[NLA] How to Work Effectively with the Media

[Catherine King]

Hello Tom:

In your recent note you say:  

"In the UK, I was scheduled by the Basic Skills 
Agency (BSA) to give a keynote speech on returns 
to investment in adult basic skills education at a 
special media event that the BSA arranged to call 
attention to the launch of the new Wales National 
Literacy Strategy."

Three questions, not about media, but about the content
of your conference remarks:  

First, what do you mean by "returns on investments"?  

Second, if you mean by "returns on investments" at least
a passing reference to the "deep" relationship of education 
to democracies and civilization for everyone ala Jefferson,
must this reference be couched in terms more suitable to 
the stock market and corporate concerns than to education?

If we are not referring to this relationship at all, aren't we 
perpetuating, on a much grander scale now, in Europe and
with media help, social and political division between the 
haves and the have-nots that cannot be recovered by any 
adult education program regardless of how much adults
have "stolen our hearts" in the matter? 

Catherine King
Adjunct Instructor
Department of Education
National University
San Diego, CA 
 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Thomas Sticht <tsticht at aznet.net>
To: <nla at lists.literacytent.org>
Sent: Friday, December 28, 2001 1:15 PM
Subject: [NLA] How to Work Effectively with the Media


> David asked about media experiences in the U. S. or  other countries. I
> have some thoughts based on my recent experiences working in the United
> Kingdom and New Zealand.  In each case I was scheduled as a keynote
> speaker to help bring particular messages to the attention of the media
> in national campaigns. 
> 
> In the UK, I was scheduled by the Basic Skills Agency (BSA) to give a
> keynote speech on returns to investment in adult basic skills education
> at a special media event that the BSA arranged to call attention to the
> launch of the new Wales National Literacy Strategy. In setting up the
> event, the BSA hired a special public relations person who had worked in
> the media. They invited representatives from TV, radio and the press to
> attend an evening affair at which I spoke, then Alan Wells, Director of
> the BSA spoke, and then a panel of four media reps discussed what they
> had heard and how the media might bring attention to the launch and
> continuation of the new literacy strategy. Afterwards, a buffet with a
> wide assortment of food, wine, juice and bottled water was served. I'm
> not certain how extensive the coverage of the launch of the literacy
> initiative has been since then (Dec. 5th) but I do know that a national
> newspaper in Wales carried a story about the presentations and the
> initiative the next day. 
> 
> November 1st, in New Zealand, I spoke at a national conference to
> promote workforce literacy as a part of the government's new national
> adult literacy strategy. Workbase, the organization that arranged for me
> to give the keynote for the conference, hired a public relations person
> to arrange media interviews. I did a live national TV show, a live
> national radio show, and one  newspaper interview a couple of days
> before the conference. At the conference the press was invited to attend
> and to enjoy the lunch provided for all participants. I did another
> newspaper interview at the meeting. I know of at least two national
> newspaper stories that subsequently occurred. 
> 
> Looking back at these recent experiences, I note that there were some
> salient features:
> 1. Adult educators had a message that they wanted promulgated in the
> media.
> 2. They set up a meeting/ conference to present the message.
> 3. They provided an "outside expert" imprimatur to the message being
> disseminated.
> 4. They hired a professional public relations person to arrange media
> interviews. 
> 5. They invited media to participate actively in the meetings they
> arranged.
> 6. They provided refreshments for the media and other participants. 
> 7. They got the desired results in terms of media coverage.
> 
> I might add that I have attended and presented at many conferences in
> the U. S. where no such efforts to attract media attention were made and
> no media coverage occurred. As David and others have indicated, it seems
> that special efforts must be made if the attention of the media is to be
> obtained.
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