Getting Out the Message

The media can be useful in your anti-privatization efforts, if you are prepared. Think through your message, timing and approach. Media relations specialists in your communities, Local, Council and/or the International are available to discuss your media plan.

Decide When the Media Will Do the Most Good:

The media most likely will not report your every move, so decide on the best times to approach them.

With the mass media (newspapers, radio, television news and, increasingly, the Internet), your audience will be the general public, including opinion makers. Make sure this is the audience you want to reach before approaching any media outlet. Ask yourself if a letter or flyer would better target your audience.

Consider timing as well. Is this the right time to educate the public or generate pressure on officials promoting privatization? Often, you will want to exhaust opportunities for one-on-one persuasion before heading to the news media.

Craft Your Message:

When the time is right to approach the media, carefully craft your message. These guidelines should help:

• People respond most to issues that affect them personally, so craft messages that show people how they will be impacted by privatization.
• Be honest and direct. Test your messages on colleagues and friends and see what works.
• Have facts to support your message. Your message must be credible.
• Use a personal example or anecdote to illustrate your message.
• Keep your message short, using colorful, memorable language.
• Keep your message simple. No matter how technical a subject is, put it in language the average citizen will understand.
• Pay attention to the words you use. Practice effective communication. Refer to "words to use and works to lose."

Case Study:

AFSCME Local 5000 heard a rumor that the school food service was about to be privatized. The Local sent members to talk with the school system’s business manager about the rumor. The business manager refused to meet with them, but confirmed that privatization was being considered.

With no apparent means to participate in the decision-making, the Local’s leaders decided to approach the media. In crafting their message, they tried to personalize the situation for area residents: They asked themselves why the public should care who serves meals to their kids while they are at school.

The leaders found this tough to answer, because there was no contractor to identify, thus no specifics on quality or cost to be discussed. However, the current cafeteria staff was highly valued by parents and students alike. The union also obtained information from other school systems that had privatized cafeteria services. Using this information, they came up with the following:

Message:

The school system is considering a very risky proposal to privatize cafeteria services, without seeking input from current staff, parents or students. Based on problems experienced in other places, we think the entire community should be concerned.

Facts to Support the Message: Problems that have occurred elsewhere include:

Decline in food quality (cite places).

"Low-balling" to win first contracts, then overrunning budgets and boosting charges after the first year (cite places).

High turnover among staff because of low wages and poor benefits (cite places and statistics, if possible). Note that in such situations, children are left to deal with strangers on a regular basis.

Personal Examples to Illustrate: They conveyed experiences from the closest locality to have problems with private cafeteria services. They also emphasized the important role that current staff has with children. Examples included such things as current staff lending children lunch money, talking over personal problems and giving them extra treats.

Identify Your Spokesperson(s):

Your spokesperson should be someone who is informed, close to the issue (not someone hired to speak), articulate and comfortable talking with reporters and appearing on television and before groups. You also might want reporters to meet union members who have personal stories that will illustrate your message. National research has shown that our best messengers are public employees themselves.

Some tips for spokespeople include:

• Go into an interview with three messages and emphasize those three messages. Answer a reporter’s question, then move back to the messages you want to address.
• Be prepared for a range of questions. Ask yourself the most difficult questions and practice how you would answer.
• Dress neatly, avoiding bright colors and busy patterns for television interviews.
• Don’t be defensive. Remain positive.
• Some reporters will ask you to speak "off the record" or "for background only," meaning that they do not plan to quote you in their story. Do not do this. Many people have gotten burned because the potential for misunderstanding is great.

Contact Reporters:

Read newspapers and listen to TV/radio news and public affairs programs to identify reporters who are most likely to cover your issue. Or call the newspapers and TV and radio stations in your area and ask who might cover your area (education, transportation, parks and recreations, etc).

Once you have identified specific editors and reporters:

Make introductory phone calls and visits.

Let them know how to reach your spokesperson at home, at work and at the main office.

Ask reporters/editors/producers about the best way to get information to them and the best times of day, in order to avoid their "crunch" deadlines.

With your message crafted and practiced, your spokesperson should contact the appropriate reporters/editors/producers and give them the information.

Tools for reaching out to the media

News releases, news advisories and news conferences are ways to generate media attention to your story.

News Releases

News releases have one main purpose: to generate interest in your ideas and information.

A good news release should provide the basis of a story. It should be brief, well-written, and, most important, should have a "news hook." It should generate curiosity and inspire further questions by reporters.

Here are a few tips for writing and releasing a winning news release:

• A news release should be no more than two typed, double-spaced pages.
• Try to include who, what, when and where, if applicable, in the first paragraph. Discuss "why" in the paragraphs that follow.
• Include a name and contact number at the top of the page and a phrase such as "for immediate release" and the date on the top left side of the page.
• Quotes in a release should reflect the reaction of a relevant person (a union or community leader or another expert).
• While you need not cite the source of every fact in the release, you should be prepared to tell reporters where you got the information. Often, it is worthwhile to include a fact sheet with the release.
• News releases can be hand-delivered, faxed, e-mailed or mailed. Find out which method individual reporters prefer.
• Follow up with phone calls to key editors, reporters and news directors.

News Advisories

News advisories are briefer, usually a paragraph or two. They have several purposes:

• To convince the media to mention a future meeting in a news story.
• To inform the media about a meeting, demonstration or other event so a reporter will be assigned to cover it.
• To announce a news conference.

News Conferences

Call a news conference when there is real news, such as a new report or out-of-town expert. Keep the following points in mind when planning a news conference:

• Select a time in the morning or early afternoon to give reporters time to travel, work and edit their story.
• Try to hold the news conference at a setting that helps tell the story and provides a "visual" for television and news photographers — for instance, in front of a hospital or library that faces closure. Bear in mind, though, that a great visual too far away from where most media work may discourage attendance.
• Provide a news release, fact sheet and other relevant material.
• Don’t take too long. A news conference should last 30 to 45 minutes at most.

Putting effective communications into practice

Scenario: A Television Interview

The background: A local television reporter is conducting a brief, live interview with your spokesperson. Based on the research provided in the previous pages, which interview do you think will generate more support for public service and public service workers — A or B?

Interview A:

Reporter: Why does the union oppose letting a private company provide this service? After all, proponents of privatization say that it will work for everyone — services will improve and the company will make profits.

Union Member: The union is opposed to privatization because our members have been doing the job for a long time. We have a right to those jobs. We’ll lose our jobs just so the company can make higher profits.

Reporter: A lot of taxpayers say that government services aren’t very efficient. They cite long lines and rude employees. Don’t you think we should give private companies a chance to do a better job?

Union Member: Union members are frustrated because we are overworked and underpaid. Who wouldn’t be rude? Private companies won’t do a better job; they are just interested in making a profit.

Reporter: What would you say to convince our viewers that privatization is a bad idea?

Union Member: Government employees do a good job in providing programs that help citizens. If we privatize programs all sorts of bad things will happen. Services to people will be cut so that big corporations can make higher profits. Union members don’t think this is fair and we want our rights protected. Thank you.

Interview B:

Reporter: Why does the union oppose letting a private company provide this service? After all, proponents of privatization say that it will work for everyone — services will improve and the company will make profits.

Union Member: As a representative of the public service workers, I’m here to say that we oppose privatization because we think it is just too risky for our community. If a large corporation is entrusted with these public services, how do we know citizens will get fair treatment, how will we be able to access information on what’s going on and who gets held accountable when problems arise? As citizens of the community we are concerned that services to people will be cut so that big corporations can make more money.

Reporter: A lot of taxpayers say that government services aren’t very efficient — they cite long lines and rude employees. Don’t you think we should give private companies a chance to do a better job?

Union Member: Public employees should be given the opportunity to do an even better job. Rather than privatizing services, workers should be given the tools to do the job well. They should be given more community input, and be provided better training. With that kind of support, public workers can compete with anyone. And best of all, the citizens will know that they won’t have to worry about fairness, access and accountability.

Reporter: What would you say to convince our viewers that privatization is a bad idea?

Union Member: Public service workers take great pride in providing services to the community. A private company will care only about the bottom line. That means that services to people in the community will be cut so that the big corporations can make more money. Privatizing public services would be just like what happened when the HMOs took over health care. The HMO companies cut staff, denied people services they needed, and made medical decisions based on the bottom line instead of what’s good for patients. It’s just too risky. With privatization, instead of equal access for all, some people will get left out in the cold. And worse yet, if they provide services poorly there won’t be accountability. It’s just a bad idea.

Judging the Interviews

Clearly, Interview B was much more effective. The union member not only used effective words but did a great job making the points against privatization while citing the positive aspects of public service.

Practicing effective communication shouldn’t be limited to media interviews. Use effective messages and words when speaking before decision-makers, to co-workers, to potential allies in the community and in written communications.

What a difference a news release can make

Following are two versions of a news release. They are intended to illustrate the right way and the wrong way to get your message out.

Setting a Tone:

Version A sounds defensive — "We have rights. If the mayor thinks we can do a better job, than he should make sure that we receive the best equipment and training. We deserve that for all our years of service."

Version B sounds reasonable and cooperative — Local 1234 President Bob Armijo says the union takes their professionalism seriously, and would be eager to sit down with the mayor to talk about how services to the community can be improved.

Putting a Human Face on the Problem:

Version A speaks only of the "union." No mention is made of workers. The workers don’t have a voice – even in their own news release.

Version B relies heavily on the members and their strengths. They are not just school support workers; they are experienced school bus drivers and school cafeteria workers. They are also parents and members of the community.

Depicting the Opposition:

Version A uses ineffective language to describe the companies: "Private companies are only interested in adding to their profits."

Version B uses more effective language to describe the companies: "We shouldn’t turn over these services to companies that are only interested in the bottom line of making more money."

Using our Messages:

Version A buries our message in the fourth paragraph: "The union maintains that privatization will not save money and will not provide the same quality of service."

Version B leads with our key messages against privatization: "The public service workers said that that the high quality of services to the community’s school children will be threatened and that privatization doesn’t lead to more efficient service or to cost-savings.

Version A

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sue Smith at 555-1212

Date

Union Says Privatization Will Cut Union Jobs

Local 1234 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) today called on the public to oppose the privatization of government services because it will cost union members their jobs.

"We are calling on the public to support us in our fight against privatization. Private companies are only interested in adding to their profits. Programs will suffer and government employees who have been doing these jobs for years will be replaced," said Bob Armijo, President of Local 1234.

The union’s action comes in response to a plan by the mayor to privatize the city’s school support services, including school transportation and food service preparation and delivery.

The union maintains that privatization will not save money and will not provide the same quality of service. The union takes particular issue with the mayor’s claim that the private companies would provide services more efficiently. "We have rights," Armijo says. "If the mayor wants us to do a better job than he should give us the best equipment and training. We deserve that for all our years of service."

According to Armijo, Local 1234 is also concerned that the contracts will go to big corporations from outside of the city.

Local 1234 represents more than 3,000 government workers who work for the communities’ schools.

Version B

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sue Smith at 555-1212

Date

School Bus Drivers, Lunch Workers Challenge the Mayor’s Privatization Plan

School bus drivers and school cafeteria workers — members of AFSCME Local 1234 — today called on the mayor to drop his plan for privatization. The public service workers said that the high quality of services to the community’s school children will be threatened and that privatization doesn’t lead to more efficient service or to cost savings.

Local 1234, which represents the more than 3,000 men and women who drive school buses and prepare and deliver school meals, said that public services should not be turned over to companies that can cut corners on services to make more money. Mary Wilson, a school bus driver and a member of Local 1234 said: "The public service employees who have been performing these vital jobs have years of experience. We know the community, and we know the kids. We shouldn’t turn over these services to companies that are only interested in the bottom line of making money."

Local 1234 President Bob Armijo says the school workers take their professionalism seriously and are eager to sit down with the mayor to talk about how services to the community can be improved. "We are parents too, so of course we want the best possible services for the kids. We strongly believe that we are the best workers to provide these services. We have long advocated for the best equipment and the best training, and we want to work with the mayor to ensure that the school kids have the best school support services."

Armijo called on the public to fight the mayor’s plan. The union is calling on the public to participate in a rally next Wednesday at noon at the Civic Center. The school support workers are also asking the public to write letters to the mayor in opposition to his plan.

Generating Good News

Using Awards to Put AFSCME Members in the Spotlight

The best way to spread the word that "public employees do it best" is to be sure your union and its members are recognized for a job well done. Public recognition of our efforts translates to support for public service delivery.

There are many opportunities to create news for your union and even individual members by nominating them for awards at the community, metro area, county, state and national levels. Regularly remind members that you are looking for exemplary efforts to nominate for service awards. Tell them to be alert to innovation in the workplace, whether it’s money-saving ideas, re-engineering office processes, scientific inventions or any service improvement to the public. When possible, seek recognition for the entire unit. But don’t forget individual acts too. One groundskeeper in Ohio, for instance, tells about how he mows the school name into the grass on the football field. What a promoter of community pride! Isn’t he a candidate for the Rotary Club’s Citizen of the Year, or some other civic award?

Investigate award opportunities within your communities and state. If you have an accomplishment that you think is worthy of national attention, call the International Public Affairs Department at 202/429-1130. The department has a compendium of national awards and will help you to identify the best one for your nominee.

Paid Advertising

If your budget allows for it, paid advertising is a good way to get your message across to the public and to decision-makers. However, before placing an ad ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I really need to incur the cost of advertising or can "earned media" achieve the same results? "Earned media" — formally called "free media" — is media exposure garnered through press conferences, news releases, letters to the editor and so on. The exposure doesn’t cost money but may take a lot of hard work.
• Who do I want to reach? If it’s just a few people, consider another avenue. If it’s legislators, consider a specialized publication. If you want to apply public pressure, consider a popular publication, television program or radio show.
• What message do I want to convey? Don’t bury your message in a lot of text. Choose your words carefully.
• What, if any, graphic will help me tell my story? Graphics, such as photos, often help make a point, but you don’t want the graphic to overshadow your message. If using photos, make sure you have both the permission of the photographer and any person in the photo. If you’re making or spreading charges against a privateer, it is always a good idea to have a lawyer review before the ad appears or airs.
• Does the International have artwork that I can use? You might not need to pay for ad design, or you might just need to re-work an existing ad. Spend your dollars wisely.

Keep an eye on what the privateers are espousing

Shaping a coherent, effective message is critical to the union successfully fighting privatization, but formulating and espousing AFSCME’s message is just half the story. To truly be successful, we must keep informed as to what the privateers are telling influential leaders and the general public.

The following ads—produced by EMSA Correctional Care, Maximus, and Ryder/MLS—reveal how private corporations are selling their services. The ads let us know what arguments we should counter. In addition, where the ads are placed will provide clues as to who the privateers are targeting.

Go through the ads point for point; jot down your counter-arguments; and keep the ads and your notes in a handy file. Chances are, you’ll need to counter these privateers in the future. You’ll be a head of the game if you have already done some of your homework.