CONTENTS
Chapters
- The News Media and Family Planning Programs
- Building a News Media Relations Program
- Developing a Strategy
- How to Tell the Family Planning Story
- Tools for Analysis
- Matching Your Message to the Medium
- Developing Materials that Interest Journalists
- Making News
- Dealing with Controversy
HIGHLIGHTS
Population Reports is published by the Population
Information Program, Center for Communication Programs, The
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, Maryland
21202-4012, USA
Volume XXIII, Number 4
November, 1995 |
Fact Sheets
Every family planning organization should have a fact sheet that provides background on the organization's mission and current activities. A fact sheet both helps to generate coverage and helps portray the organization accurately. A fact sheet usually is a 1- or 2-page publication that includes:
- The organization's name, address, telephone numbers, and the names and telephone numbers of key contact people;
- Descriptions of the organization's mission, clientele, and types of services;
- Names of officers and top staff; and,
- Sources of financial support and professional affiliations.
The fact sheet may also provide background information such as a history of the organization, accomplishments, projections of work to be accomplished, and key service statistics. Present the information clearly, simply, and as briefly as possible.
Press Kits
A press kit is a packet of materials that help journalists understand
and cover your organization and its work and/or family planning and related
health issues. Press kits can contain a variety of materials. The following
often are included (19):
- Cover memo or letter,
- News release,
- Fact sheet on a newsworthy issue or event,
- Supportive comments from leaders,
- Press clippings from previous coverage of your organization,
- Reprints of relevant speeches or articles,
- Photographs of important people or program activities,
- Background information on population or family planning,
- Diagrams showing how contraceptives are used,
- Biographical sketches of key organization personnel,
- Annual report of the organization,
- Your business card.
A press kit has many uses. It can introduce your organization to journalists,
provide technical information about family planning topics, and promote
your organization at conferences and meetings. Press kits are essential
at news conferences to provide background materials for journalists (see
Chapter 8.5 News Conferences).
Use press kits to tell the family planning story to journalists in a way that they will read and use in telling the story to their audiences. For example, in Nigeria the Family Health Services Project prepared and distributed press kits on family planning and population to more than 1,000 journalists throughout the country. These kits generated more than 300 articles over a 2-year period (37). |
