The media is a powerful force in shaping public opinion and in guiding the actions of politicians and policymakers. In the fields of criminal justice and mental health, where stigma and misperceptions are rampant, the media can be a particularly effective educational tool. Not surprisingly, many mental health advocates have worked successfully with newspapers, television and radio stations, and Web sites to promote policy changes, educate the public, and attract new partners.

Used properly, the media can be a critical ally in any advocacy campaign. But ignored or mishandled, the media can be unhelpful or, even worse, stifle potential for reform. Enlisting the support of the media in advocacy related to criminal justice and mental health requires developing a solid strategy, crafting clear messages, combating stigma, choosing effective spokespeople, developing convincing media materials, and responding well to stories or requests for information. These and other issues are discussed in this chapter.

• Media Strategy
• Media Messages
• Combating Stigma
• Choose Spokespeople
• Determine the Story
• Media Materials
• Responding to the Media
• Leveraging Media Coverage

Media Strategy

A media strategy does not have to be elaborate; some of the most effective plans consist of only a few paragraphs or a bulleted outline. And while some advocates hire media consultants, advocates and their coalition partners should be able to develop an effective strategy even without professional help.

The strategy should include the following components:

• Educate the public and policymakers about the problem
• Promote a new policy or program
• Laud a policymaker for their support of an advocacy initiative
• Highlight the failures of a particular agency

But for every community that has taken steps in the right direction, there are dozens that have yet to act, and where the passion and commitment of advocates is sorely needed. This handbook is intended to help advocates in those communities follow in the footsteps of their peers and galvanize reforms that stem the influx of people with mental illness into the criminal justice system.

Media Messages

The media is like a giant loudspeaker that can reach thousands of ears; though its range is broad, its depth is not. Most media outlets deal in brief, condensed simplifications of complex subjects. To ensure that the core goals and activities of a coalition are conveyed accurately, advocates must distill their work into clear, concise messages. One helpful way to think about messages is to divide them into four parts:

1. Overall message point
2. Supporting facts and statistics
3. Potential solutions
4. Personal stories

Overall message points (or "talking points") distill the key principles and undertakings of an advocacy initiative. For example, a group focused on improving the transition of individuals with mental illness leaving prison and jail might decide on the following messages:

• It is more cost effective to provide transition services than to allow those with mental illness to cycle repeatedly through correctional facilities.
• Most of the individuals with mental illness leaving prison and jail were incarcerated for nonviolent crimes, and with the proper supports can live safe and productive lives in the community.
• The local jail and mental health system are working hard to improve their collaboration, and need support from state government to institute the new protocols they are developing.

These are not, by any means, the only important aspects of re-entry and mental illness that could be discussed with the media. Rather, they are strategically chosen: the first makes clear that a new re-entry program is sound public policy from an economic standpoint; the second that it will not jeopardize public safety; and the third that the efforts of local policymakers should be applauded, but they need more funding from the state to get the job done. Choosing a few key points recognizes that there are only so many angles that a reporter can follow, so it is best to offer those that are most central to a coalition’s goals.

Message points should be as simple as possible. Neither reporters, nor the public and policymakers who are their audience, have the depth of knowledge to match committed advocates and their criminal justice and mental health partners. Delving into the complexities of an issue, such as specific programmatic details or highly technical information about mental illness, risks impeding communication. Furthermore, most encounters with the media are brief, and simple messages are easier to get across.

Simplicity should not, however, be confused with generality. Advocates should be prepared to support messages with the other three parts of the message: statistics, concrete proposals for improving the situation, and personal stories. This information should be matched to the scope of the media outlets that are being targeted: local media outlets want local data and stories, statewide sources will be interested in information of a broader scope. Citing national information such as the Consensus Project Report can show the broad importance of the issue, but ultimately members of the media will want information directly relevant to their readers, listeners, and viewers.

Combating Stigma

Members of the media will not, unfortunately, view the involvement of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system as a blank slate. As with anyone else, they will bring preconceived notions to the discussion, and may hold common misperceptions about people with mental illness involved in the criminal justice system. Thus, along with developing clear media messages, advocates must also work to combat the pervasive stigmas that plague this population.

Stigma in the media is difficult to combat, especially because reporters may not always make clear their biases until an article or report is published or broadcast. But advocates should be on the lookout for hints of bias, and should include information in their media materials that specifically refute common misperceptions, such as that people with mental illness are inherently violent, or that most people with mental illness who are arrested are “let off” because of their condition.

Choose Spokespeople

In many cases, it is more important who is speaking than what they are saying. Choosing an effective spokesperson is essential to getting a message across, and advocates should consider their audience carefully when working to identify someone to speak on behalf of a coalition.

As a rule, if the goal is to reach elected officials, the best spokesperson is a criminal justice official. Most politicians are wary of being labeled “soft on crime,” and for many elected officials, alternative strategies for dealing with individuals with mental illness will not sound “tough on crime.” Having a judge, prosecutor, or jail warden speaking on behalf of a coalition can help to make clear that any proposed reforms will enhance, not jeopardize, public safety.

A true coalition, one that involves the criminal justice and mental health system working together, should also have a prominent mental health professional available to speak on its behalf. This person can explain some of the specifics about mental illness and can demonstrate the commitment of the mental health system to criminal-justice-involved consumers. Most importantly, having both a criminal justice and mental health spokesperson will exemplify the collaborative nature of the advocacy effort.

Policymakers notwithstanding, the most effective spokespeople, especially from the media’s point of view, are often the consumers and family members whose lives have been torn apart by criminal justice involvement. Members of the media need stories of real people to demonstrate abstract social issues. A story about “people” with mental illness in the criminal justice system will not go nearly as far as a story about the travails of one person, and their family, and how their pain and suffering could have been avoided.

If a coalition is able to make consumers and their family members available to the media, they should be careful to choose stories that exemplify the broad trends at the heart of this issue: nonviolent individuals being swept into the criminal justice system because of insufficient mental health services and inadequate coordination between the criminal justice and mental health system. Choosing someone who committed a violent crime, even if they have a compelling story, may risk affirming the common association of mental illness and violence.

Along with choosing primary spokespeople, advocates and their coalition partners should also be prepared to provide additional sources. For example, if the primary criminal justice spokesperson is the chief judge, the coalition should also designate someone from the jail, prosecutor’s office, defense attorney’s office, and the local mental health provider to be available to the media. Reporters want to hear all perspectives to ensure a balanced story, but advocates can increase the likelihood that they speak to the “right” people, thus ensuring that the advocacy message is affirmed by several sources.

Determine the Story

Armed with messages and spokespeople, advocates are ready to approach the media. The question then becomes: what is the story? That is, advocates must pinpoint the news that they want the media to cover. The fact that there is a general problem—the overrepresentation of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system—is not enough. There must be some new angle on that problem that deserves media attention.

Some story ideas will be obvious, like a tragedy involving a person with mental illness involved in the criminal justice system or the development of a new program. But in the absence of such events, advocates should be on the lookout for other angles. For example, when a news story appears that is tangentially related to criminal justice and mental health issues (such as a county considering the construction of a new jail), advocates may be able to pitch reporters a different angle: how reducing the number of inmates with mental illness through diversion could eliminate the need for a new jail.

Many advocates are even able to generate their own story angles. Releasing a survey or report analyzing a community’s problems or publishing an “Action Agenda” based on a coalition’s overall goals and policy recommendations are two ways to do so. Another way to generate media interest is to offer an “insider’s view” by inviting a reporter to join law enforcement for a “ride-along,” to spend a day in court, or to visit a juvenile justice facility.

Media Materials

Advocates should consider using the wide range of media materials available to them, some of which are described below.

Press release: Often called a news release, a press release shares important information about an issue, organization, or event. Generally, a press release is one to two pages long and includes quotations from at least one coalition member. Press releases are best used to communicate information to a large number of reporters when there is real news to announce. Media alerts and advisories are similar to press releases, but are most often used to announce events or interview opportunities.

Backgrounder: A media backgrounder provides information and insight into an issue for reporters. The backgrounder is designed as a reference for the reporter to use on a current or future story. Backgrounders should be brief and fact-filled, and should be made available along with a press release to provide context for a story or, on their own, to establish the coalition as a source for future stories.

Media Kit: A media kit is useful for an array of situations; it can be distributed at a media event, provided to reporters who express interest in an advocacy initiative, or made available online for any interested members of the media. A media kit should contain a variety of materials, including the following items:

• Backgrounder or series of backgrounders
• Interview list with short bios of spokespeople
• Press release or pitch letter introducing the issue
• Relevant news articles or reports

If the kit is disseminated at an event, it should also include an agenda, speakers list, and other event-specific information. Online media kits—materials posted to a Web site—are particularly popular with reporters, and also offer the opportunity to link to other organizations or Web sites that provide useful information.

Press Conference / Media Briefing: Press conferences should only be used to announce hard news or to provide access to a well-known or celebrity spokesperson. Coalition members must be well-prepared for questions at a briefing, as interaction is at the core of any media event. Most media briefings last an hour or less, and should include speakers who represent the entire coalition (representative from criminal justice and mental health agencies, consumers of mental health services, family members and advocates, and interested citizens). Following the briefing, it is wise to send the media kit and reach out to reporters who could not make the event, but may still be interested in the story.

Public Service Announcement: PSAs are basically free advertisements available to 501(c)3 organizations (tax exempt nonprofits). There are several ways to produce and place a PSA. One way is to partner with one or several media outlets to design, produce, and place the PSA. Another option is to produce the PSA on your own. Although this approach may require more resources, it also allows for more targeted placement. PSAs should be developed with the advice of a media or public relations professional.

Drop-In Articles: Often under-utilized, the drop-in article is a prepared piece that can be submitted to multiple sources. Although most mass media will not run drop-in articles, newsletters and Web sites with a relevant audience may welcome this content. In general, advocates should produce a short version of a drop-in article running about 750 words and a longer version of about 1500 words.

Responding to the Media

Much of the media strategy discussed in this section focuses on being proactive: developing messages, pitching story ideas, and producing materials. Oftentimes, however, the greatest media opportunities come in reactive packages.

Many times, advocates will read an article in the local paper or see a television news report that addresses the involvement of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system. Advocates should respond as quickly as possible, as most stories are covered and forgotten within a matter of days. Letters to the editor are the most popular and easiest way to respond to print and online news, and they can be used to correct misinformation, to add a relevant point to the original story, or to applaud accurate coverage.

Along with letters to the editor, advocates should also consider reaching out directly to reporters in response to a relevant story. One technique is to simply place a phone call to express your appreciation for the reporter covering the important issue, and offering to send more information or to pitch a follow-up story. Some advocates have even recognized the efforts of one reporter or an entire media outlet by presenting them with an award; just like everyone else, journalists appreciate recognition of their work.

Leveraging Media Coverage

When advocates are successful in obtaining coverage of their efforts, their work is not done when the story runs. Steps should be taken to make the most of the coverage: e-mail links to coalition partners and potential allies, send reprints to elected officials and policy makers, and arm coalition members with additional copies to use in meetings and advocacy communications. Multiple stories should be packaged together to be part of a media kit.

Advocates should also keep good track of media coverage, both positive and negative; a clip book and list of broadcast placements should be maintained. Reviewing media coverage can help to refine media messages, build excitement within the coalition, and even attract additional funding or partners.