Thursday, 11 November 2010

Module 9 - Engaging the Media

It is very important for migrant and refugee community organisations to think about how to engage with the media. Part of participating in society is putting your voice or opinions in the public sphere. It can be a very public place with some critical and cynical responses.

Nazek Ramadan from Migrant Voice presented to our course about how migrant and refugee communities can engage with the media.


Here are a few notes and resources from her presentation.

When preparing a news story...
  • Keep it short and clear
  • Your first sentence has to catch the reader and draw them in
  • What is your angle? 
  • How is it relevant to the newspaper's audience?
Remember: Why is it News? What is new about it?
Start by engaging with local media. You can Google your area and news or media 

Tone
  • Always be respectful
  • Try to come across as 'reaching out'
  • Do not accuse the journalist or the audience
  • Let your readers make up their own mind


Examples of media created migrants and refugees

MRC Film - torn


Forum on Migration and Communications (FOMACS)
Amnesty International - Asylum

Organisations that assist with media and communications work:
  • MRCF - Contact us directly if you have specific issues and we can refer to other who can help.
  • Migrant Voice - Nazek's organisation provides training and opportunities to work directly with the media. If you would like to become a member of Migrant Voice, contact her directly at (nazek@migrantvoice.org).
  • Media Trust - This organisation provides excellent quality media training to prepare you for working with journalists and other media. Check out their events calendar and also their free professional support. Another great resource from Media Trust is the Community Newswire that provides 5 step guide to getting media coverage.

3 comments:

  1. Films are always very powerful tools and this specific one is great. The media can give us both ends of the stick, which is why we always need to analyse what we see and research the truth. If we are ignorant, we might believe the things that the media want us to believe in. We need to question what has been offered to us and we need to have an analytical approach to the things we hear.

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  2. Vamos Juntos Organisation
    Our aim is to work in solidarity with some of the Spanish speaking prisoners in the U.K. helping them in their isolation, giving moral support. Sending newspapers and other information in their own languages.

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  3. Modern Media is nowadays very powerful, informative and worldwide coverage. Videos is a good tool you can show to other people to be supportive and also witness and also to see the facts happening either in your organisation, the refugee society and also other people affected by a malfunctioned system.

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