Have you wanted to get your point of view out but don’t know how, or maybe you don’t have a lot of time?
Well, basic media training may be just what you’re looking for! Social media makes a big impact! You don’t have to be an expert to make a difference. And it doesn’t take a lot of time to post comments online!
This course covers how to be a media activist.
1. How to write letters to the editor 2. How to post comments online – what’s the protocol? How to be effective without being offensive. How to maintain Islamic manners while engaging in debate. 3. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube – The basics.
Time required and outcomes:
Presentation: 90 minutes: Participants will have set up social media accounts, learned how to effectively post comments online and learned the basic components of a letter to the editor.
Workshop: 2-3 hours (half-day workshop): In addition to the above, participants will write a letter to the editor on a topic of their choice; shoot and edit a video on their Smartphones and upload to their new Youtube channel; Start building ‘followers’ on Twitter; build Instagram network; learn how to boost posts on Facebook and technics to get more ‘friends.’ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level II: Intermediate Media Training – Going beyond
Maybe you already are engaged in social media but feel like you’re “preaching to the choir.” How do you rise above the noise and get noticed?
This course covers:
Traditional media 1. Learn the basics of writing press releases and media advisories. 2. The etiquette of contacting members of the media 3. Learn how to read news articles critically
Social media 1. Learn how to engage media on Twitter 2. Learn how to create a Twitter and/or Thunderclap campaign 3. Twitters Dos and Don’ts 4. How to reach people beyond those already “in the know”
Time required and outcomes:
Presentation: 1-2 hours: Participants will take away writing tips to use in press releases; will learn the structures of a press release and media advisories; rules for contacting members of the media; Twitter names for mainstream media and tips for engaging media on Twitter.
Workshop: 3-5 hours (half-day workshop): Participants will learn how to dissect language in media reports to view hidden bias; will learn how to avoid ‘activist-speak’ when writing press releases and media advisories; will role-play interview scenarios with journalists; learn short-cuts in Twitter and how to set up Thunderclap campaigns. Participants also will get a list of media contacts for major media in their area. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level III: Pre-advance Media Training - Become a citizen journalist
Newsrooms have changed and they no longer have enough personnel to cover community events. Increasingly, news outlets are turning to the public for stories, pictures and videos. Learn how to fill this void with your own stories.
This course will show how to:
1. Create a blog and learn how to promote it 2. Learn how to write an ‘inverted pyramid’ story that’s likely to be published 3. Create a CNN iReport account – Producers mine iReports everyday for items to broadcast on TV. 4. Look for local news sites that may accept citizen journalist pictures/videos/reports
Time required and outcomes:
Presentation: 2-3 hours: Participants will set up a Wordpress blog; learn journalistic technics for writing a clearly defined article to use for a press release; set up a CNN iReport account; and find local news sites that accept citizen journalism.
Workshop: 3-5 hours (half-day workshop) In addition to the above, participants will explore various blog site options, i.e., Wordpress, Blogspot and others; write a sample press release or media advisory; shot video or pictures on their Smartphones or tablets and upload them along with a story on CNN iReport; Participate in a writing workshop to learn how to use clear and concise language. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level IV: Advanced Media Training- How to get your press release and op-ed published.
This session takes a hard look at media advisories, press releases and op-eds to illustrate the difference between those that editors ignore and those that get published.
This session includes writing tips and hands-on exercises to help participants achieve the maximum outcome.
Time required and outcomes:
Half-day workshop. The first quarter of the workshop will examine actual press releases, the good, bad and the ugly. Participants will learn how editors view press releases, visually, for content and credibility. They’ll learn what works and what gets tossed. The remaining time will be devoted to writing op-eds. Participants will first be empowered to acknowledge they can be the experts on the subject they are writing about. They will also learn a foolproof formula to writing a good, clear op-ed that has a great chance of being published. Participants will write an op-ed and submit it to trainer for editing and recommendations. Participants also will receive a list of editorial page editor contacts from their region. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level V: Pro Media Training– Creating a media strategy for your group or your event.
An old adage says that if there is no press there is no event. In other words, if the media doesn’t cover your event how is the public going to learn the facts about your issue?
There’s a lot more to creating a strategy than just advertising the date of event and keynote speakers.
This session covers: How to create a vision; creating messaging and talking points, and what supporting materials surrounding your event are necessary to get the most coverage possible. Having a strategy also helps if you experience pushback or encounter hostile media. In addition, this session gives participants an inside look at methods journalists use to gather information, even if you’re unaware.
Time required and outcome:
Half-day workshop. Participants in this session should be having an event sometime in the future. The workshop will discuss the fundamentals of creating a strategy and will tie this into actual upcoming events of participants. Outcome include: Participants will learn how to create messaging and understand why this is important; How to create talking points and what to do with them; Role-play for adversarial media as well as potential hecklers; and how to put in place all aspects of a media plan, i.e., social media, letters to the editor, media advisories, talking points, op-eds, before the event takes place. Participants also will learn how to create a crisis instant action team that will automatically kick in in the case media coverage turns negative or damaging. It covers:
Trainer: Kristin Szremski
Kristin Szremski is an award-winning investigative journalist with more than 20 years as a reporter and editor in the newspaper industry. Her work has appeared nationally and internationally, including on Al Jazeera English, the Dallas Morning News, and Zyzcie Warszawa in Warsaw, Poland, among many others. She was a long-standing correspondent for the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. She is a member of the National Press Club, Investigative Editors and Reporters, the Association of Women Journalists and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Ms. Szremski currently is the director of media and communications for the national advocacy and education organization American Muslims for Palestine. She is also a board member of US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, a coalition of more than 400 organizations nationwide, and she is on the Board of Directors of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, an umbrella group of 65 Chicago area mosques and Islamic centers. She is also a former member of the American Islamic Association’s Board of Trustees in Frankfort, IL.