A free copy of this issue is available on-line at the Center for Community Change's website,
http://www.communitychange.org
Print copies can also be ordered from the web site, or via telephone, (202) 342-0599

"A broad range of nonprofit organizations have been paying more attention to media and message in response to on-going efforts in Congress and some states to restrict their rights to speak out for the people they help or represent.... All these organizations that are doing more media say the key is knowing as much as possible about how the media world works and how to influence it."

The Center for Community Change published this special issue of its newsletter, "Community Change", in response to the growing number of non-profit groups wanting to know more about how to use media to advocate for low-income communities. The newsletter first outlines what the media can and cannot do for social change organizations, then offers step-by-step directions for developing a media advocacy campaign. Especially strong are sections on how to make the media and public take note of your work by thinking creatively, provocatively, visually, symbolically, narratively, and simply. Also included are tips for doing short-term planning (i.e., for immediate coverage) and long-term (i.e., strategic, goal-oriented) planning for media work. The guide suggests ways in which even small organizations can incorporate media work in their repertoire by recruiting volunteers and involving local universities or colleges. Practical tools include advice on how to stage a press conference, how to influence editorials, and how to write good press releases, op-eds, and letters to the editor. The guide is interspersed with real-life examples of effective media strategies. A special pullout section, entitled "Lessons from Newt," offers an analysis of practical strategies community groups can learn from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's highly successful campaign in the early 1990s to reframe public opinion and congressional debate on issues of poverty and welfare. The guide also contains a resource listing of media advocacy organizations that offer training and consultation to non-profits and community-based groups.

Recommended for community groups and activists who want to learn how media advocacy can be used strategically to influence public policy, with cogent lessons from real-life campaigns.