Advocacy as a means of research

“Research is the key to making news.”

internet sources | bias | judgmental criteria | analyzing a message | how to handle a crisis | spin

Mini-press releases for radio
PSA, public service announcement often run too late in the PM or too early in the AM.

‘LOCAL NEWSCASTS can be an important media target…. [since] Radio news reaches many Americans in unique & powerful ways.”
See: http://www.democracynow.org/

1. cover a news event (hardest).
2. get staff of the radio to conduct short interviews.
3. are radio actualities or “radio new-feeds”  reach audiences with a prerecorded story.

Using radio as a target for a wider audience can really help you discipline, focus, and pare down your message to a few important points with a strategically effective frame.

Using the internet for reliable information and then creating a web site.

• http://www.corpwatch.org/
  
• http://www.causecommunications.org/ha_home.php
• Media Matters for America
• Democracy Now
• Foreign Press
• Reliable research sites
• Doing systematic research.
• Domestic Press

internet sources | bias | judgmental criteria | analyzing a message | how to handle a crisis | spin

Yellow Journalism

Detecting media bias and countering poorly framed stories on the internet.

“The first step in challenging biased news coverage is documenting bias.”
p. 88.

Fox News nationally versus CNN

News cycle

The Joe Biden Case

For errors see numbers five and eight below

Analysis of Media

internet sources | bias | judgmental criteria | analyzing a message | how to handle a crisis | spin

Ten questions to ask to determine a criteria by which to judge the reliable character of news:

1. Who are the sources?
   
2. How diverse?
   
3. Viewpoints represented?
   
4. Double standards exist?
   
5. How do stereotypes skew the coverage and accuracy in reporting?
   
6. What are the unchallenged assumptions?
   
7. Is the use of language loaded?
   
8. Is there a lack of context?
   
9. Do the headlines and stories match?
   
10. Are stories on important matters featured prominently?

internet sources | bias | judgmental criteria | analyzing a message | how to handle a crisis | spin

Case Study.

Aaron Williams case, death in a police van. SFO, Fall 1996; excessive force.
What can we learn?
Examine the message.
Strategic considerations – opportunities and challenges.
Sharpening the target.
Community turn-out to register support.

internet sources | bias | judgmental criteria | analyzing a message | how to handle a crisis | spin

Media crisis management, when accused or misrepresented, do the following:
• Remain calm, polite, and courteous.
• Apologize, if you or the organization was wrong.
• Suggest a remedy, express concern, admit uncertainty, errors, or confusion.
• Respond quickly so as not to ignore the crisis’ details

Case Study

Chualar, farm community of immigrant workers, in the Monterey Bay area of central California.

pp. 102-103.

internet sources | bias | judgmental criteria | analyzing a message | how to handle a crisis | spin

U. S. farmworkers.

The justice advocate link.

Other Examples of web research sites:            http://www.nrel.gov/

http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Biographies/Philosophy/Malthus.htm

http://www.historyhome.co.uk

Recent titles, climate chaos, global warming and climate change bibliography.