WAND Plan of Action:

III. ENGAGE THE MEDIA Resources: WiLL/WAND 2001 Guidebook: Making Sense of Capitol Hill & Media Made Easy (see below for ordering or downloading information), and: Making the News: A guide for nonprofits and activists, by Jason Salzman

• Submit letters to the editor and op eds. Models are available through WAND's field office: membership@wand.org.

• Use local radio and cable TV. Have a show, call in to talk radio, ask to be a guest on a radio show.

• Hold a press conference.

• Contact the media about local events. Write letters to the editor about local events even if not covered by the media. Take pictures of events and supply them to the media. Post pictures on your website.

• Develop a list of speakers - celebrities, experts, ordinary people. Work with local media contacts to gain strategic placement of these spokespeople in print and electronic media.

• Make sure women's voices are heard. Suggest names of experts who are women to national WAND (ph. 781-643-6740) or to your local TV and radio stations. Call media outlets to tell them you want to hear from more women.

• Contribute your ideas to a WAND "Idea Bank" to be posted on the weekly email bulletin board. Send ideas to: membership@wand.org.

• Establish a "rapid response" capacity (e.g. phone tree, email list, letter-writing team). Contact groups like WAND for guidance on effective and timely action as news breaks.

• Create a televised event with women.

• Write or phone media outlets when their coverage is shallow, simplistic, misleading, incendiary, or otherwise damaging. Push them to go deeper, use wisdom in their use of words and images, ask the hard questions.