Nursing and the Political Agenda

Working with the News Media

Journalism has the power to make us angry or to laugh out loud. Every once in a while, a piece of journalism inspires us to act to address issues or improve the status quo. Across the country, in part thanks to the media, the future of Canada’s health system is being discussed and debated not only by political parties but also by health professionals and Canadians alike. Canadians appear to be more and more engaged in issues such as the environment, obesity, poverty and early child development.

For organizations, the media is an important target audience. Building relationships with members of the media to establish and maintain credibility is an important component of communications planning.

For individuals, the media can be important for communicating your position(s), knowledge and expertise to a broad audience or bringing attention to an issue that might be otherwise overlooked. Did you know that Letters to the Editor is the most popular section of a newspaper?

What is newsworthy?

Members of the media are bombarded with hundreds of calls, media releases and e-mails daily. Here are some tips to help you determine if your story is newsworthy.

• Timeliness: Is your story new? Does your story present a new angle? A new perspective? A dissenting opinion?
• Reach/Impact: How many people are affected? How many of the affected group live within the geographic area served by the media outlet?
• Uniqueness/Relevance: What makes your story unique? What will change as a result of the media telling your story?
• Conflict: Is there controversy? What are the various views and who holds them?
• Prominence/Expert: Is your story based on expert research? Is the source of the story a leader in his or her field?

How to get to the media

There are several tools and tactics that organizations use to get their messages out to the media such as issuing a media release, organizing a news conference or suggesting story ideas to reporters.

Individuals will find that writing letters to the editor and/or opinion editorials (op-eds) are an effective way to have your message heard. Letters to the editor are customarily written in response to an event or news story. Editors will choose to publish letters that are insightful, use examples to prove a point and are linked to a timely issue.

On the other hand, an op-ed provides a rationale with a significantly more detailed perspective on an issue.

The media interview

The media, when building an article or exposé, looks for individuals with expertise on a subject or an issue. The media wants insights, knowledge, positions and anecdotes. An interviewee wants to deliver a message. Sometimes those two agendas prevent the media and the interviewee from understanding one another.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when preparing for an interview:

• Prepare one or two key messages that you want to deliver during the interview, and practice a few different ways of saying the message.
• Avoid jargon and acronyms; keep the language simple.
• Prepare anecdotes or examples to back up your points and messages.
• Don’t hesitate to politely correct a reporter if he or she has got it wrong.
• When speaking to the media, remember to always be prepared.
• Most importantly, remember you are the expert. Be confident.