Hello everyone!
In September 2011, CUT organized its 2nd Harm Reduction Conference in Mauritius which saw the participation of various decision makers from the local, regional and international level.
As from the first day of my placement the Conference Coordinator (who was at the same time my supervisor) has informed me of my major responsibility that of the MEDIA RELATIONS for the conference. I felt butterflies in my stomach because personally I thought that this was one of the most challenging tasks as a PR.
So I started by updating the media contact list which was quite a tedious work as the list has not been updated since 2009. The best way to update a media list was to phone the journalists and believe me this was the only way that you could have the proper and accurate details and not on the internet!
It took a lot of time to update the media list. Apart from that, I got to have a look at the past press clippings and my supervisor told me to have a look at those journalists whom according to me have been able to deliver the proper message and coverage on CUT and on other advocacy themes such as safe sex education or substitution methods among others. I made a brief written summary of my observation and analysis for each journalist’s reporting and coverage in a systematic way by using my knowledge of journalism as a student.
The purpose here was to see those journalists who had an interest in reporting such issues. I thought this was some kind of strategic method to ultimately target the media that CUT was likely to invite for its conference because these themes were not ordinary ones but rather controversial ones.
Targeting journalists and the media also involved explaining the harm reduction concept to them in order to ensure that the message was clearly understood. A press conference was organized one week before the conference whereby the objectives of the second harm reduction international conference were explained to the journalists. I spent the previous week contacting journalists from the selected media outlets to confirm their presence at the press conference but very few came. At first I felt a bit discouraged and while the press conference was taking place I needed to call those who were absent. However, I managed to attend the press conference and it was really interesting because the few journalists who came were finally the ones whom according to me really knew the subject! and then I said to myself that it was not the quantity but the quality that mattered…..
P.S: I invite you to visit the event page that I’ve created on facebook for the conference http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=101000043334734
Cheers
Natasha Tylamma
Charles Telfair Institute
Cheers
Natasha Tylamma
Charles Telfair Institute
2 comments:
Natasha, I too was given to job to update my company's media contact list. I agree 100% that this was quite a tedius job to undertake! and also agree that using the internet is no way to be updating the contact list!
I was calling the editors and editorial coordinators for Magazines such as Madison, Marie Claire, Womens Health Magazine, Body and Soul, Women's Weekly etc.
Trying to get through to them was the most difficult part. I was actually quite nervous on the phone the first couple of times trying to explain who my company was and what I wanted. But soon got use to it.
Although tedious, it was good to have a complete, up to date and accurate contact list to hand over to my supervisor. Plus I kept a copy, as it's a good reference for me too!
Hey Natasha!!
Seems that your internship was very interesting even it was very hectic. I do agree with you when you say that to update your media contact list you need to phone to have the right information as on internet you may have outdated information or not at all (specially for Mauritius there are not so much that can be found).
Even though it took you quite some time, you have learnt a lot through this process, and establish some relationship between you and the journalists. The first contact is very important.
Also when you were analysing past press clippings to see which journalists would be the more suitable to relate well the conference, you were like establishing a profile for all of them. As it was your first time, it took you some time, but now on for future events you can relate to that to see who you would target for any specific occasion.
Although this task was hard to do, and that not so many journalists showed up during the press conference, you had learnt something great through it, which is it was not the quantity but the quality that mattered!!!!
Keep it up and never be discouraged!!!
Sandy NMH
Charles Telfair Institute (CTI)
Mauritius
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