In this day and age, using social media platforms to build support is crucial. However, leveraging other media opportunities is likewise a key task for those organizations seeking to broaden membership and increase support.
In Israel, a number of activists note the importance of using media as an advocacy platform. Fathi Mashoud, a civil society activist currently working with Bezalel Academy, talks about “using the media” as a platform to address discrimination and racism against Palestinian citizens in Israel as a conduit for taking grassroots issues and bringing them into the public eye to effectively advocate for policy change. Samah Salaime of Neve Shalom Wahat al-Salaam also notes “the power of the media” as an advocacy tool: if the media tells your story, this brings more attention to the issues you seek to address. As an example of this, Hasan, of the Bedouin Women’s Network, notes that in her community, “We need to talk about polygamy,” and that one of the ways of bringing more attention to this issue is by seeking out opportunities to speak about it to the media.
Another way of engaging with media is leveraging consumer rights. For example, Will Glendenning, a civil society activist in Northern Ireland, notes a transition in statutory agency approaches during the 1970s where “agencies who were delivering services were becoming more consumer oriented.” As these agencies moved to a model of providing services on the basis of community need and demand, gaps or perceived gaps in service delivery provided an opportunity for people to say, as Will states, “I have rights here,” and demand media attention when these rights weren’t met. In other words: framing demands in ways that resonate with the community can help gain media attention.
However, organizations must also be cognizant of the potential for disinterest from the media or negative attention. For example, Tony Kennedy notes that the “One Small Step” campaign to get people involved in cross-community engagement “was treated with great cynicism” because of a lack of interest in civil society initiatives. Andy Pollack likewise notes that the media in Northern Ireland was not interested in civil society. And Seamus McAleavey, from NICVA, notes that when civil society organizations ran media campaigns around the peace process, “trying to encourage politicians to do a deal,” the media was likewise very cynical. As Seamus notes, “We had to be careful, too, because one of the difficulties is you start to get written off.” This meant that groups had to constantly find “fresh” ways of engaging media.
More often than not, the media already has an established angle or stance when reporting a story. As such, it can be tough to secure media airspace when what you are saying is not in alignment with their narrative. Likewise, reporters and media outlets may come into interactions with activists expecting a certain message or mantra; if the message they are seeking is not forthcoming, your segment may be cut altogether.
Media may become cynical or critical of an organization, and could end up being part of the problem activists are seeking to address rather than a part of the solution.
Newly-formed or community based organizations may find it difficult to access media, especially media interested in presenting the organization as they wish to be seen.
Category: Engagement Strategies
Subcategory: Media engagement
Shape the narrative - Find opportunities to have your story told by others
Identify and act on key moments - Take advantage of existing media attention
Use language strategically - Frame your message in ways that will interest the media