Working with the Media

This guide is intended to help non-governmental organisations and other health communicators become more active and effective in their relations with the media. This pocket-sized 98-page book is designed for those working in the health and environment sector, but the publishers hope it will prove useful in many other sectors.

In the foreword, Génon Jensen, European Public Health Alliance Environment Network (EEN) Director, says that the decision to sponsor the guide was based on a widely acknowledged recognition among non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of the need for closer ties with journalists and editors. NGOs, according to this resource, often feel that working with the media will be too difficult or require resources and skills that are simply not available. This guide is aimed at helping to overcome those challenges. "The guide provides a simple roadmap that outlines the basic tasks that are likely to bring the biggest rewards," Ms Jensen says.

The guide is divided into 12 chapters.

• Chapter 1 provides the questions that need to be resolved when devising a media strategy and policy. It offers an outline of an NGO media strategy and policy.
• Chapter 2 gives an insight into how the media operate.
• Chapters 3-5 describe the practicalities of writing press releases and preparing for press conferences and media interviews.
• Chapters 6-9 deal with the responsibilities associated with providing the public with reliable information on what are important and often sensitive issues via the media.
• Chapter 10 describes how to make a campaign newsworthy.
• Chapter 11 offers a checklist to evaluate campaign success.
• Chapter 12 provides an introduction to cause-related commercial marketing, known as "social marketing".

The final pages of the guide contain a list of web links and ready-to-complete "media contact sheets", which offer prompts to NGO communicators making their first contact with key media personnel.

Click here to read more about this resource or to access the download information for PDF files in English, French, German or Russian.