Published: 30 June 2017
Country: Algeria, Worldwide
The Media Diversity Institute (MDI) has published an online media relations guide for civil society organisations entitled “Reach! Engage! Change!”. The first published version is in Arabic. The handbook was distributed to CSO activists in Algeria as part of the project “My Voice Counts: a Campaign to Promote the Rights of Women, Youth and Children in Algeria” funded by the European Commission.
The author of the handbook which deals with media communications in the digital age is Danica Dasha Ilic, a freelance journalist and media trainer. Nawel Hafid Guellal, founder & executive director of the Algerian NGO, Human Development Network (HDN), states in the handbook preface to the Algerian edition: “This handbook has been designed for the noble purpose of helping to rebuild trust and dialogue between civil society and the media in Algeria. It contains practical steps and affordable tools that would help any organization to get in touch with journalists and other media actors and build sustainable professional relationships. Additionally, the handbook draws on the expertise of the Media Diversity Institute in the field of organizational communication with the media in the region.”
The handbook includes, among other things, tips on how to think like a journalist and prepare information for the media, how to contact journalists and prepare for interviews and how to organise a press conference.
In addition, both the media and civil society are still trying to comprehend in which direction the irreversible path of digital communications will take us. Digital and social media are beginning to shift the balance of power, making the voice of CSOs more prominent to the extent that they are increasingly imposing the media agenda. With this is mind, it is important CSOs know how to capitalise on that, and so readers of this handbook will also find tips on how to use digital channels of communication, how to successfully communicate on social media, how to choose the most suitable digital platform and how to plan and implement media campaigns.
The potential readership of the handbook is not limited to CSO activists. On the contrary, it can be useful for media professionals and journalists too. At the beginning of the handbook, there is a discussion on the complex and not always successful relationship between the media and civil society. MDI hopes that this handbook will help build understanding and cooperation, because both journalists and civil society activists need each other in order to not only achieve their goals, but also to help create a better and fairer society.
You can download the guide by clicking the button below
