Even as she was in custody, Ms. DePape immediately issued a press release, referring to herself as Brigette Marcelle, in which she said she had realized that working in Parliament wouldn’t help her “stop Harper’s agenda.”
So how exactly do you issue a press release? And how do you get the media to notice it?
I have seen Canada Newswire and I assume the process has something to do with posting information there. But there is a ridiculous number of press releases on Canada Newswire. Do news outlets have people who sit there reading them all looking for something interesting? This particular story mentioned Ms. DePape's press release right from the outset (earliest versions were posted online on Friday afternoon, perhaps before the actual throne speech even ended), and an earlier version of the National Post story took on a slightly baffled tone, as though they had no idea who it was who had issued this press release. And yet they still saw the press release in time to incorporate it into the earliest version of the story.
How does this whole process work?
9 comments:
Issuing the press release is easy. Getting anyone to pay attention, that's the tough part.
To send a press release, you write it in a standard format, then email (in the old days, fax and in the really old days mail or messenger) to all the media outlets.
But if you just use the default addresses like news@media.com it's unlikely anyone will notice it. Publicists keep lists of writers and editors who cover certain topics or who are sympathetic to their issue, and they email them directly. And they make folo up calls, leaving voice mails all over town.
Small local media is different, tho - they usually need news items and will run whatever you send if it's local.
It's possible that after the protest, media ppl remembered the press release and went back to it. It's also possible they saw the released in advance and were waiting to see what would happen.
And yes, media has ppl (often unpaid interns or very junior staff) who go through heaps of those things looking for stories.
Sorry for bad spelling, I'm typing on my phone.
My understanding is that the media release was sent out while she was protesting in the senate. I think it was coordinated so that as the press were saying "what's here name? Google her, google her!" the release was showing up on the wire.
She knew it would be newsworthy, and she coordinated it so that she was feeding the information to the right place at the right time. I'm impressed.
So am I. It was pretty flawless mediatization (in the great tradition of borrowing the French word when I can't think of the English word). Apparently she's gotten several job offers in response to this.
The only jobs she'll get will require a name tag and include listening for the "fries are up" buzzer. This was orchestrated by the NDP - the interviews with the MSM were undoubtedly lined up in advance.
Yes. If you make a political point in a way that is inappropriate to your job, you are unsuitable for a job anywhere.
Oh, except for a job in Harper's caucus. Though DePape seems far too smart to be part of a crowd like that.
Based on my experience in fast food, I don't think it would be a good fit. They don't much like free-thinkers or non-conformity. (My fast food uniform required black leather shoes, and I got scolded because mine were suede. And I worked behind a counter where no customers ever saw my shoes.) The kind of job offers I've seen being retweeted on twitter seem a better fit - they're with more activist organizations that allow for more individual free-thinking.
And I seriously doubt any major political party is behind this. If they were, they would have gotten more than one person to do it.
There's no way the NDP was behind this. On the one hand, see her G20 essay or her theatre work: she is a radical, not a partisan operative. On the other hand, why would Jack Layton risk being exposed just as he has ascended to the most powerful position he has ever held?
The only thing that makes sense about that statement is that the commenter is anonymous.
PS: Job offers are already rolling in.
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