The power of media

“The media can be an instrument of change: it can maintain the status quo and reflect the

views of the society or it can, hopefully, awaken people and change minds. I think it depends on

who’s piloting the plane.”- Katie Couric, Journalist

UN Beijing platform for action

• The continued projection of negative and degrading images of women in media communications – electronic, print, visual and audio – must be changed.

Who makes the news?

Who makes the news?

• Media survey in 108 countries shows that:

• Women make up 24 %of the news globally• 76 % of people hear or read about in the news

are men

Presence of women and men in the news in the Middle East

• Only 16% of the total news subjects represents women in some way.

• In politics/government men makes up 90% of the news subjects

• Women make up 19% of experts and 12% spokespersons

• Highest proportions of women are in entertainment - 35%

Swedish media - conflict coverage

• Survey in Sweden shows that:

• News subjects: men 86% • Experts commenting events 89% men• Civil society 4 %

Related links

• Global Media Monitoring Project, Who makes the news?– http://www.whomakesthenews.org/

• Kvinna till Kvinnas survey of conflict coverage:– http://

www.kvinnatillkvinna.se/sites/default/files/File/ovriga_publikationer/08_Media_monitoring.pdf

• Miss representation, US Camapaign to change the portrayal of women in media– http://www.missrepresentation.org/

Parallell tracks

• Long term – change structures within media.

• Short term – use media logic to get message across. For examle:– Help media find news angles to your story.– List female experts/spoke persons

Your experiences?

What do the journalists ask for when they call?

•Actions

•Facts – statistics

•Interview

•Backgroundinformation – how did you think in this particular question

How to be successful in media

How to be successful in media

• Most important is to know how media works

• Be pro-active. Take a lead.

• Timing is everything

• Cultivate good relations with journalists – meet them, learn to know them, call them

• Give them exclusivity – your story becomes their story

• If you have decided to be pro-active – you have to have a very good first story

Your own examples – Good/bad

• What is your experience of trying to ”sell” your message to journalists?

A clear message is the most effective way to draw attention to your issues

Message• Easy to understand

• Short

• Concrete

• You have to repeat it at every possible opportunity

• It should create a feeling that people in the organisation share a common value

• Conflict, dynamic

How to create a good message

• Decide who you want to influence• What is your opponent’s message?• Repeat your message.

Press release, form

• Logo• Contact details• Date• Present your organisation/work in a few

sentences • Images

Press release, content

• News worthy • Heading – catch interest. • First sentences – include your message• Answer: What, when, why and where?• No difficult words • Quote – emotion, your view on a topic. • Be facutal - no commercial text

Don’t forget

• Press release, op-ed etc should only include one message.

• Be specific – What is the problem? What do you want? Who should do what?

• Be availabe when you sent a press release!• Prepare your selves for interviews, for ex

quetsions and answers

Interviews

Your own examples – Good/bad

• What is your own experience of being interviewed?

• How did you prepare yourself?

• How did it work?

What to think about in an interview

• You are the expert– You know what to say• Stay focused• It is not your responsibility to make it happen – you

just answer the question• You can always say you don´t understand• Repeat your message as often as possible• The journalists have already decided what to focus on

– listen to their questions and answer them, but try to repeat your message

• The viewers are your audience – not the journalist

How to act as an interviewee

• Nice – treat the journalist as you’d want to be treated yourself

• Be available – someone else from another organisation will do the interview if you say no

• Reliable – return the call when they call you. If you promise exclusivity, keep to your promise

• Clear – use language that the viewer understands – not the jargon of your organisation

• What is your role? – the villain, the good guy, the victim

• Be concrete – do not use language that is too difficult