 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
|
 |
| To Hand on the Message: The Role of Medias Amélie Baillargeon
Founded in the aftermath of the Montréal Massacre on December 6, 1989 where 14 young women were shot, the Coalition for Gun Control is the only national organization aimed at reducing firearm injuries, death and crimes in Canada. The Coalition is composed of 350 member organizations, representing several fields, including police, victims, woman's groups, municipalities, unions, health care, etc. We are recognized for the adoption of two federal laws, Bill C-17 (1991) which was the first step in the right direction, and the Firearms Act (1995). The key elements of the Coalition's position were then adopted. We are currently working at implementing the new law, researching and educating, finding measures to reduce the illicit traffic of firearms as well as protecting the laws against the attacks of the gun lobby. One of the characteristics of our Coalition is the broad diversity of its members, as much as their fields of expertise, their regional and linguistic realities. Often our cause is one of the few elements that bring these diverse groups together. While this diversity brings many challenges, it is at the root of our communication strategies. Since the beginning, we use the strategy "one message, many voices". One key aspect of the Coalition is our well-defined position that is used as a reference point on our public venues, particularly in the media.
Since the beginning, the Coalition's president and director (both women) faced the challenge that gun control experts were someone who used guns. During the public hearings on Bill C-80 (1990) 7 of the 9 members of Parliament sitting on the Committee were gun owners and the Liberal M.P., Robert Nault, had objected to the participation of the Status of Woman critic, Dawn Black, (NDP) "because she didn't know anything about guns." We have come a long way to sensitize elected officials and the population that gun control was actually a question of public safety. Nonetheless, the point of view of the front line that sees the daily consequences of firearms misuse is often put aside by journalists for the point of view of so called "gun experts". Moreover, too often women working toward better gun control are categorized as gun foes or/and man haters.
Unfortunately, public opinion does not transform a cause into a reality on its own. Media may help to shape and reflect the opinion of the public. The publicity given by the media has helped considerably to legitimize our position, particularly for Members of Parliament who tend to see the media as a reflection of citizen's opinion.
We have learned over time that facts have a minor importance in comparison to the way the message is presented. A lot of publicity is given to incidents. This provides an opportunity to attract media's attention. It is therefore critical to react quickly to events and to have ready: 1) Pertinent information that is accurate, complete
and available; The timing and the packaging are critical. By packaging we mean marketing the issue, i.e., the factual tone, the clarity of the discourse, simplicity and proper layout, etc. We must start from the premise that journalists do not know anything about our position therefore we must provide them all of the background information in one clear, concise and easy to read document where he or she may find all the relevant information. The same premise is valid for spokespeople. The reality of partnership is that spokespeople are not always well aware of recent developments and must be able to acquaint themselves quickly on important issues. Once again, the Coalition's strategy to respond to journalist's request is to adapt to the context. For example, following a domestic gun homicide, the Coalition's voice will be contexualized through the voice of a domestic violence expert; following an illicit trafficking incident, the Coalition's voice will be a police officer. We also opt for a rational approach in our media relations. While emotion may make the news, it may also diminish the strength of our message. Often being able to laugh at a situation is more efficient than to be angry.
1) Issuing a Coalition press release (balance of spokespeople:
representing woman's groups, police officers, public health, victims;
regional and linguistic diversity). If we do not attract the attention of the media in the first attempt, it is always possible to make our voice heard at a later time, generally through letters to the Editors or by convincing journalists to follow up on an issue. The Coalition excels at recycling and reusing the same information until it is published. A lesson well learned is that issues are never over and they frequently come back. Therefore all the preparation work of background information and sensitization contributes to a prompt response when an issue reemerges. The media infrastructure also brings its own challenges and understanding it helps to adapt your focus. We have realized that the media monopoly affects the way the facts are brought to the public's attention. For example, we can rarely hope that a good outcome will come from newspapers purported to offer a "right wing" perspective. We have also noticed that journalists have somewhat lost interest for our cause given that after twelve years it is perceived as a "done deal". Finally, journalists receive numerous press releases and the competition is high to attract the appropriate attention.
At the base, the terms of engagement of partnerships requires clear and precise goals and well-defined strategic directions, long and short-term. Partnership, particularly in media relations, brings its own challenges: 1) Running out of breath and motivating your supporters. Among partners (for example Municipalities and Women's Groups) running out of breath can be explained by
This running out of breath may also be felt in the population. If I were to address a room full of gun owners, and were to ask them how many have written letters to the Editors with regard to the Firearms Act, I would expect to see the majority of hands in the air. Nonetheless, they are a minority but vocal group. To mobilize the majority to react in the media to the gun lobby claims is a lot more difficult. Most people agree with the cause but do not take the time to respond or react. 2) To disseminate information to partners is an ongoing challenge. E-mail makes it somewhat easier but it remains highly difficult to update all supporters on all issues that they may have an interest. 3) The homogeneity of the discourse: even though we want to have diverse views and ways of perceiving issues among the partners we must ensure that there are no contradictions among them, particularly in the media. 4) As for the decisional process, a structure must be elaborated so that communication strategies are clear and based on facts. Last year, for example, we had the legislative amendments. No partners were interested in reading the 130 pages of legislative text. It was therefore important to have designated people in charge of elaborating the Coalition's position and that they had the confidence of the partners.
It is recommended: 1) To segment the market:
2) To define the limits between the extent of your
action and loss of control. In the broader context of partner's working to increase woman's safety, in order to facilitate our work, I would like to see the development of two tools: 1) Media contact list periodically updated,
available to organizations working to increase women's safety.
|
|||||||||
 |
|
©
2002, Women in Cities International
Last update : November 28, 2003 |