ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


April 1 9 9 2 /2 5 9

Reaching out to the media

1. K n o w  w h a t  m e d i a  i s  a v a ila b le  t o  y o u . 
Make a list o f n ew spapers, m agazines, radio, 
an d  television in y o u r city or state. Include sp e­
cialty publications directed at business people, 
parents, senior citizens, o r minorities. Note ra­
dio an d  TV talk show s a n d  w h o  their audi­
ences are. Be sure to  include stations o p erated  
by schools, colleges, an d  cable com panies.

2. B u ild  r e l a t i o n s h i p s .  Make it a p o in t to 
kn o w  w h o  covers library, education, an d  re­
lated issues for key m edia. Call o r stop by to 
in tro d u ce y o u rse lf an d  y o u r org an izatio n —  
d o n ’t ask for anything, b u t let them  k n o w  they 
will b e  hearing from you. Find out w h at their 
particular interests are an d  fe e d  th em  story 
ideas, fact sheets, articles o f interest.

3. K n o w  w h a t ’s  n e w s — a n d  w h a t ’s  n o t . Re­
porters are alw ays looking for goo d  story ideas. 
T hese m ust b e o n  topics o f b ro ad  interest an d  
local impact. And they m ust offer “n e w ” infor­
m ation that will be useful to their readers, view ­
ers o r listeners. W atch for stories in the h e a d ­
lines— literacy, the hom eless, censorship— that 
yo u  can tie into. P erh ap s yo u r library h as a 
special program  for the hom eless or rem edial 
tutoring program  for college students.

4 . D e v e l o p  a  s tr a te g y . D efine y o u r m essages 
an d  audiences. Review y o u r m edia list. K eep a 
list o f reporters/editors that you have w orked 
w ith an d  their particular interests. Target your 
m edia accordingly.

5. W r ite  a  p i t c h  le tte r . Send a letter to a sp e­
cific editor/reporter. Briefly explain your story 
idea an d  w hy it is im portant. Include relevant 
exam ples, nam es o f possible sp o k esp erso n s 
(including but not lim ited to yourself an d  your 
organization), a n d  p h o to  possibilities. Call to 
check on the status, offer your assistance, or 
find out w hy the idea w asn ’t accepted.

6 . S e n d  a  le t t e r  t o  t h e  e d it o r . Write your com ­
m ents o n  a particular topic in the new s, h o w  it 
relates to libraries an d  th e  p u b lic’s Right to 
Know. Send a copy of the printed letter to “signifi­
cant others” you wish to influence—the mayor, 
college board of trustees, or school principal.

7 . W r ite  a r t ic le s  f o r  n o n l i b r a r y  p u b l i c a ­
t i o n s .  A state m agazine might b e interested in 
an article o n  th e status o f library preservation 
in y o u r state. A C ham ber of Com m erce publi­
cation might b e  interested in n ew  library ser­
vices for the business comm unity. C onsider an 
“o p /e d ” o r opinion piece for a new spaper, ra­
dio or TV station tim ed to coincide w ith Banned 
B ooks W eek o r N ational Library W eek. In any 
case, check w ith the appropriate editor first as 
to interest in the topic, appropriate length, and 
deadline.

8. H o ld  a n e w s  c o n f e r e n c e .  But only i f  the 
new s is o f such m agnitude an d  urgency that it 
is best released all at once to a large gro u p  of 
m edia. This is rarely the case. E xceptions might 
be th e im m ediate (and u n ex p ected ) closing of 
a library o r a policy change w ith enorm ous 
im pact such as the H untington Library’s deci­
sion to release the D ead Sea Scrolls. Have fact 
sheets an d  back g ro u n d  materials to han d  out—  
a n d  be p rep ared  to  answ er th e question(s) you 
w ould least like to  be asked.

9 .  H o ld  a n e w s  b r i e f i n g . If there is an u p ­
coming new s event dealing w ith a com plex is­
sue, such as a court ruling on the hom eless or 
censorship, you m ay w ant to  invite a reporter 
or group o f reporters to  m eet w ith you and 
other experts ahead o f time to give background 
information. This could be a national ruling with 
implications for libraries in your state.

1 0 . S e n d  a  p r e s s  r e l e a s e  o r  m e d i a  a d v is o r y . 
The press release should be in narrative form and 
contain the 5 W s (Who, What, When, Where, and 
Why) and H (How). Put the most important infor­
mation in the first paragraph and aim to grab the 
reader’s attention with the first statement.

1 1 . C o n ta c t r a d io  a n d  t e l e v i s i o n  ta lk  s h o w s .  
Be su re to  in clu d e th o se o p e ra te d  b y  high 
schools an d  colleges as w ell as local cable com ­
panies. V olunteer y o u r services as interviewee. 
Or, offer to p u t together an entire program .

Ed. note: These tips are reprinted w ith p erm is­
sion fr o m  the h a n d o u ts prepared by ALA f o r  a 
m edia tra in in g  workshop.