Title: Chapter 34. Media Advocacy | Section 3. Creating News Stories the Media Wants | Main Section | Community Tool Box
Headings: Section 3. Creating News Stories the Media Wants
Section 3. Creating News Stories the Media Wants
What is a news story?
What are the benefits of using TV, newspaper, and radio stories?
Providing newsworthy stories
How do I present my story idea?
Choosing good media opportunities
What is a news story?
What are the benefits of using television, newspaper, and radio stories to spread your message?
Providing "newsworthy" stories
Choosing good media opportunities
Some guidelines for contacting the media
Do not call a reporter to pitch a story idea unless you are ready to provide everything she needs to write the story
Target reporters who will be interested in your news
Recognize that you will be interrupting someone who is busy working
Become a “go to” organization for the media
Continue to work to maintain your relationships and credibility with the media, and continue to pitch stories to them
Online Resources
Print Resources

Content: Is this story an important historical event? Perhaps you can provide a story on a city's first collaboration between the university, community, and local residents. A local milestone could be specific to an organization. A high school equivalency graduation, the completion of a job training course, the successful finish of an initiative, the awarding of a major grant or contract – any of these could be the occasion of a news story of local interest. A human interest story: This kind of story usually focuses on an individual or a family or group that has a story to tell that’s relevant to an issue of interest. It might feature one or more members of that high school equivalency graduation class, detailing the struggles they’ve gone through to get to this point, and their hopes for the future. It could tell about a medical advance through the experience of an individual with a condition that is now treatable for the first time. A seasonal story: Can this story idea be attached to a holiday or seasonal event?