The first rule in building your relations with journalists and editors is: Remember, they are lazy. They want to get a ready content. Write everything they need. If they have research to complete information you gave them, it’s a lost case.
But also be brief. Try to make your press note not longer than half a page or one page. They won’t read more. Also highlight the most important sentences. The rest add in attachments (pictures!).
When you write an e-mail never send CC’s to many journalists. You have to make them feel specihal, exclusive. Send hidden CC’s or separate e-mail. If you have time, start each e-mail with “Hello/Good morning and a name of the person”. Write precisely in the title what is your e-mail about (if an event, write the place and time in the title).
Send your e-mail before 9-10am. This is when editors meet with their journalists and decide on the topics of the day, send journalists out.
If you write to mainstream, mass media, remember they’re not interested in science. Try to sell your topic from a journalist/politic point of view. Say who is going to be a hero/loser/victim. Write negative consequences of bed decision (numbers! examples!). Write why your government sucks, why their decision is bad for the people.
If it comes to Polish media, remember that COP is a huge propaganda mechanism for Polish government. The main for the government is to show the world that we can host such a meeting and we can do it smoothly. Polish journalists will be interested in any negative input about the government. They will most likely print every news starting with “President of XYZ criticized Poland because…”. And you have to contact them in Polish (see again: they’re lazy). But of course, since this COP is in Warsaw all Polish media will have their journalists in the venue. The best way is to contact them personally and tell them your story.
Milosz currently works for Greenpeace Brazil. Milosz was an Adopt-a-Negotiator fellow at the 2011 Durban climate conference. Having prepared his fellowship well in advance and having established solid relationships with editors, Milosz was able to build an unprecedented amount of pressure on the Polish negotiators by reporting in several national media outlets about their obstructive behavior. The Polish minister of environment even felt the need to respond with a statement to some of the information relayed by Milosz.
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