Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

TACTICS FOR DEALING WITH THE MEDIA

Jordan Thornton | 13.01.2002 17:17

I had originally posted this to the main IMC site, but thought I should repost, so all could see. This is my first time to IMC UK. Nice to see. Peace and solidarity to all.

I am a Canadian who works (for now) in the mainstream media, and get frustrated every time I see a protest covered. Yes, the media does take steps to ignore what is being said, and bias reports about rallies. These orders come straight from the top.
However, more often, the bias is unintentional, and there are things you can do to counteract this:

In the weeks (or months) leading up to the protests, call the GM or News Director of local TV stations, and ask to be interviewed. If they accept, great. Now, show up with something to say, and the FACTS to back up those words.

If denied, thank them anyway, then call all your friends, and hold a NOISY rally in front of the station. Call the station's competitors, and when their cameras arrive (and they will) talk to them.

At the protest itself, SEEK OUT THE CAMERAS. If you see a reporter, go talk to him or her. It is your job to spread the message. They are looking for the easy story. You must make your views easily-accessible to them. Befriend them. They're just people like you and I. Ask their opinions. I guarantee a lot of them have never even considered the bigger question. Find a way to get through.

Insist that they get a wide-shot of the crowd. The camera lens can be very narrow. It's one thing to say "a hundred thousand people", and quite another to show it.

CARRY FLAGS, not for the country that is, but for the country that should be, the one you were PROMISED.

If the cops rush you, cover up in the flag. What a different picture it would make, if the police had to beat and arrest people through the flag.

You must learn to use the media. We are playing a game with rules the enemy has devised. We must find ways to bend these rules.

If the cops walk in formation, beating on their shields, know that this is a tactic of intimidation. Stand strong, together, and beat in unison with them. Demonstrate your resolve to all those cameras. Start singing and dancing to the beat of the shields. Deflate the situation by turning it around. Take their power away.

In retreat, never run away. This makes us look weak. Bite your tongue against the searing pain of the teargas, ignore the trembling of your hands, and walk calmly away.

** We need A LINE OF DISCIPLINED ACTIVISTS, between the police and those who would resort to violence. A line that will not be moved. Tell the police that you will return the degree of respect given to you. Nothing more, nothing less. **

"If it bleeds, it leads" is a very real concept. Be Ghandi for a day. Be proactive in preventing violence. Explain to those who want to fight, that their energy would be put to better use in some other capacity. Lord knows, I understand the anger and frustration they feel, but violence hurts our cause. The message gets lost.

Act as if your every action is watched, because it is. Make your core beliefs the impetus for your every word and deed.

We must not scare the People. This only hardens them against us. Violence is what the fat men in suits desire. Don't let them win.

TALK to the People, the bystanders, the gawkers. Ask them if they enjoy the world created by an unchallenged Elite. Ask them if this is the world they wish to leave for their children. Make it personal, because it is.

I used to be a graffiti artist, and know the power the artform possesses. I've seen people paint things such as "Capitalism makes us slaves" at protests, that made it to air. These images are very powerful. Give those that want to destroy property a spraycan. Leave something for the people to read after the protest is over.

There are detractors, who say "make the mainstream irrlelvant". I couldn't agree more with the sentiment. But until that happens, it is relevant. You must understand the power of the media, and learn how to manipulate it as well as the fat men in suits.

And remember, that you are the Majority, and you are right. There are millions upon millions who support you.

I realize that changing the world is a daunting task, but our numbers and our strength grow every day. If we all chip away at it long enough, eventually the Wall will come tumbling down, brick by evil brick.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Ghandi

Truth is on our side. We cannot fail, unless we fail to act.

"No matter how far you've travelled down the wrong road, turn back." - Turkish proverb

To a better world?

P E A C E . . .

Jordan Thornton
- e-mail: pilgrim112@hotmail.com

Comments

Display the following 10 comments

  1. Some nice stuff but — Gonzo
  2. What about a Welsh flag then? — Jim
  3. My flag, my race. — B.S.
  4. oh wise one — rowan
  5. Irony? — ginger
  6. Thugs, get the point.......... — Paxman
  7. reply to paxman — ginger
  8. The wrong Turkish road — David
  9. VIOLENCE — anonym
  10. Aside from the violence debate — Peter
Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech