This practical training on improving the media relations of Equality Bodies took place in person in Zagreb on 24-25 May. It was aimed at members of the Equinet Communication Strategies and Practices Working Group.
On 6 February 2024, Equinet will hold an online follow-up to the training. More information available soon.
Find below the training report available for download.
Background
To do their work efficiently – promote equality and help fight discrimination – Equality Bodies need to be visible to, well known by and able to reach various audiences – vulnerable groups, NGOs, politicians and other decision makers as well as the media (both journalists and editors). Among all these audiences, the media have the most potential to help reach other target audiences and multiply messages. They can do it on a much larger scale than we can in direct contact or that other audiences can as multipliers.
So what do we mean by having good media relations? Ultimately, that an Equality Body has the:
- capacity to recognize, create and use media opportunities efficiently;
- knowledge on how the media works, including an overview of technical necessities that depend on media type (deadlines, length of statements, appearance, etc.);
- skills to adapt (or help the spokesperson to adapt) the communication to different media and to perform efficiently;
- support of management, which understands the importance of media work, and enables the communication team to be able to do their work effectively.
Objectives
Aimed at members of the Working Group on communication strategies and practices, or any colleague who wants to develop their knowledge and understanding of the media, participants of this training learned:
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- Four steps to prepare the EB for good media relations
- Tips and tricks on building good media relations daily – concrete actions, easy to implement
- What to ask journalists who contact you for a story/interview
- Golden rules for media appearances and statements (to train your heads, experts)
- Recognizing, creating and using media opportunities
- What to do in a crisis communication situation
Throughout the training, participants shared their good/bad experiences and discussed challenges in media work.
Training report
This report summarises the learnings of the training and includes practical guidelines Equality Bodies to better understanding how the media works, enhancing media relations that will lead to more visibility of the NEB, and developing skills to train your heads/spokesperson to perform better in statements and
interviews.
Equinet training report – Improving Equality Bodies’ media relations (PDF)
Equinet training report – Improving Equality Bodies’ media relations (Accessible Word version)