EFFECTIVE USE OF THE MEDIA

This is a concise and excellent lesson for regular people on using media effectively. Excerpted and adapted from Barry Tonning’s presentation at the Fifth National Volunteer Monitoring Conference. Barry Tonning is an Environmental Policy Analyst for the Council of State Governments in Lexington, KY; 606/244-8228; btonning@csg.org..

The idea of dealing with the media may sound formidable -- even threatening -- to volunteers unaccustomed to reporters, as well as to staff and consultants more comfortable plying their trade quietly behind institutional public information policies. Indeed, most of our public information and education thus far has been disseminated through carefully composed brochures, pamphlets, slide shows, and videotapes aimed at targeted audiences. However, in order to reach the masses of people who need to be informed on salmon and water quality issues, we must preach to the sinners as well as to the choir.

Therefore, telling the local watershed story to the local press is important. And despite the normal fear of reporters, cameras, and microphones, it need not be an unpleasant experience. Using the mass media -- radio, television, and newspapers -- is a powerful and very inexpensive way to get the water quality message across to the huge numbers of people who need to be exposed to it. Familiarity with the basic principles of communication and the needs of the media are all that is required to understand how this vital public information and education service can be employed to help clean up the nation's waters.

What the media want from you

Although there are considerable differences among newspapers, radio stations, and television stations, all three share some important similarities:

It can be anything -- "Agency Concerned about Siltation in Rolling River"; "Group Seeks Funds to Clean Up Goose Lake"; "Citizens Urge Study of Livestock Impact on Bear Creek." A good story can be developed from nearly anything related to watershed work. Feature stories on volunteer monitoring activities and/or data reporting are excellent examples. Just because no major event (i.e., grant award, enforcement action, hospitalization, death) has occurred doesn't mean that a story is unwarranted. Indeed, much of what's covered in the "news" consists of press releases from various sources.

Your watershed story can be about anything, but it has to be about something. Focus it. The story is the most important thing to consider: it will dictate what kind of coverage is devoted to your message. A dozen or more stories can be developed from nearly any project that lasts 12 months. Weekly updates or even weekly columns present an excellent format for continuing coverage. And remember: news consists of the good, as well as the bad and the ugly. Feature stories on successful solutions are great ways to cover our issues in a positive light. In fact, focusing on real, achievable solutions implemented by the wide variety of players often provides the best format for presenting the technical details of the problem, its impacts, and possible solutions, while at the same time improving science literacy among the public.

Don't send them a general press release from some national or state office and expect them to localize it. That's your job. Take them out to film some badly eroded river or creek banks. Call the water plant and get the manager to talk to a reporter about the effect of solids on treatment costs. Have a few fishermen on standby who can talk about spawning bed siltation problems, or the effect on macroinvertebrates (fish food). Feature a local farmer who has just installed a new animal waste system. Do a story on the wide availability of oil recycling options, and the effects of dumped oil on surface and ground water.

Face it: reporters are trained in retelling a story. You've got the story, they've got the expertise and the means to retell it. Don't expect them to sift through two-inch thick documents on impaired uses of surface waters -- compile the information for them. For best results, consider writing up the story yourself! It's not too difficult, and you'll be making sure that the story says what you want it to say. Tell them (or better yet, show them) where to take pictures or videotape. Give them the names and phone numbers of people to interview. Make it easy for them, so easy they can't resist running your story-and so easy that they'll call you when the news is slow (summertime, late December, and January) and they need a story.

Finally, develop a personal relationship with the press. Faxes and phones are nice, but there need to be faces and people behind them. Developing relationships early will ensure that you'll be called to comment on breaking news stories or to put the local spin on regional or national developments.

The format for news releases is pretty straightforward: a "headline-able" news nugget, followed by some detailed information about the issues at hand, written in layman's terms.

Communicating to change behaviors

The reasons for advocating more news coverage of watershed issues are: (1) to inform the public about the extent of various problems, and (2) to educate people on how to eliminate problems. Both, of course, imply an underlying goal of prompting action. Communicating to produce a desired action requires a clear, concise message; repetition of the message employing varied approaches; and linking the message to something the audience values. By taking local watershed issues directly to the locals through their media, you will help create an awareness and understanding of the problem among the ultimate decision makers, and also build public support for policies that address watershed protection and restoration.

For the full text, please see the conference proceedings, available at no charge from:

or on the EPA volunteer monitoring homepage, www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring/vol.html.