by Crimethinc. Workers' Collective
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4. Use the next few paragraphs for spin (try to keep the press release to one page if you can). This is where you build your argument, create context, and tell reporters why they should care: "Hegemonic Industries, target of the protest, is the world's third largest biotechnology company. It recently announced that it has developed a new strain of 'terminator seeds' that it plans to market in Africa despite objections from an international coalition of small farmers. Terminator seeds, banned in Europe by the European Union, have been called 'a Pandora's box,' by the Council of Concerned People. 'Hegemonic Industries is putting us on a slippery slope,' said Mary WoUstonecraft, a professor of biology at Local University and a member of the Council of Concerned People. 'The world's food supply is not a plaything for irresponsible giants.'" Quote someone who sounds hke an expert if you possibly can?the quote itself doesn't really even have to make sense, so long as the quoted person has some credentials that apply to the situation. Note that credentials can be pretty flimsy if that's all you've got?"long-time community activist," "member of a local anti-police brutality group," "dog owner." There's no explanation for why it works, but for some reason it does.
5. Stay away from outright lies, at least outright lies in which you can get caught, and unsupportable claims. If you promise reporters a major demonstration, then you'd better deliver a major demonstration^?a dozen of your friends beating on plastic buckets is just going to make them cranky. They may cover your protest on the nightly news, but they'll make you look like fools.
6. Check, double-check, and triple-check everything before you send your press release out. Make sure everything is spelled correctly and that every sentence makes sense. Make
sure you have included all the basic information of what, who, when, where, and why? and that you've gotten it right. Get someone else to read it before you chck "send."
7. Most reporters accept email press releases, but in some cases you wall just have to fax your release in. Important: If you are sending out a press release about a covert action, send it from a neutral computer, or most especially from a neutral fax machine (Kinko's has fax machines; so do many truck stops). Faxes automatically include the phone number from which they are sent; best not to have it be the phone number of your safe house.
So you've gotten the TV cameras to show up, and the newspaper reporters have their note- Breaking News
books out. Now what? This is where your level-headed press liaison comes in. Her job is
to make the reporters' job easy, but not too easy. The press liaison should have extra copies
of the press release, a printed statement that gives more information if that is appropriate,
and anything else that will keep the spin going in your direction. It is often helpful to have
agreed ahead of time who will be available for interviews and sound bites: you can't stop
reporters from talking to whomever they want, but you can certainly steer them toward
the more articulate and informed members of the group. The liaison should particularly
keep an eye out for reporters who seem to be singhng out the youngest, angriest, or pxmk-
est people in the group?that's a pretty clear signal that he or she is going to start the story:
"A small group of self styled anarchists gathered at the courthouse today to make noise
and chant slogans. The group, part of the infamous Black Bloc, the organization credited
with widespread violence at recent protests, was made up of mostly young people wearing
dirty overalls and sporting a wide array of tattoos. While their message was unclear, their
anger was not: 'This [expletive] sucks!' shouted one masked protester, who gave his name
only as Dogmeat. Pohce, who could have been performing heroic rescues elsewhere but
had to waste their time guarding the courthouse instead because a bunch of dirty, spoiled. Mainstream Media
job as long as Daddy foots the bill, were commended for their restraint." If it looks as though that's the way things are going, it's perfectly QRto go over and tell the reporter that you have Hned up an interview with a nun or a kindergarten teacher or a veteran of the Lincoln Brigade (obviously you should actually have done so!) and offer to escort him or her to where the interviewee is waiting. At all costs get him away from Dogmeat.
