Journalists and Reporters

Media coverage is an important way to ensure the work your group is doing is seen by a wider audience.

Today’s journalists are exhausted, working for low pay amidst staff reductions, covering broad beats and working to meet the demands of today’s 24-hour news cycle.

But journalism is also an industry with hard-to-understand conventions and rules that don’t always align with the principles of narrative sovereignty.

What you need to know about collaborating with a journalist

1. Key Terms
   1. On the record: Everything in an on-the-record conversation can be printed and attributed to the source, which can include name, position, and organization.
   2. Off the record: Nothing in an off-the-record conversation can be printed or attributed to the source.
   3. On background: Information provided on background by a source can be used and paraphrased, but the source cannot be named.
   4. Not for attribution: Any comments can be quoted directly, but they must be anonymous or attributed very generally.
2. Journalists take their own impartiality very seriously. News outlets aren’t necessarily looking to tell your story, they’re looking to tell the whole story.
   1. This means that, except in very rare cases, you are just a source of information. You might be asked to fact check a quote or line, but you won’t be involved in the storytelling process beyond what you share directly with the reporter.
   2. Additionally, some journalists come in with either no knowledge about your community, or even an existing idea of what they want to say about it.
3. Always ask for clarification about how your word will be used and when the conversation shifts between being on- and off-the record. Different reporters have variations in expectations around terms.
4. If a journalist asks you a question you don’t know the answer to, or one you don’t feel comfortable answering, you can always say, “I don’t know.”
5. If your conversation with a reporter seems to stray far away from the story you are hoping to tell, bring it back to your focus with some bridge lines like:
   1. The point is…
   2. The thing to keep in mind is…
   3. The real question is…
   4. The fact is…
6. Prepare for your interview, even if it’s not going to be recorded. Before your interview:
   1. Clarify what you want to say. What is the problem? What is the significance of your work?
   2. How is it relevant to this reporter’s audience? Why should they care?
   3. What do you want this audience to take away?
7. Always assume that your interview will be recorded. You might also assume that the interview is being recorded or processed with AI tools, and you may want to consider whether or not you consent to that processing.

Scenario 1 vs. Scenario 2

Scenario 1: A journalist approaches you, looking to cover your story.

Scenario 2: You have a story you would like to pitch to a journalist.

Scenario 1: A journalist approaches you

If a reporter reaches out to you, make sure to get the following information:

1. Basics: Name, outlet, phone number, email address.
2. Who else has the reporter talked to/who else do they plan to talk to?
3. What is the timeline for the piece?

If the reporter’s timeline works for you, and if you feel that this journalist is interested in sharing your community’s side of the story…

…then collaborating with this journalist might be worthwhile for your community.

Scenario 2: You are seeking a journalist to cover your story

Finding a Report

If the goal is finding any environmental reporter:

• Internet search: “Reporters in [your location] covering climate”

If the goal is more specific:

• Google search: Your issue with keywords in parentheses, and select the News tab below the search bar. This will filter for news articles on your topic or in your region that include your keywords, and from there you can see the names of reporters publishing on the topic.

It can also be beneficial that you pay attention to and get to know beat reporters in your area that cover topics related to your work.

Maintaining Press Contacts

Once you’ve searched, maintain a list of press contacts in a spreadsheet. Update it regularly!

Tip: Some bigger publications block unknown Gmail accounts, so try reaching out to those reporters via LinkedIn or another platform to get on their approved senders list.

When you want to send out a memo or press release, copy all of the emails in the email column together and paste into the recipient box.

Pitching an article

As opposed to a general press release or memo, pitches are more personalized inquiries.

How to write a pitch note?

Pitch something timely, related to what’s going on in the world right now. And pitch earlier than you think. If you’re looking to pitch coverage of an event your group is putting on, pitch it weeks (or at least days) in advance—not the day after!

Pitch something that hasn’t already been widely covered in the media.

Keep it to no more than a couple of sentences.

Address each reporter by name, and incorporate a personal connection or reference a recent article they wrote.

Provide a source.

GIST: Here is an issue; here is why it matters to your readers. If you want to pursue a story on this, you can talk to this person, who has this perspective. (IDEA + Chance to learn more). How to write a pitch note?

Press releases

A press release is a statement delivered to reporters (usually via email and your group’s website) providing new information, usually about some kind of action your group is taking.

These should be brief (2-3 paragraphs) and address:

• What happened
• What the ramifications are
• Who is involved or affected
• A media contact for more information
• Time and date of release

Here are all of EDF’s press releases for reference.

Not truly a collaboration?

No matter how good a journalist’s intentions are, working with a reporter to get your story out there is never truly a collaboration.

The relationship between a community storyteller and journalist will always be a source and reporter relationship. Journalists take the conventions of journalism and their own impartiality seriously. In writing a piece of journalism, no editorial control is given to sources.

When considering sharing your story with a journalist, it is important to consider this truth. Perhaps your story should be shared in a way that allows you to maintain some more control over how it is told.