The ARRM Public Relations Committee hosted MPR Photojournalist Evan Frost in January to discuss his recent work covering the staff and people at a Living Well Disability Services home. It was a compelling and beautiful story of the people who live and work there, and the challenges they face as a result of the tightening workforce situation.
However, giving a reporter the kind of in-depth access needed to create such an impactful story came with risk, as many engagements with media outlets do. Committee members asked Evan to share some of his guidance on working effectively with journalists in general, as well as how to cross that risk threshold to deliver the unique and engaging coverage that helps tell the story of our field.
Journalists are story-tellers, they want to build their own narrative
An over-pitched, over-controlled, over-managed story is less enticing to a reporter. Unless it is particularly “scoop worthy”, reporters are going to be most interested in covering topics and issues where they have free access to sources to develop their own story.
Think of how your stories connect to broader community or societal events and issues
If there’s a major issue being talked about in the press or social media, or a big local event coming up, think about sharing with media how the people your organization supports are connected to it or impacted by it. This applies to organizations and their staff, as well. We have unique angles on many of the broader moments of interest in our communities, and these are stories journalists are interested in. [One recent example: There has been a fair amount of talk about more women and people of color running for political office; MinnPost just ran an article about how few candidates with disabilities running for political office. One recent idea: was there a person being supported by your organization who was a huge Vikings fan during their recent playoff run]
Learn your local media, what they cover, and HOW they cover it
The Public Relations Committee talked at length with Evan and Living Well representatives about how they addressed the risk of giving such unfettered access to a home, its residents and staff. At the outset there was no guarantee on the kind of story Evan was going to write, and always the chance he would observe something or someone would say something in an interview that would become a problem.
Living Well and Evan worked through this by getting to know each other and building trust around the motivations and perspectives each were bringing to the story. The advice Evan gave to the Public Relations Committee members was to read the work of journalists who might cover your organization and if possible meet them to get a sense of what they want to cover and the types of stories they write. Also, read the broader work media outlets to get a feel for how editors approach stories. By getting to know their approach to stories you will have a much better idea how they will cover you and handle potentially negative situations.
The ARRM Public Relations Committee is working to tell the stories that demonstrate who our members are and the tremendous positive impact they have on people’s lives and their communities. Consider joining the committee to tell your organization’s stories and support the industry – email Drew Henry for more information.