Publicise Landmine Monitor Report 2003!

Author/Origin: Sue Wixley wixleySPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org

(Thursday 07 August 2003 ) Q: How can you publicise the 2003 report in your country? How can you get good coverage of the global landmine issue and regional/country findings?

A: There are many different ways to get media coverage of the report e.g. holding a press conference, writing a piece for your local newspaper, doing a web launch, pitching an exclusive story to a television station or sending out a press statement. Please see below for tips and ideas on these activities.

You are welcome to join in the global release of the 2003 report, which is scheduled for Tuesday, 9 September 2003. In order to ensure the global release gets maximum coverage, its embargo is extremely important. Please check to make sure you will not break the embargo.

GET IN TOUCH!

• Contact Sue Wixley, ICBL Advocacy and Communications Officer, for advice on these publicity activities: wixleySPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org
• Inform us of a release event by emailing lmSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org or contacting Mary Wareham, HRW: Human Rights Watch, 1630 Connecticut Ave NW #500, Washington DC 20009, USA, Tel. +1-202-612-4356, Fax. +1-202-612-4333.
• Approach your member organisations, embassies, foundations, other donors and United Nations agencies such as UNICEF. Ask for their support in organising an event or helping with part of it e.g. contributing to the translation and publication of a country report.
• For further tips see the ICBL Campaign Kit and the ICBL Youth Campaign Kit. Or look at the list of launch activities for Landmine Monitor 2002 here .

1. Send out a press statement

One general press statement/release will be written for the launch of Landmine Monitor Report 2003: Toward a Mine-Free World. This will be sent out in advance on request to campaigners planning to launch events, together with other background material such as Key Developments (a country-by-country overview of key developments since the last report), Major Findings (the most important findings of the report) and the Executive Summary of the report. (See the important note about the embargo at the top of this page.)

Adapt the press statement to your own context by adding in a quote from the country researcher or the campaign or including information about your country or region as it features in the report. Also, translate it into your own language.

BE PREPARED!

Before you receive the statement and start adapting it, there is a lot to be done to get things ready:

• Update your media list: Check the names and contact details on the list are still relevant by telephoning and/or visiting your contacts. Use this opportunity to inform them about the upcoming release event and set up interviews in advance. Also, decide if you will fax or email the press statement to your contacts. To save time and effort, programme the fax numbers into your fax machine or create a group email list. For more hints on creating media lists, click here.
• Update your list of interviewees or campaign spokespersons: Brief them and keep their personal contact details at hand in case there are requests for interviews outside of normal working hours.
• If necessary, arrange for a translator to translate the release when it is available.
• Prepare any other background materials that the media may need, and make copies and/or post on your website.

Here are last year’s press statement and other documents for the media and others:

• LM 2002 press statement
• LM 2002 Key Developments
• LM 2002 Major Findings
• LM 2002 Executive Summary
• LM 2002 Report: Toward a Mine-Free World.

2. Write an opinion piece/article

Contact a national or local newspaper and offer to write an opinion article to be run on the day of the launch, Tuesday, 9 September, or afterwards. Also called opinion editorials or ‘op-eds,’ these are usually published opposite a newspaper’s editorial column or on the same page as letters from readers. Some websites also publish opinion pieces, for example, Reuters’ “Alertnet” has a regular “Viewpoint column” (see; www.alertnet.org).

THREE EASY STEPS

One! Find out who is in charge of the opinion-editorial page of the target newspaper (often, but not always, it is the Editor-in-Chief). Ask about their policy for publishing op-eds, including their maximum word length and deadline. Then, gather ideas and prepare to pitch (or ‘sell’) your article to this person.

Two! Call up, meet or write to the relevant and editor and pitch the article. Convince him or her that your article will be of interest to the newspaper’s readers. What insight will you provide into the landmine problem? Why is it important for your country/city/community? For example, can you relate the landmine issue to an ongoing or topical issue facing your government such as its foreign relations policy? (Say that the global report, ‘the landmine bible’, is being launched worldwide on 9 September in the run-up to the Fifth Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in Bangkok, 15 – 19 September 2003). Another option, is to ask a well-known supporter to submit an opinion piece to the newspaper on the landmine issue which you could help write. This may help if the newspaper gives preference to publishing articles by celebrities, actors or community leaders.

Three! Write the op-ed. The format is pretty straightforward: first state your argument, referring to the launch of Landmine Monitor Report 2003 and/or the Fifth Meeting of States Parties. Then make the argument. Try and give a personal and preferably a local angle to the piece. Provide hard-hitting facts and figures and quote experts’ opinion to back up your position. Then wrap up and provide information on where to go to find out more, such as the ICBL website. Aim for about 750 words, but check with your target newspaper to see if they have a required word length.

3. Suggest an exclusive interview/story

Think of a landmine-related story and propose it to a media contact as a news item, short feature, and interview or for a talk show or magazine programme appearance. Then help to arrange it by providing contact details and background information.

WHAT?

Consider a person whose story will help bring to life the landmine issue. What people are involved or affected by landmines in your country or area? If you live in a mine-affected country you could focus on a community living near a minefield, or a survivor with an unusual story to tell, a deminer undergoing training/already working in mine action or a physiotherapist working to rehabilitate survivors. If you live in a country that is not mine-affected, think about whether there are local people who have worked abroad as deminers, landmine survivors, immigrants and refugees from mine-affected countries or campaigners working to promote a ban? For example, are there youth campaigners organising unusual activities to get across their message and raise funds? Or do you have the support of well-known community leaders, sports stars or celebrities who can talk to the media? As a researcher, you too may be an appropriate subject for an interview, bringing your expertise and personal perspective.

WHO?

It may work best to keep this as an exclusive story -- only offered to one media source -- since they may put more effort into preparing and running the piece. However, you may also choose to broaden the coverage by offering the idea to a few handpicked sources in different media e.g. radio, television and print media.

4. Organise a press conference

Here’s what you’ll need to do: before, during and after the press conference…

ONE MONTH BEFORE(i.e. now!)

• Decide on the purpose and angle of the event
  Is it mainly to get media coverage or will it also serve as a briefing for the diplomatic community, government officials, members of parliament, supporters and/or other NGOs? Is there a specific message related to the 2003 report that you'd like to get across? (Think about local angles and interest in the landmine issue and the 2003 report.)
• Choose and reserve a venue for the release event
  Things to consider: will media come or is it too far? is there parking/access from public transport? Is it central/easy to get to? Are there chairs/tables and other equipment or do you need to hire these yourself (e.g. overhead projector, LCD projector, microphone and sound system)? Do you want them to provide refreshments? Will they set up the room beforehand or will you need to do that? (Cinema style seating is usually sufficient -- chairs for guests, table and chairs for speakers at the front.) Remember to have an extra table near the entrance to display materials and for guests to sign up.) Where will you hang a banner, photos or other visual materials and how? (I.e. Do you need to arrange for a ladder for the hanging of material, do you need special material to fix materials to the walls etc.)
• Decide on speakers and confirm their availability
  Things to consider: will the people that will speak be able to interest the media and other guests? Do they represent different issues that you would like to address at the event? (Consider representation: regional, thematic, gender, religious…). Are there no more than three or four speakers? (Stick to a minimum number of speakers – and if you have several more available then offer to use them for interviews rather than to speak at the press conference.) Will one of the speakers facilitate the event or will you have another person to facilitate/chair the event? Arrange to brief the speakers before the event.
• Decide on guest list and send out invitations e.g. to diplomats, supporters, government contacts, donors, other NGOs, international organisations etc.
• Update media list: see the points under “Be prepared!” (Send out a press statement) above.
• Plan the press kit/media kit and other materials(e.g. banners) or visual presentations (e.g. Powerpoint presentations). Things to consider: what materials are you going to include in a kit for the media and/or other guests at the press conference? Some good items to include may be: the press statement, background information on the speakers and their organisations, information on the treaty, materials on Landmine Monitor Report 2003 (e.g. Key Developments and Major Findings documents, Executive Summary), postcards or other campaign materials. Make sure that your contact details are easy to spot in these documents. Then also think about making the venue visually interesting for the media as well as guests e.g. by displaying photographs, posters and/or banners.

TWO WEEKS BEFORE

• Finalise and copy the press kit: finish writing and translating the documents. Get them copied and inserted into a folder/envelope for the kit. (The Landmine Monitor press release may not be available until days before the 9 September release date).
• Send out a press advisory/alert to all everyone on your media list. This short one-page document is different to a press statement. It is the invitation to the event and should not include information on the content of the press statement or the LM Report 2003. Instead, it should tell the media that you are holding the press conference and why it will be of interest to them. Provide practical information about who is speaking and where it will be held (include a map to the venue and information on parking). Do not give away too much information otherwise there will be little motivation for them to attend the conference!

THAT WEEK

• Visit/call venue: check the room set up, confirm the number of guests you expect.
• Brief the speakers: tell them what you would like them to focus on (e.g. a specific aspect of the report – global or national angle or victim assistance, mine action or other theme). Ask them to keep it short and not speak for longer than five or ten minutes (more information can be provided during question time and in follow up interviews). Let them know the order of the speakers and what each the other speakers will cover in their presentations. For experienced speakers, particularly experts in the issue, it can be helpful to remind them of the general nature of the audience. For those with less experience in public speaking you may want to spend more time talking with them on how to prepare, what to cover, the importance of speaking slowly and clearly etc. Check if they need interpretation or help in getting to the venue.
  It can also be helpful to brainstorm a list of possible questions from the media and then discuss how these can best be answered.
• Call ALL media contacts, or visit them, encourage them to come to the event. This one-to-one contact is the only way to ensure that journalists attend the conference! Keep the press advisory at hand as you may need to re-send it to some journalists once you have spoken with them. For large newspapers and wire agencies check that the event is listed in their news diary for the day (journalists will be allocated to attend on the day, depending on other events and competing stories). Keep a list of which media have confirmed their attendance and brief the speakers about who to expect at the event.
• Also, telephone others on the guest list to confirm attendance.
• Prepare a blank registration list (or table) on your computer so you can ask guests to register when they arrive, providing their latest contacts and saying whether or not they would like to receive press statements in future. This list is very useful as a record and also for updating your media list afterwards.
• Make large name tags for the speakers to display on the speakers’ table so that the media spells their names correctly. These are easy to make if you print out the names in a large typeface t on separate A4 sheets of paper and then fold them so that they can be displayed on the desk.
• Mandate one or two members or volunteers to be available on the day to greet guests, hand out kit, answer questions, and invite them to sign up on the registration form. Also, brief volunteers, members and campaigners about their role at the event. For example, you may ask them to leave the limited seating for the media and other guests and wait until the end before posing their own questions.

ON THE DAY

• Go to the venue an hour or two beforehand to set up: put up the displays, hang up the banner/s, arrange the press packs, put out glasses of water for speakers etc.
• Be there to greet the media and other guests.
• Start the press conference when most of the guests have arrived but don’t start too late, as some guests may have to leave for another engagement. After a short welcome and introduction, proceed to each speaker and then to questions. Aim to finish in about an hour – follow up questions can be answered individually once the conference has closed. During question time, the chair should ask each person with a question to identify themself first (their name and what media they represent) before stating their question since this may help speakers understand what their interest/angle is. If the main focus of the event is the media, then the journalists present should be given the priority in asking questions.
• Tell media to link their stories to the Landmine Monitor report online at www.icbl.org/lm/2003
• Tell media about the upcoming Fifth Meeting of States Parties in Bangkok and let them know how they can contact you there for interviews.
• Afterwards, answer questions and organise follow up interviews.

AFTER

• Contact those media sources and others that did not make the event: arrange to drop off packs and arrange interviews with your spokespeople.
• Collect press clips from the event, watch and record tv/radio coverage.
• Have an evaluation of the event, and assess the coverage.
• Update your media list with new contacts so that it is ready for next time.
• For more tips, see these booklets: “So you want to publicise your campaign?” in the ICBL Campaign Kit and Youth Campaign Kit. The latter is available online in English, French and Spanish.

5. Organise another event

Here are a few more ideas to publicise Landmine Monitor Report 2003:

• Organise a photo opportunity and contact photo agencies or picture editors and invite them to cover your event.
• Do a web launch. Instead of holding an actual press conference, do a virtual launch on your website. For that, you could provide the media kit online (see above: Organise a press conference for ideas on media kits) and have a spokesperson available to answer questions through a live chatroom or messenger system. Send out an invitation to your virtual launch to let guests know what will be available and how they can participate. Provide a link to the ICBL website which will have the full report online, including the full report searchable by country, Executive Summary, Major Findings, Key Developments, maps and translations.
• Pitch for a photo essay in a local newspaper: if you have access to a photo exhibition on the mine issue, then approach a newspaper and suggest a photographic spread is published to coincide with the Landmine Monitor Report 2003 launch or the Meeting of States Parties. Contact a local photographer for help on this. Or for information on existing exhibitions get in touch with the nearest ICBL resource centre.