GW Associates Public Media

Delegations outside the U.S. are an excellent vehicle for generating significant media coverage: prior to departure; while they are in country and when they return.

The following items are "keys to success" in maximizing the exposure each delegate generates:

• Decide whether you want delegates to invite reporters from their home town to accompany (at the reporters expense) the delegation. There are pros and cons to this. We used this technique very successfully with a delegation to Nicaragua and Cuba from Syracuse, New York. In both cases the results were very favorable. The reporter who visited Cuba wrote a 12 article series.
• Make it clear to all the delegates that doing press work is an integral part of the delegation experience and that each delegate is expected to contact their local radio, TV and newspaper media outlets in their home town prior to departure. This expectation should be clearly stated in all promotional material.
• Provide them with a good sample press release which they can localize.
• Provide the delegates with some media training resources. Press work is a skill many activists do not have. Develop a one page training sheet that will walk a delegate through how to "pitch" a story or provide a more comprehensive media training such as a 60 minute, audio media training tape Living Media available from GW Associates for $11.49, or CD version with an additional 35 pages of resources, $13.49.
• Follow up by requesting a report from each delegate on what media coverage they generated. This helps reinforce the message that you are serious regarding your expectation that every delegate will attempt to share their experience with their entire community as opposed to just those who come to hear them speak.

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