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INFORMING, INFLUENCING "ODAR" MEDIA
[ Part 2.2: "Attached Text" ]
Editorial, 30 April 2014
In early April Armenians living in cities where they have activist
communities held demonstrations to protest Turkish complicity in the
attack on the mostly-Armenian town of Kessab in northern Syria.
Such a demonstration was held also in Toronto on April 3. More than
three-hundred Armenians--almost half of them under 30--converged on
the downtown address of the Turkish Consulate to condemn Turkey.
[Kessab-Dikran-Pick.jpg]
The Armenian Youth Federation (AYF), which organized the rally,
deserves our congratulations for a job well done.
Carrying Canadian and Armenian flags, the passionate but disciplined
crowd delivered a simple and strong message: Turkey should stop
facilitating attacks by extremist foreign fighters on Kessab and in
other parts of Syria. Despite provocation by a small group of Grey
Wolves counter-demonstrators, Armenians remained on message. A woman
from the Grey Wolves danced in glee to draw the Armenians into a
confrontation, but failed to do so. Armenians did not approach the
security cordon, which separated them from the Turkbeijan agent
provocateurs.
The AYF had informed local media of the rally, but there was almost no
media presence and none from the city's highly competitive six dailies.
Why not? Why the apparent indifference to the plight of 6,000
Syrian-Armenians by Toronto's media? Several demonstration attendees
muttered that the media are not interested, unless there is the
potential of violence. Overstated, but with some truth. There could
be a dozen reasons why reporters were not there, none of them the
fault of the AYF. Getting coverage for protest rallies are among the
most difficult, perhaps because such demonstrations often question
the status quo which the establishment media and business like to
maintain. As well, some news stories--no matter how well pitched--are
not covered because editors might believe they run counter to the
nation's foreign policy objectives. Armenia's foreign policy runs
counter to NATO's wishes and mainstream media are hostile to Syria's
Bashar Assad. Much of the Western mainstream media give a pass to
the extremists fighting Assad, hoping the former would bring down
Syria's leader.
A major aim in why we will commemorate the centenary of the Genocide
next year is to draw the world's attention to Turkey's crime and
denial. To do so, we need positive media coverage. If we don't rouse
the interest of the media, we will have failed.
How do we get the media's attention for the tragedy that was
perpetrated upon the Armenian nation one-hundred years ago? It's a
tough assignment.
Newspapers are mostly about news or something new. In the city room,
last week's news is as dead as a doornail.
Here are some tips which should help attract media interest to the
century-old tragedy:
1. Personalize the Genocide. Find the children of survivors who can
tell the story of their parents and relatives in a few but powerful
words. Approach media outlets in the area where the person you want
to profile resides and drive the local angle.
2. Find a link between the Genocide and the community you live in.
For example, talk about non-Armenian citizens who spoke about the
Genocide at the time and perhaps helped Armenians. Honor these friends
of Armenians.
3. In the months prior to April 24, 2015 invite media, particularly
neighborhood publications, to events you are organizing. Unlike
previous years, the whole year is open to coverage.
4. Try to inject something current in your articles and releases.
5. The cliché doesn't exaggerate: a picture is worth a thousand
words. Lend media some of the graphic Genocide images. Send photos
whose authenticity can't be challenged. Don't send, for example,
fictional photos such as the line of crucified Armenians from the
"Ravished Armenia" silent movie or the famous painting of the molehill
of supposedly Armenian skulls.
6. Don't assume journalists know about the Genocide. With the decline
of mainstream media, many journalists know far less about international
politics than their predecessors. Armenian information officers should
spoon-feed the media the facts of the Genocide and Ankara's denialist
stand. Provide unimpeachable sources--in print or on the Web.
7. The focus should be on the government of Turkey, not Turks.
Don't mislead by making the Genocide a story about religious
differences...In these days of extreme religious sensitivities
and obsession with political correctness, the Christian/Muslim
narrative would not only present an incomplete picture but also be
a self-defeating exercise.
8. Armenians telling the story of the Genocide should recognize
righteous Turks who helped Armenians or contemporary Turks (Ragip
Zarakolu, Fethiye Cetin, Orhan Pamuk, Taner Akcam, et al) who speak
on behalf of Armenians.
9. The campaign to inform the media should start long before April
24, 2015. Folders containing a variety of news releases and photos
(or compiled electronically) should be sent to the media.
The news releases would be about Armenians; their history; celebrated
Armenians; the millennial homeland now occupied by Turkey; the
Genocide; the slaying of Armenian writers and priests; the acts and
words of the murderous Young Turk triumvirate; the brazen denialist
policy of Turkey; the declarations of the International Association
of Genocide Scholars; quotes by famous (non-Armenian) people about
the Genocide... They should not be longer than 300 words.
10. Put the Genocide in universal context. Point out that it was the
precursor of the Holocaust... Include the famous Hitler quote.
Mention other modern genocides. Point out that the Genocide is also
relevant because it's causing instability in the Southern Caucasus.
11. Have a designated person/committee as the source for centennial
information.
12. The news releases should stick to the facts and avoid
emotive/sensational words. Use adjectives and adverbs sparingly.
They should be grammatically correct and succinct: short sentences,
short paragraphs.
13. Don't write a sob story. Let the facts tell the story.
14. Anticipate the editors' resistance that "it's an old story"
and pre-empt it with sharply-written and eye-catching headlines,
text and photos. Make sure the first sentence of the piece, called
'lede' in journalese, 'hooks' the reader.
15. When writing about the tragedy, remember that readers need to
see a shape to the story, a completion, something hopeful to look
forward to. Tell readers what Armenians have done and are doing to
force Turkey to come clean. Speak of how refugee communities rose from
the ashes to not only survive the tragedy, but to go on to thrive
all over the world as good citizens in the countries that accepted
them. Praise these countries for their hospitality.
With your help, 2015 should be an interesting year for the Armenian
nation.
http://www.keghart.com/Editorial-Media
[ Part 2.2: "Attached Text" ]
Editorial, 30 April 2014
In early April Armenians living in cities where they have activist
communities held demonstrations to protest Turkish complicity in the
attack on the mostly-Armenian town of Kessab in northern Syria.
Such a demonstration was held also in Toronto on April 3. More than
three-hundred Armenians--almost half of them under 30--converged on
the downtown address of the Turkish Consulate to condemn Turkey.
[Kessab-Dikran-Pick.jpg]
The Armenian Youth Federation (AYF), which organized the rally,
deserves our congratulations for a job well done.
Carrying Canadian and Armenian flags, the passionate but disciplined
crowd delivered a simple and strong message: Turkey should stop
facilitating attacks by extremist foreign fighters on Kessab and in
other parts of Syria. Despite provocation by a small group of Grey
Wolves counter-demonstrators, Armenians remained on message. A woman
from the Grey Wolves danced in glee to draw the Armenians into a
confrontation, but failed to do so. Armenians did not approach the
security cordon, which separated them from the Turkbeijan agent
provocateurs.
The AYF had informed local media of the rally, but there was almost no
media presence and none from the city's highly competitive six dailies.
Why not? Why the apparent indifference to the plight of 6,000
Syrian-Armenians by Toronto's media? Several demonstration attendees
muttered that the media are not interested, unless there is the
potential of violence. Overstated, but with some truth. There could
be a dozen reasons why reporters were not there, none of them the
fault of the AYF. Getting coverage for protest rallies are among the
most difficult, perhaps because such demonstrations often question
the status quo which the establishment media and business like to
maintain. As well, some news stories--no matter how well pitched--are
not covered because editors might believe they run counter to the
nation's foreign policy objectives. Armenia's foreign policy runs
counter to NATO's wishes and mainstream media are hostile to Syria's
Bashar Assad. Much of the Western mainstream media give a pass to
the extremists fighting Assad, hoping the former would bring down
Syria's leader.
A major aim in why we will commemorate the centenary of the Genocide
next year is to draw the world's attention to Turkey's crime and
denial. To do so, we need positive media coverage. If we don't rouse
the interest of the media, we will have failed.
How do we get the media's attention for the tragedy that was
perpetrated upon the Armenian nation one-hundred years ago? It's a
tough assignment.
Newspapers are mostly about news or something new. In the city room,
last week's news is as dead as a doornail.
Here are some tips which should help attract media interest to the
century-old tragedy:
1. Personalize the Genocide. Find the children of survivors who can
tell the story of their parents and relatives in a few but powerful
words. Approach media outlets in the area where the person you want
to profile resides and drive the local angle.
2. Find a link between the Genocide and the community you live in.
For example, talk about non-Armenian citizens who spoke about the
Genocide at the time and perhaps helped Armenians. Honor these friends
of Armenians.
3. In the months prior to April 24, 2015 invite media, particularly
neighborhood publications, to events you are organizing. Unlike
previous years, the whole year is open to coverage.
4. Try to inject something current in your articles and releases.
5. The cliché doesn't exaggerate: a picture is worth a thousand
words. Lend media some of the graphic Genocide images. Send photos
whose authenticity can't be challenged. Don't send, for example,
fictional photos such as the line of crucified Armenians from the
"Ravished Armenia" silent movie or the famous painting of the molehill
of supposedly Armenian skulls.
6. Don't assume journalists know about the Genocide. With the decline
of mainstream media, many journalists know far less about international
politics than their predecessors. Armenian information officers should
spoon-feed the media the facts of the Genocide and Ankara's denialist
stand. Provide unimpeachable sources--in print or on the Web.
7. The focus should be on the government of Turkey, not Turks.
Don't mislead by making the Genocide a story about religious
differences...In these days of extreme religious sensitivities
and obsession with political correctness, the Christian/Muslim
narrative would not only present an incomplete picture but also be
a self-defeating exercise.
8. Armenians telling the story of the Genocide should recognize
righteous Turks who helped Armenians or contemporary Turks (Ragip
Zarakolu, Fethiye Cetin, Orhan Pamuk, Taner Akcam, et al) who speak
on behalf of Armenians.
9. The campaign to inform the media should start long before April
24, 2015. Folders containing a variety of news releases and photos
(or compiled electronically) should be sent to the media.
The news releases would be about Armenians; their history; celebrated
Armenians; the millennial homeland now occupied by Turkey; the
Genocide; the slaying of Armenian writers and priests; the acts and
words of the murderous Young Turk triumvirate; the brazen denialist
policy of Turkey; the declarations of the International Association
of Genocide Scholars; quotes by famous (non-Armenian) people about
the Genocide... They should not be longer than 300 words.
10. Put the Genocide in universal context. Point out that it was the
precursor of the Holocaust... Include the famous Hitler quote.
Mention other modern genocides. Point out that the Genocide is also
relevant because it's causing instability in the Southern Caucasus.
11. Have a designated person/committee as the source for centennial
information.
12. The news releases should stick to the facts and avoid
emotive/sensational words. Use adjectives and adverbs sparingly.
They should be grammatically correct and succinct: short sentences,
short paragraphs.
13. Don't write a sob story. Let the facts tell the story.
14. Anticipate the editors' resistance that "it's an old story"
and pre-empt it with sharply-written and eye-catching headlines,
text and photos. Make sure the first sentence of the piece, called
'lede' in journalese, 'hooks' the reader.
15. When writing about the tragedy, remember that readers need to
see a shape to the story, a completion, something hopeful to look
forward to. Tell readers what Armenians have done and are doing to
force Turkey to come clean. Speak of how refugee communities rose from
the ashes to not only survive the tragedy, but to go on to thrive
all over the world as good citizens in the countries that accepted
them. Praise these countries for their hospitality.
With your help, 2015 should be an interesting year for the Armenian
nation.
http://www.keghart.com/Editorial-Media