Health Center Week Tools
 
Tips for
Successful Events
Tip #4
WRITE TO THE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR requesting an editorial board meeting. Explain the purpose of your visit and why the issue is timely and important to the community. Also, include the names of people who will accompany you. Follow up a few days later with a telephone call.
Before you meet with the editorial board, make sure you are familiar with what the paper has written on your subject in the past. This is part of good preparation and common courtesy. If you are asking a newspaper to highlight a particular issue, know what the paper has already written about it. It will help you tailor your case to the special interests of your target audience - the editorial board.
It is especially important to read the paper on the day and week of your meeting. If an article about your issue or your health center has appeared in the paper, the editorial board will expect you to KNOW about it.
Prepare one-page fact sheets in support of your position and bring enough copies for everyone at the meeting. Also provide copies of any memoranda you have prepared on the issue and the names/phone numbers of people who can be contacted for more information.
You might want to have other experts accompany you to the meeting,
but a good general rule to follow is - the smaller the group,
the better. Some advise that one person is often the best way
to present the necessary information and answer questions from the
editorial staff. You can always get back to the board with more
information or answers that you were not able to provide at the
meeting.
Some advocates prefer bringing along people who can enhance the credibility and importance of their message, such as prominent citizens from the community. You can also help your case by having someone accompany you who would otherwise not be considered a close ally.
A typical editorial board meeting will start with the opportunity to "state your case". This opening statement should be brief, but concise. It should summarize your position on the issue, the evidence that supports this position, and any anticipated criticisms of your position and responses to those criticisms.
Once you have stated your case, you can expect questions from the editorial board. Not all of the questions will seem friendly, even if the board is predisposed to agree with you. This is because editorial boards must consider the counter arguments they will receive from their readers. Board members will often test the validity of your position by playing the role of devil's advocate.
It is crucial to anticipate the most common criticisms of your position ahead of time and be prepared to defend against them. If you cannot adequately defend your opinions, how can the newspaper be expected to defend them? Prior to your meeting, try a practice session with one person reading from questions prepared in advance on 3 x 5 cards. If possible, use a home video recorder to tape the session. Critique your performance.
If the newspaper decides not to write an editorial or takes an editorial stand that is contrary to your position, suggest that it print an op-ed piece or a letter from your health center. Do not offer this alternative unless you are certain that an editorial will not be run.
Remember that when you meet with the editorial board or staff of any newspaper, you are meeting on its turf. The newspaper is extending you a courtesy by listening to and considering your point of view. Return the courtesy by respecting the editorial board's opinions, positions, and constraints.
Send a thank-you note afterward and continue to press for an editorial. Also, keep the editorial staff apprised of relevant new developments.
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