MEDIA

How to use the Print Media to Call Attention to Environmental Problems

NEWSPAPERS:

1. Letters to the Editor:
   The Letters to the Editor page is one of the most widely read sections of any newspaper. It’s one of the easiest ways to get your topic or issue into the paper. A carefully written, one-page letter will alert reporters, journalists, and the general public to the environmental issue. Be familiar with the issue and know your facts.

2. News Stories:
   If you believe the issue deserves further attention, contact a local newspaper and talk with it’s environmental reporter. To target the right reporter, look through your local newspaper for articles on environmental or energy issues and then look for the byline. That will be the environmental reporter. They may go under different titles including environmental, science, outdoor, or energy reporter. If the paper doesn’t have specialized reporters, contact a general reporter.

   Some basic tips to remember:

   1. The issue should be timely.
   2. It should be important to others in the community.
   3. Be prepared with facts. Document the story as much as possible with tangible proof (i.e. photographs, reliable sources). NEVER LIE!
   4. Find out the newspapers deadline before you call the reporter. You can do this by simply calling the newspaper and asking. (Do Not call a reporter right before the paper’s deadline!)
   5. Before hanging up make sure the reporter knows how to contact you in case he/she has any questions.

3. Feature Stories:
   Don’t be discouraged if a news reporter doesn’t think he/she can use your story. In that case, you may want to call a feature reporter. Although a feature story will be different from a hard news story, the result can be a lengthy, in-depth look at the issue. When talking to a feature reporter, emphasize the different aspects of the environmental issue (problems with Forest Service management, other timber sales and the impacts they caused, etc.).

4. Editorials:
   Editorials can be extremely important in an environmental issue because they are read by community leaders and public officials who are trying to keep up-to-date on issues that are in the community spotlight.

   There are several ways to get published in the editorial section of a newspaper. You can write an editorial yourself, which is called an op-ed piece (opposite the editorial page). Op-ed pieces should be clear and concise, typed, double-spaced, and shouldn’t be longer than two pages. The article has a better chance of being published if it’s written by a public official or other well-known individual who supports your stand on the issue. You can also write the piece and ask one of these individuals to sign their name to it.

   After writing the op-ed piece, submit it with a brief cover letter that includes some background information about the subject and your involvement in the issue. Address it to the Editor of the Op-ed page (again, you can find out who to send it to by simply calling the newspaper).

   Another approach to the editorial section is to call a newspaper and speak with someone on the editorial page staff. Tell them the story. If that person is receptive and seems to be supportive, offer to send some background material on the issue. Sometimes the newspaper will then run an editorial on the editorial page voicing its position on the issue.

5. Press Releases:
   Writing a press release simultaneously with an appeal allows you to be one step ahead of the press. The press release allows you to take a more proactive stance if the press contacts you regarding the appeal, rather than being reactive or on the defensive.

   A press release contains the kind of information you want the local newspaper to include in it’s story. Writing a press release also helps you to prepare yourself for calls from the press. It helps you organize your facts. It is one method of disclosing specific facts about the proposed timber sale, while also addressing the issues raised in your appeal, and sharing the concerns of other citizens and officials.

   Press releases can vary in length from one to three pages, double-spaced. It should include a contact person and phone number at the top of the press release. It can be mailed or hand delivered to the environmental/general reporter at the local newspaper. If the project that is being appealed affects a larger region, you should fax AND mail a hard copy to other newspapers outside the community.

   Press releases are often the quickest way to draw attention to your position on an issue. A press release often contains quotes and statements from appellants or concerned officials regarding the project (timber sale) proposal. By stating the relevant facts about the timber sale, and your reasons for appealing it, you are prepared for most questions from the press. Know the facts before you are put on the spot!