DATE

Working with your local media��

DATE

�

EMPOWERING �CHANGE

From Social Media to Local Media

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Building Political Will Locally on Social Media: �Pros, Cons, Strategies, and Best Practices

Blue Sky 2.0: Reflecting, Insights & More Best Practices

Being a Local Spokesperson: Amplifying Your Voice in Local Media

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the importance of being a local spokesperson
• Learn how to make a pitch to your local media
• Identify how to prepare for and participate in media interview

Building Political Will Locally On Local Media

This workshop:

Agenda

Setting the stage�Land Acknowledgements and working with media. �Why work with local media?

Practice Giving an Interview

We share specific examples of best practices and then you can practice.

Making a pitch

In this workshop we will describe how to pitch and interview through a media release for an event.

Meta's and Twitter Actions Clash with Land Acknowledgements�Bluesky is better in comparison�But what about our local media?

TENET

META AND TWITTER

BLUESKY

Fail

DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY

TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION

RELATIONSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Fail

Fail

Pass

Pass

Pass

Meta's and Twitter Actions Clash with Land Acknowledgements�Bluesky is better in comparison�But what about our local media?

TENET

META & TWITTER

BLUESKY

F

DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY

TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION

RELATIONSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Pass

Pass

Pass

F

F

LOCAL NEWS

Pass+

Pass++

Pass++

Why work with local media or than the fact it is essential to a healthy democracy?

Rampant misinformation is jeopardizing our fundamental right to a liveable planet. Social media moguls must be held accountable for the harm they cause, just as the Canadian Press is held to account through direct feedback from the public and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

A Simple Truth

Why work with local media or than the fact it is essential to healthy democracy?

Rampant misinformation is jeopardizing our fundamental right to a liveable planet. Social media moguls must be held accountable for the harm they cause, just as the Canadian Press is held to account through direct feedback from the public and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

EDUCATE the general public about the urgency of the crisis and the factual evidence to steer us to safety.

GENERATE public interest in the climate crisis, carbon pricing and Citizens’ Climate Lobby.

DISSEMINATE our information to the largest number of people possible. Unlike social media – they are accountable curators of public information and they can reach a lot more people and being interviewed validates your work.

You are all local heroes. HERO STORIES are important in generating political will for a liveable world.

A Simple Truth

How to make a media pitch

Know who to contact

Timing is everything

Humanize

Tie-ins

Make Contact

Identify your news hooks

Class

Contact

TIMELY

MAGNITUDE

PROMINENCE�OR UNUSUAL

CONFLICT�OR DRAMA�

What is news?

PROXIMITY

DRAMA

ANALYSIS

VISUAL

Anatomy of Preparing for an Interview

FACE

BODY

FOOTPRINTS

Memorable sound bites or quotes

Key messages you want to get across. ��No more than three messages

Lasting impression

THE FACE FORMULA

• Feelings (compassion, emotion)
• Analysis (an amazing statistic)
• Compelling (youth striking from school to protest adult inaction on the climate crisis)
• Energy (non-monotone)

Hint: they are looking for sound bites

THE BODY OF AN INTERVIEW

• Keep your message simple
• Save the science and economics for Q&A’s
• Rule of 3’s
• Stick to your top three points
• Know your audience
• Does it pass the mom test?

Don’t overwhelm the reporter

Footprint: Leaving a lasting impression

• What’s the bottom line? Wrap it all up and put it “in a nutshell.”
• Less is more, don’t overwhelm the reporter with too much information.
• Make the reporter curious to want more and another story down the road!
• Follow up with a personal thank you note via email, paper or social media.

Practice your take home message in 8 seconds

Never tell a reporter what to write

Responding to the Media

Notes to take

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• Who is making the request?
• What is the question/context of story?
• Who should respond?
• Deadline for a response?

Some things to remember

• Get reporter’s name and contact info and store it somewhere.
• Only provide information within your area of expertise.
• Assume microphones are always on.
• Fill in field reports for your media hits.
• Don’t instruct reporters what to write and not write.

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Talking to the Media

What are the ground rules?

• CCL volunteers are encouraged to speak to their local media about the mission and background as well as their personal involvement in the program.
• All national media interviews should referred to and approved by HQ.
• Any opinions expressed must only represent you. Remember you can’t speak for Citizens Climate Lobby.
• All official talking points are in our Media Tips card , Laser Talks and Media Releases.
• CCL Mission and Values: respect and admiration for service, we are not against anything, we don’t argue & our core values.

Stay in your lane

Types of Questions/inquiries to be referred

• Leadership decisions
• Controversial subjects
• Partnership-related projects

Know When to Refer to HQ

When talking to the media

Don’ts …

Slouch or rock back and forth

Use acronyms or jargon

Repeat a damaging phrase

Speak for anyone else but you

Tell the media what to reporter what to say

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​

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Do’s …

Listen carefully to the questions

Make eye contact

Speak clearly, and slowly in sentences PAUSE.

Learn control phrases.�Smile when talking.

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Stay in control of interview by “bridging” – using control phrases to get an interview or question session back on track and back on message.

Don’t be afraid to say “no” if you don’t know but avoid “no comment.”

Practice

Tips for media interviews

Specific Media Guidelines

Newspaper Interviews

Behave as if a microphone is on

Bring support materials such as your media release and “scripts” for the events

Television Interviews

Dress the part. Avoid shiny or tiny print clothing. Solids work best

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Telephone Interviews

Find out ahead of time if segment is live or taped

Eliminate distractions in room where you are taking call

Radio Interviews

Paint pictures with your words

Sound confident and in control

Smile – people can hear you smile

Control fidgety sounds

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​

E

Practicing an interview

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• Watch an interview with me for the Standing with Science Event

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• Then you think of an upcoming event you are on working on and practice an interview in a breakout room

Summary

• Prepare and Practice before you do a media interview.
• Keep control of the interview by learning control phrases.
• Evaluate yourself afterwards to improve future performances.
• Get the RIGHT message to the RIGHT people at the RIGHT time!

Thank You!

B

www.citizensclimatelobby.org