The Common Ground Network for Life and Choice Manual

media contact or if you have reason to think you might be contacted, agreements about how
who does and does not want to talk to the press can be made ahead of time.
• Try to always have the media interact with both pro-life and pro-choice people from your
group.
• If you are the facilitator whom the media has contacted, get the reporter talking to the prochoice
and pro-life activists if they are willing. It is these “unlikely allies” who are the most
captivating. Always arrange for someone from each side.
• Radio and television (e.g. local cable) talk shows can be an available outlet for reaching a
large audience. If the group is willing and you have articulate participants (Pro-choice and
Pro-Life), use these media outlets.
• Make it very plain if an event/activity is closed to media. If you want to, you can create an
alternative opportunity for the media by having a separate press conference or agreeing to
speak to reporters in another physical location. But be careful about reporters being outside
a meeting place if people attending do not want their participation publicly known. If they
are locally prominent they may be recognized. One way to deal with this is by having a
physical space or a break in time between the dialogue and the media engagement.
• In our experience, dialogue sessions should be closed except under unusual circumstances.
Several groups have invited reporter/s, or in one instance a local newspaper editor, to attend
and observe a dialogue with the prior agreement of everyone involved. These were groups
with a high level of trust among participants whose dialogue skills and relationships had
developed over time. The result in those instances was positive and thoughtful coverage.
The Appendices included in this chapter may be helpful:
8.1 Media guidelines for Conference media.
8.2 Sample press release.