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 |
Briefings
A briefing brings together selected journalists and key
staff members for discussion. Briefings are less formal than
news conferences but allow more interaction between
reporters and sources than a news release. As with any other
media relations activity, a briefing is best when it offers
a news worthy story to journalists. Anything said in a
briefing should be for attribution and immediate use by the
news media. Do not expect every briefing to result in a news
story, however. Instead, consider the briefing a way to
inform key journalists of your work and to build good
relationships.
A briefing is a good way to inform journalists who are
interested in family planning of projects that are being
planned or research that is underway. Also, use a news
briefing to present your organization's goals and
strategies, highlight accomplishments, and discuss policy
issues or upcoming events that may not be news yet but that
are important for journalists to understand (53).
Plan your briefing carefully:
- Invite several journalists whom you think would be
interested in the briefing.
- Select the family planning experts who will talk with
the journalists.
- Develop talking points for the experts. Outline the key
points and provide the evidence to support these
points.
- Brief the experts on the interests of the participating
journalists.
- Write background material about the speakers and their
topics for distribution at the briefing.
- Shortly before the briefing telephone the invited
journalists and find out whether they will attend.
- During the briefing act as a facilitator and make sure
that everyone has a chance to participate.
- After the briefing follow up to see if the journalists
would like additional information.
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