media/newspaper
they are from.
- Never admit liability of any kind.
Some useful phrases:
"Too early to say exactly what has happened we are doing everything we
can to find out what the problem is."
"We will give you a full update in 10 minutes/30 minutes," etc.
"We are doing everything we can to sort it out."
"The company will do everything it can to establish what happened."
Press releases
Whether they are directly involved in the writing of press releases, or more
simply responsible for authorising their
content and regularity, delegates must remember the following:
- keep them short and simple
- Put all key information into first paragraph
- Find a good eye-catching headline that properly sums up the story
- Remember newsrooms always look for an 'angle'. Decide what the
angle is in your story
- Provide one or two good quotes from relevant people
- Ensure that these key people are available for interview when they are
needed.
- If background information is important, attach it separately
- Don't make any assumptions about the reader's knowledge of the
subject
Press conferences
Press conferences can be the most effective way of taking charge of events
and controlling information to the public.
Delegates should bear in mind the following:
- Ensure there's a room available for interviews afterwards
- Is there a key person(s) involved in the subject who
can/will talk?
- Be aware of journalists' deadlines
- Member of staff as minder (not spokesperson)
- Ensure co-ordination of information, updates and sources
How to prepare for
an interview
- Know your stuff (e.g. memorise a mental shortlist of important
points)
- Be concise at all times. Speak clearly and keep it simple
- Clarify with the interviewer what the item will be used for
- Clarify length of interview
- Ask who else is being interviewed on the subject
- Is it live or pre- recorded?
- Co-operate
- Don't be afraid of repeating yourself if a point has been missed or
ignored
- Retain good eye contact
- Give complete statements where possible (no 'it' or
'they' at the start of an answer
- Assume ignorance on the part of the audience
- Always check appearance discreetly but thoroughly
- Wear camera and microphone 'friendly' clothes (e.g. no
rustling silk or loud prints, all black or
pure white not recommended). Choose clothing with front openings as
microphones are often attached to you.
- Use your own conversational style of speech; it's more effective to
be yourself
- Ignore the camera at all times
- Avoid heavy handed mannerisms such as arm-flapping though an
animated performance is always desirable
- Look as though you are enjoying yourself even if you're not!
How to give a good interview
No instant miracles here, I am afraid-but a few hints and tips to help
you.
- Check your name, spelling and title are right
- Know what you want to say
- Be concise and make simple statements
- What's the story being used for (context)
- Memorise several key points, no more
- How long will the finished item be?
- What is the first question going to be?
- Is it live or pre- recorded?
- Who else is being interviewed on the subject?
- Answer questions in an appropriate manner (e.g. think who your
audience are)
- Make your interview a jargon free zone
- Wear camera and microphone friendly clothes
- Smile wherever appropriate
- Appear to co-operate (hostility in even the most trying
circumstances will make for nastier
interviews)
- Relax-the real you is the most persuasive
- Stay 'in character' for at least 5 seconds before and after
interview has taken place
- Never look at the camera
Improving media awareness within your organisation
Improve media awareness by:
- newsletters/in house magazines/video/adding media check to
team
- briefings/looking at media coverage more critically/looking for
local angles on national
stories/allocating spokespeople
- building from the bottom
- it's not always the boss who should talk
- building bridges with the media
- developing personal contacts with journalists
- establishing a strategy for the workplace
Types of story
- 'Lots of people are affected by it' (government/social
issues/law)
- 'It could happen to me' (disarming a gunman/transplant
baby)
- 'Over the garden fence' (Bill Clinton/'Diana
gate' tapes)
- 'It's in vogue' (child abuse/joyriding)
- 'It's important' (Bosnia/Somalia)
- 'It's amazing!' (tortoise beats hare/man bites
dog)
- 'It's a disgrace' (corruption and scandal)
Does getting news coverage matter?
Yes!
- Keeps up profile of organisation in general
- Bad news is better than no news
- Seen as a spokesperson on issues related to you
- Develops good media contacts for later use
- Helps develop positive image
No!
- Could be misrepresented
- Media is essentially untrustworthy
- Who cares about getting coverage anyway?
Appendix 6 - Example of delegate monitoring
form
Name of organisation
Seminar evalutation form
We would be most grateful if you could answer the following questions so
that we can properly evaluate the success of
this seminar.
Please indicate on a scale of 1 to 5 (where 1 is least value and 5 is
very useful and A is absent) the value to
you of the following sessions:
| Session 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | A |
| Session 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | A |
| Session 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | A |
| Session 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | A |
| Session 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | A |
| Session 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | A |
| Session 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | A |
Using the same scale (where 1 is unsatisfactory and 5 is satisfactory, A
is absent) please answer the following
questions:
| How would you rate the venue and its
facilities? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | A |
| How would you rate the catering
arrangements? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | A |
| How would you rate the general organisation of
the seminar? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | A |
Any other comments that you have:
Please write your name and address if you wish to be placed on the mailing
list to receive details of future seminars and
conferences:
Name:
Organisation:
Address:
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