3 - Understanding journalists

Your partner in the media

In the era of social media the role of the journalist is not as clear cut as it used to be. However, journalists are important in passing on and contextualising messages from stakeholders. For this to happen effectively you have to make the journalist’s job easy and to develop a relationship with journalists who are likely to have an interest in your field of work.

In the next three sections of the guide we look at:

• Understanding journalists (this page)
• Approaching journalists
• Working with journalists  

 

TIMING

Journalists usually work to tight deadlines. In the broadcast media they have to prepare video and audio to go out on a bulletin or in a programme. If they miss their deadlines they may even lose their job.

For print media the deadlines are often days or weeks ahead of publication. You need to bear this in mind if you are hoping to get coverage through a specific magazine, journal or newspaper.

WHAT IS NEWS?

Journalists are always looking for something that is new, interesting and relevant to their specific audience. For example, a local newspaper will constantly be on the look out for events that include local places and local names. Localising your own messages will help them engage with you.

Here are some of the characteristics that can make a story newsworthy:

• New and fresh
• Tells a story with human interest (e.g. people or communities struggling against adversity - related to local, national or global circumstances)
• Affects large numbers of people (which in the case of the post-2015 development agenda can mean a community or nation affected by policy, or the world’s population affected by the course of sustainable development)
• Unusual
• Mysterious
• Involves someone famous supporting your campaign or related objectives
• Falls on an anniversary or follows another major event (e.g. Rio+20)
• Involves winning prizes or awards
• Involves significant results or changes in behaviour or policy.

News will be judged differently depending on the target audience. A specialist website may be very interested in something you are doing, where a national news outlet may feel it is not sufficiently relevant.