This page is a guide to how to get the media to cover the bill and your response to it. We’re mostly talking about local rather than national media, including print, broadcast and online.
In the context of the NBB, bulleted below are some story angles you could take. You’re not necessarily going to get coverage just by saying ‘We don’t like this bill’ (although it can depend on the context). Instead, it can be useful to go in using one angle, and then rapidly move the narrative on by showing how things will be different after the bill passes into law:
- Have you had an overwhelming reponse to the Afghan crisis, such as people asking where they can donate or volunteer? Open the story with that, because it’s feel-good, but then angle it towards the bill by pointing out how things will be very different for Afghans in future.
- Similarly, you may have an opportunity that relates to children and families: what will the bill mean for family reunion, or unaccompanied children?
- Are you taking direct action, eg demonstrating? If you’re joining the day of action in London, local news might cover you setting off on a coach to London with your placards and sandwiches.
- Have you started a new activity, such as a clothing collection, fundraising, a drop-in, a refugee welcome event, etc? Announce that, and then contextualise it within the outlook for sanctuary-seekers.
- What does your faith say about refugee issues? What’s the history, and which tenets of your faith make this bill so worrying?
Aside from all the methods below, a good way to get coverage with local newspapers is simply to write a letter to the editor. These can be very opinion-based.
Announce some news
A press release is a news announcement. It sticks to the facts, not opinions. It’s usually to report that something has happened or is planned to happen. Typically, if the media outlet is interested in your story, they’ll carry it in their news section.
However, press releases can also be a very useful way to interest the journalist in doing a feature article on the subject:
- They might do a whole article just about you and your news
- OR they might do a wider article, quoting other organisations as well as you. Without your press release, they may never have thought to create the piece.
More about feature articles on the right.
There’s a special way to write a press release, and it’s important to stick to it, so do check out our guidelines.
Try to get a feature article about the bill
This is a great thing to aim for, as your story will be explored at greater length and from different angles.
The idea for the article might come from you: the journalist might be inspired by your press release, or you might pitch them the ideal by email or by picking up the phone. Alternatively, they may ask for your involvement in a piece they’re already planning.
- The journalist could write the article: ideally, they’ll interview you for this and quote you. But beware: they’re time-poor and they’re not specialists in your subject, so they can make mistakes and could misquote you.
- OR you could suggest that you write it write for them. Their acceptance will depend on their house policy. If you write well, this is ideal: be sure to ask for a target wordcount and any writing guidelines, and think about any images you can supply with it. Structure your article well, with a logical flow, and try to give it a punchy opening and ending. Keep the language and sentence structure simple. The journalist has complete freedom to edit your article, unless you get ‘editorial control’ (which is rare). Ask for your own byline, which means your name as the author. If online, ask if they’ll include a link to your group’s website/webpage.
Do a radio interview
Local radio stations are always looking for good news stories, so it can be easy to get on air… as long as you always include the local angle, even if it’s a national issue. What are local people thinking or doing, or how are they reacting to what you’re doing?
Building up a relationship with local producers and presenters can really reap rewards in the long term. It’s relatively easy to get to know them and if they discover they can rely on you for good content, they’ll listen whenever you get in touch.
Get a conversation going about the NBB by sending in a press release, or just dropping a line to their newsdesk email address (with radio it’s usually better to email than call, unless you’re calling in about a live piece). Let them know you have well-informed facts on the subject (drop details into your pitch that they may not have seen elsewhere) as well as having well-founded opinions, and mention the local angles.
You might like to think about the programming. For example, could you get onto the Sunday morning religious show, if there is one, as refugee issues do crop up there?
Also, be prepared to react in the moment to what’s going on:
- If you hear the bill or refugee issues being discussed on a talk show, phone in. You might get put on air right away, or they might suggest they do a special interview for another slot.
- Follow the station’s social media. Often, when they know they have a feature coming up or a news story is breaking, they’ll put a call out: “What do YOU think about this?” Respond to the social media thread, saying which organisation you represent and making sure you sound well-informed, and again you could be invited to be interviewed on air.
Don’t be nervous about being on air. Radio presenters and producers tend to be warm, encouraging and reassuring. Just prepare a few notes – what are the THREE key points you want to make? And if you can drop in some facts and statistics, the radio station will look good because it sounds like they had an expert on. And they’ll appreciate that.
Appear on TV
This can feel scary, and TV is certainly harder to secure, but the same principles apply. For example, again you’re looking at either news or editorial content.
There are different types of programme you could engage with.
- Early-evening local news shows (like BBC Look North or ITV Calendar) are always looking for interesting local stories.
- Alternatively, there might be a series that fits your story – whether that be religious programming or programmes about the law, ethics, human interest, global issues, hard-hitting documentaries (eg Panorama), etc. Remember, all programme inspiration has to come from somewhere, so why not you?
Do bear in mind that (obviously) television is visual, so try to think of something to show that will illustrate your story – even if its just to provide an attractive backdrop for an interview. If you’ve got a children angle, that can attract more interest in your story, too, and if you have a sanctuary-seeker who’s willing to appear on camera, that could nail it for you – so remember to mention that in your pitch (always ensuring you get permission from the sanctuary-seeker first!).
It’s understandable if you’re nervous about going on TV, but it’s all about being prepared. And remember: if it’s being recorded rather than going out live, and you get your words mangled, just ask to do another take.
Sometimes, you get lucky and something happens which is much bigger than expected. A skater’s drop-in at a local church in a small town caught the eye of a production team, and within days the entire 30-minute ITV early-evening news programme became a live broadcast from that drop-in, with satellite vans and trailing cables and everything. You never know where your story could lead.
Get your message over online
There are loads of ways to get your story online:
- Publish a piece on LinkedIn
- Weite a blog on your website
- Offer a guest blog on someone else’s website
- Radio stations will often write a webpage about an on-air interview you’ve done
- Send a press release or feature idea to online publications
- Take a video and publish it to TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter etc (do research and use relevant hashtags)