Bringing the International Day of No Prostitution Into the Media
For many of us, the media is a primary- and sometimes the only- means we have to reach the people we need to educate, inform, support, or confront: people who influence or shape policy and law, people who exploit or benefit from systems of prostitution, people who are trapped in systems of prostitution, and people who are unaware of or indifferent to the realities of prostitution.
The media is essential to our work and goals. And, we also need to be prepared for the reality that we may have little or no control over the stories told about our work and action, may not be able to get the coverage we need, and should be prepared for some frustrations or problems.
The purpose of a media toolkit is to assist you in interacting with and making the most effective use of the media and of your own time and resources. We have included information on finding media, tips and sample documents for contacting and interacting with the media, information on press conferences and press kits, ideas for getting media attention, and some issues to consider about giving testimony or interviewing. We have also included some ideas about alternative means of publicizing events or issues, particularly if the media venues available to you are giving you no or only harmful coverage.
Finally, we want to state that for anti-prostitution organizers, interactions with media are particularly complicated and risky because of the victim-blaming, scapegoating, and negative stereotypes that most societies direct at those who are prostituted. Giving careful and strategic thought to your public relations and media strategy is a key component of planning for the International Day of No Prostitution. It is very important to think through how to challenge mythologies about prostitution, how to prepare for common media stereotypes of feminists and activists as hysterical or without credibility, and how to use your own commitment, emotion, resources, and knowledge to create the most powerful impact.
We want to know your experiences with media and the IDNP! Click here to pass on news articles, or relate your own experiences
(table of contents, as a sidebar, or however makes sense)
Organizing a Press Conference
Creating Press Kits or Educational Packets for Media
Combatting Myths About Systems of Prostitution: tips for interviewing and ways to monitor media
If You Are A Survivor: Some Issues to Consider About Giving Interviews or Testimony
Getting Media Attention: Creative Tactics and Strategies
Other Ideas for Getting the Message Out There: Creating Grassroots Publicity
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Planning Your Communications Strategy
Taking a little time to think through your plan for dealing with media and public relations, also known as your "communications strategy”, is worthwhile when preparing for the IDNP.
Identify the following:
Once you have answered these 7 questions, you've got a basic agenda- and can think carefully about how best to reach the people you need to, and how to deliver the messages that you choose, given your resources and energy.
Click here if you are trying to decide whether to engage with the media at all
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In addition to these basic questions, it's also useful to consider the following:
If you anticipate that coverage of prostitution will be negative or harmful, is bad publicity better than no publicity?
Ideally, you can plan to try to get effective, clear coverage that doesn't entail scapegoating, victim-blaming, or mythologies about prostitution. But if you are dealing with conservative press, press who accept funding or advertising from or are owned by corporations that produce pornography or engage in trafficking, or for whatever reasons expect hostile coverage, it's realistic to think about whether the media can help you more than they harm you. Though we anticipate that in most cases, IDNP organizers will choose and need to access the media, it's not completely unusual for activist groups to choose not to inform the media, or to refuse to be photographed or interviewed, and to rely on community communication networks and independent publicity instead. This is something to decide well in advance of October 5th!
The following questions may help you make decisions:
1) If you don't engage with the media, will they cover you anyway? i.e. should you engage with them to try to do damage control or make the coverage less negative?
2) If you don't engage with the media, are there alternative ways to reach the public that will be effective and not too time-consuming?
3) Can you be selective? i.e. Are some media outlets worth the energy more than others?
4) Do you expect that any of the readers or viewers of the media will be likely to be critical of the coverage or able to 'read between the lines'? i.e. How well-informed are people in your area about this issue?
5) Who will be most hurt or affected if coverage is negative? i.e. will coverage will be a significant danger to those trapped in systems of prostitution, or will negative coverage hurt your policy or legal efforts?
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Types of Media, Finding Media
Alternative Media
Using the Internet
Resources and Contact Information
(click on links)
Mainstream Media
The mainstream media refers to official, widely read, or generally respected media, not associated with the political left. Mainstream media outlets operate various ways, based on size, location, and type of media. If you have time, it’s useful to pay attention to differences between media outlets in your area- to take note of their coverage of prostitution and make contacts with individuals. Pay attention both to content, and to what languages most or all programs are aired in. However, in many cases, activists don’t have time to do more than find contact information and send out press releases, advisories, and other documents. Either way, it’s useful to identify as many media sources as you can. Though it’s rarely the case, if you have support or endorsements from local authorities or from advertisers whose business the media outlet relies on, this is a useful thing to communicate when it’s possible and appropriate.
Also keep in mind that the Associated Press, as an international media resource, is an important way to reach many venues at once. Click here for contact information for the Associated Press (http://www.ap.org/pages/aptoday/aptoday_contact.html)
For most forms of mainstream media, you can find listings for local print journalism in phone books under “media”, “press”, or “journalism”, or on the internet by typing in these same terms as search keywords, coupled with your location. Click here for more resources and media contact information
Print Media:
Types of print media include newspapers, magazines and newsletters. Though organizers are typically concerned with news oriented publications, keep in mind that magazines or newsletters without a news focus may sometimes run features or announcements about the IDNP. With the exception of rural areas, cities and towns in most countries have at least one local form of print journalism. It may also be useful to contact media in nearby regions, counties, or territories. Complete contact information, including fax, email and regular mail addresses are listed on the editorial pages of most publications. You can often locate smaller media outlets you’re unaware of by browsing newsstands, bookstores, or other shops that sell publications. Also keep in mind that many publications invite reader response on the web, and this is a useful place to get your message out, and to informally alert the editors to public interest in covering anti-prostitution efforts.
Television:
Most major public television stations run news programming, which will be the best option for media coverage. However, talking with station managers about whether coverage can be incorporated into other programming can be very useful. It’s useful to contact producers of talk shows, “wake up” or morning programming, and to dialogue with station managers about public service announcements. Non-public or cable television may also be willing to air public service announcements, or interview IDNP organizers on local programming. Contact information is sometimes listed in the credits of television programming, but if you contact the station directly, you can also request phone, fax, email and regular mail contacts for news and other programs. Use this opportunity to request information about which programs may be appropriate venues for your message. Many television stations have websites which will come up under a simple search, and give you lots of information about how they work. Many also invite reader response or comments on the web.
Radio:
You can easily identify local radio stations by browsing your radio dial, and spending a little time listening. This is useful to do to identify the format (i.e. musical, talk, news and information, religious) of each station, and to investigate whether the station might be receptive to your message. This may not be the easiest or fastest way to obtain contact information, however, and it’s useful to use phone books or the internet as well. If you are seeking radio stations outside your immediate area, you can turn to the internet, and also ask local stations if they are part of radio networks. Many radio stations are owned by chains or media outlets, and it can be very useful to ask for public service announcements or seek interview time on syndicated programs, across regions, states, or areas, rather than focusing solely on one local station. Keep in mind that it may be useful to make specific arrangements to try to get one or more organizers onto a radio call-in show, rather than focusing solely on news or public service announcements. Radio stations may also have web-based resources.
Alternative Media
Alternative or left-wing media may often, though not always, provide more sympathetic or accurate coverage than mainstream media. However, alternative media are often more difficult to locate. One positive thing about alternative media outlets is many will cover stories that are not local to a particular area, so researching national and international media outlets is often useful. ESCAPE works on international coverage for the IDNP, so feel free to send us information and announcements you want included in our press information. (We’re interested anyway!) Alternative outlets include: independent radio stations, newsletters, magazines, newspapers, and the occasional cable television show. Many outlets are specific to particular communities, causes or issues (e.g. labor, culture, women, or the environment). If you communicate about the relevance of the IDNP to social justice causes not specific to prostitution, keep in mind that you may receive coverage from a variety of publications or other media. Useful places to look include: classified advertising or listings of other publications, local activist organizations, the internet, informational tables at political events, alternative or diversified bookstores, fairs and festivals, and word of mouth. In many cases, political organizations will have internal newsletters you may not be aware of, so be sure to ask.
Using the Internet
Types of internet resources vary by language. Some ways to make use of the internet to publicize your event and make useful contacts include:
You can obtain lists of email lists by typing in the keyword “mailing list” or “email list” in an internet search engine.
Resources and Contact Information
The following links have useful contact directories and media listings:
http://www.mediachannel.org/
http://www.fair.org/resources.html
http://www.newslink.org
http://www.altmedia.about.com
http://www.broadcastnews.about.com
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Contacting the Media
There are a number of ways to reach the media. Generally, it’s most useful to make individual contacts with people in the media if you have the time, access, and ability to do so. Below are some specific examples and tips for contacting media in ways which will be likely to be effective.
(click on links)
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How to Write a Press or News Release
The purpose of a press release (also known as a news release) is to bring the attention of the media to an event, issue, or statement you want to make. News organizations do not respond to all press releases they receive, so it's generally most effective to write releases that are clear, to the point, and contain all the essential information needed to construct or outline a news article or story.
Your release should begin with the date, your contact information and organization(s) name, and a headline. The headline should grab the attention of the reader and summarize the content of your press release. Your opening sentence is also particularly important in communicating that your event or issue is newsworthy.
Following the opening sentence, you should focus on communicating the basic information journalists use: who, what, where, when, why, how. It's also useful to include a statement about the event in quotations that can be transferred directly into the text of a news story. It's useful to talk about both what the International Day of No Prostitution is globally, and what you are planning or combating locally.
When seeking coverage for the International Day of No Prostitution, it's particularly important to think about to think about how to encourage the media to cover the issue in terms which don't feed into victim-blaming or conservative assumptions or ideologies. Where you can, find ways to use the release to introduce your perspective or politics about the issue, or let the media know where to find out more background information that presents the issue from feminist and social justice perspectives.
We appreciate and encourage activists to include the International Day of No Prostitution web pages as a source of centralized information about the IDNP. You may also want to list contacts for other good people to interview or supportive/sponsoring organizations appended to your release.
Releases are generally faxed, emailed or delivered- regular mail is unlikely to be timely. Depending on the size and scope of the media you're approaching, you may want to send out an initial release a week before October 5th, and then a second press release on October 2nd or 3rd as a reminder. This will allow adequate time to initiate media coverage before the IDNP.
Click here for information on finding contact information for media
Sample Press Release
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 1, 2002
Contact: International Day of No Prostitution Collective
email: idnp2002@hotmail.com
http://www.angelfire.com/rebellion/idnp/index.html
"Activists Challenge Prostitution Globally"
SAN FRANCISCO, USA, 10/1/02, Feminists and social justice activists on six continents have organized the First International Day of No Prostitution this Saturday, October 5, 2002.
Organizers and participants are uniting to advocate for a future in which there will be no prostitution or related forms of sexual exploitation or sexual trafficking, and to draw public attention to the devastating consequences of prostitution for the girls, boys, women and animals who are used, bought, and sold for sex. This one day in which activists, advocates and survivors of prostitution speak and organize against sexual exploitation is intended to provoke public demand for social change, extending beyond October 5th.
The Day is specifically a challenge to "pimps", "johns" and "tricks"- or the men who buy sex or profit from selling the bodies of others for sex- to stop participating in and profiting from sexual exploitation and violence.
(organizer’s name) states: “There's a mythology that prostitution is a victimless crime perpetrated by women and girls who are in systems of prostitution; we want people to understand that prostitution can only stop when the men who buy and sell others are not able to do so any more”
Many participants are specifically advocating for decriminalization of prostitution for those who are used and trafficked, coupled with increased legal and social opposition to trafficking and exploitation of prostitutes and to the poverty, racism, sexism and child abuse that create prostitution. This means stopping prosecution of prostituted women and children, and increasing prosecution of pimps and johns.
Participating organizers and organizations have come together from feminist, labor, children and youth advocacy, anti-racist, animal rights, anti-poverty, human rights, and anti-globalization movements on six continents and numerous countries to be part of the International Day of No Prostitution. Planned events include public speeches, rallies, marches, vigils, educational events in and out of schools and universities, conferences, and artistic and multi-media displays.
Find out more about the IDNP at http://www.angelfire.com/rebellion/idnp/index.html
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How To Write A Press Advisory
A Press Advisory lets the press know to attend an event. Unlike a press or news release, it is not the basis for writing an article, it's more like an invitation or alert that a newsworthy event is about to occur- such as a press conference, community forum, or meeting with public officials. Ideally, fax a press advisory a week before the event, and then follow up with a phone call. Fax and phone again to confirm, the day before the event.
If you have multiple events that may be newsworthy, it's not advisable to send a separate advisory for each; either attach a complete events list to your advisory or release, or if you think additional pages will be disregarded, communicate directly with someone in the media you've made contact with and offer to send a complete list of events. Send a press advisory for one or at most two events which you want to make certain get the most media attention. If you highlight an initial event and it goes well, this will hopefully bring media attention to anything else that follows.
The components of a press advisory are: the date and contact information, a title and one sentence/phrase description. A brief paragraph describing the event. A list of speakers or noteworthy attendees (if relevant), and basic statements of What, Where, When.
Sample Press Advisory
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September 28, 2002
Contact: IDNP Collective at idnp2002@hotmail.com
Attn: Assignment Editor
Bay Area Speak-Out on Prostitution
Local and international speakers, survivors, and testimony about the
realities of surviving prostitution and kick-off the First International
Day of No Prostitution
Political organizers, community leaders, and survivors of prostitution will discuss violence and sexual exploitation, police harassment and brutality, strategies for policy and legislation, and communal responses to prostitution. The October 4th Speak-Out precedes the First International Day of No Prostitution (October 5th, 2002).
Featured Speaker:
Jill Leighton (Prostitution Survivor and Organizer with
ESCAPE)
What: Speak-out and Rally Against Prostitution
Where: University of California at Berkeley
When: Friday, October 4, 6-8pm.
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How To Write A Letter to the Editor
In many print publications, Letters to the Editor may be your best chance to communicate what the IDNP is really about. Letters should be sent to publications, and specific instructions are listed in the editorial pages. Many publications require a contact phone number to verify that you are the author of the letter. Letters to the editors should be brief, make clear your position and the basis for it, and highlight a few key reasons why people need to oppose prostitution or support the IDNP. If you want to publish something longer, some newspapers run “Op-Ed Opinion Pieces”- which are longer essays, usually two to three times the length of a letter to the editor. Op-Ed pieces generally run on the page facing letters, and usually have titles. Include one yourself if you don’t want the paper to make on up for you. If you don’t want your Op-Ed piece reproduced, be sure to indicate that you are copyrighting it (© Copyright 2002 by your name) below the title of your Op-Ed piece.
Use letters to the editor to correct misinformation in articles or reports, to generate public sympathy, and to represent the issues to people who are unaware of them. Though it may not be effective to be deliberately inflammatory (or may in some cases), letters to the editor need to be interesting and simple enough to catch and hold the reader’s attention.
Sample Letter to the Editor
To the Editor:
I am writing in response to your recent story, titled ______, in which you discussed prostitution as a threat to public morality. I agree that prostitution is a very significant problem. However, my opposition to prostitution is based on recognition that prostitution involves violence against living beings, typically children and women, who are forced or coerced into prostitution by poverty or abuse. Prostituted girls and women are not criminals, and are not a threat to public decency. The real immorality is a society that creates organized economic and sexual violence and then blames the victims.
This October 5th marks the first International Day of No Prostitution, a day of protest against the abuses and human rights violations that occur within prostitution every day. As we approach this day, we need to be thinking about how to support those who want to escape prostitution, and to put the focus on the crimes committed by pimps and by men who are “tricks” and “johns”.
Sincerely,
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How to Write A Public Service Announcement
Public service announcements may be sent to radio stations, and in some cases television stations. Announcements must be clearly of interest to the listening or viewing public, and should be brief and informative. If you are sending an announcement for television, it may be useful to include a video clip. It’s useful to include PSAs of various time length, so that stations will be able to fit you into their programming schedule. Always include your contact information, if you can do safely. Public service announcements are especially useful to publicize a particular event. Specify if there are costs or pre-registration requirements.
Sample Public Service Announcement
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Public Service Announcement
For Immediate Release:
September 26, 2002
For more info. Contact:
Your Name: Phone #
Community Rally for the International Day of No Prostitution
30 seconds
Saturday, October 5 marks the first International Day of No Prostitution, a protest against sexual exploitation. Prostitution survivors, educators, and activists will be speaking about why and how we need to fight prostitution and pornography. The rally will begin a 7pm at the University of California at Berkeley, in Sproul Hall. For more information contact the Bay Area IDNP Planning Committee at (phone #)
15 seconds
Learn more about stopping prostitution and sexual exploitation at a community rally at 7pm, Saturday, October 5 at the University of California at Berkeley, Sproul Hall. For more information call (phone #)
10 seconds
Learn more about stopping prostitution at a community rally on Saturday, October 5th at UC-Berkeley. For information call (phone #)
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How to Write a Calendar Listing
Calendar listings do not replace press releases or advisories, since they are generally handled by a different editor. The purpose of a calendar listing is to catch the attention of people who are interested in community events, and invite attendance.
You may submit a listing in two ways- either by sending one in according to the standard format published in that publication, or by sending the editor information on “What”, “When”, “Where”, “Who” (is sponsoring, and should attend), and “Cost”
Calendar listings are usually addressed to the “Calendar Editor”, though for small newsletters, they can just be directed to the editor. You should send out Calendar listings at least two weeks prior to the publication date by which you want it to run. This will vary based on how often the publication comes out.
Sample Calendar Listing
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Calendar Listing
September 10, 2002
Attn: Calendar Editor
Contact idnp2002@hotmail.com
International Day of No Prostitution
Bay Area rally and march against prostitution for survivors,
activists, and community members
What:
At a kick-off rally for the IDNP, survivors and activists will talk about sexual exploitation and violence. A march and educational tour of a high-prostitution area will follow. Artwork and informational tabling will also be onsite during the rally.
Where:
The rally: University of California-Berkeley, Sproul Hall, Berkeley.
The march/tour: (address), San Francisco.
When:
The rally: Friday, October 4th, 7-9pm
The march/tour: Saturday, October 5th- 1-3pm
Who:
Sponsored by the Bay Area IDNP Planning Committee. The rally is open to the public. The march/tour is open to interested girls and women.
Cost:
Free. The rally includes refreshments.
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10 TIPS FOR T.V.
1. Reporters sometimes don't have the time or ability to research an issue thoroughly. They may be handed a story and sent out the door 5 minutes before an event. Make it easy by outlining your story in your press release. Be brief and to the point.
2. Your release will be one of hundreds to arrive in a given week. Send one early and another closer to the event. Your best bet is to do a little research and make a
contact. A release that arrives will be filed by the date of the event and looked at the day before or the day of the event. The best way to get coverage is to create a relationship with a reporter or assignment editor that lasts over time. Spend 2 weeks watching local news and learn who the reporters are. Is there one that may be sympathetic to your
views? It may be worth your time to send that person a release directly.
Reporters are always looking for sources they can talk to about multiple topics. You can become one of those people. Just don't try to do it at 9 am or 2 pm when most newsrooms are in their editorial meetings.
3. Answer the "Who cares?" question. Tell the press how your issue affects people locally.
4. Think visually. Interviews are necessary but reporters need pictures in between the sound bites for TV. Press conferences don't count as video, unless you have something to look at that moves. If you don't give them something to use for video you may get something from the station's files which may not be good for your story and won't help you.
5. Make sure your contacts can be contacted. Out of date phone numbers and unavailable contacts lead to no coverage. If a reporter is handed a story at 6 pm that airs at 11 pm and the phone number they have is only good from 9 am - 5pm you can imagine what will happen. You should also make sure the contacts are comfortable being interviewed.
6. Offer special opportunities for one on one experiences. (e.g. if there are outreach efforts in your community the chance to tag along.)
7. Be concise. Pages 2 and 3 have a tendency to get lost. Keep it to a single page. Sound bites for television or radio are usually less than 20 seconds. Watch your local stations to see what they regularly do.
8. Realize the myth of the liberal media.
9. For the most part, don't expect to hear a response to your release right away.
10. Realize news happens at unscheduled times. Planes crash, fires burn, children disappear, and it could happen during your event. When these things occur reporters are taken off their assigned stories and rerouted to the immediate need.
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Organizing a Press Conference
The purpose of a press conference is to convene members of the media and allow questions and interaction between your organizers and the press. The following steps are basic components of putting together a press conference.
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Creating Press Kits or Educational Packets for Media
The purpose of a press packet is to make certain the media have comprehensive information to draw on when reporting on your press conference or events. This helps cut down on misinformation and misrepresentation, and may win the good will of the media in some cases. Press packets or kits should be included in press conferences, and may be distributed at other events as well, at your discretion.
Press packets should minimally contain:
You may also include letters or endorsements from public officials, organizations or individuals, and/or articles or research papers or documents you want the press to reference. In some cases it’s useful to include photographs or video clips you want media to publish or air.
Press kits are usually distributed in a folder, with your event title or organizational name on the cover.
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Combatting Myths About Systems of Prostitution:
tips for interviewing and ways to monitor media
Figuring out how to deal with indifference and victim-blaming in the media is an extraordinary challenge. We suggest the following:
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If You Are A Survivor:
Some Issues to Consider About Giving Interviews or Testimony
Survivor testimony may make the difference in whether or not you receive media coverage. It also can be the most powerful way to win public support and raise consciousness. However, putting yourself out there is hard, risky, and sometimes very painful. The following are some questions to consider, many of which you may be well aware of. However, going over them can be a useful way to make the decision about going public:
If you have decided to give testimony, the following tips may be useful:
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Getting Media Attention: Creative Tactics and Strategies
If the media is refusing to cover you, or your coverage is or has been continually weak or inaccurate, think about changing your tactics.
Some useful ideas include:
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Although we frequently need to rely on the media, sometimes we can’t or shouldn’t. And even when we do use media, we may still benefit from simultaneously using more grassroots publicity. This means finding ways to engage in dialogue with the public without relying on the press.
Some options for grassroots publicity include: