Introduction
The aim of a press conference is to gain media coverage for an issue. It is a meeting held by an organisation, or group of organisations, when journalists listen to speakers and ask questions. It usually includes statements by up to three speakers followed by questions from the journalists. So the format is similar to a panel discussion, although the purpose is not to discuss, but to gain publicity for the advocacy issue.

A press conference demands careful organisation. Press conferences are expensive and timeconsuming to organise, therefore they should only be used if it is the best option. It is also necessary to think carefully about confidentiality, especially when discussing or involving people living with HIV/AIDS, as they may not wish their HIV status to be made public.

Advantages

• It brings many journalists together in one place at one time.

• It encourages all media to publicise a similar message.

• It is a chance to meet journalists face-to-face and learn about their opinions and attitudes to the issue.

• It makes the job of journalists easier therefore the issue is more likely to be covered by the media.

• It allows the journalists to ask questions from a panel of speakers.

• It provides an opportunity to correct misunderstanding before journalists write their articles.

• It can save the time of key people in the organisation who would otherwise have to talk to each journalist in turn.

• It can make the issue more important.

Disadvantages

• It requires a lot of logistical organisation.

• There is always the risk that a bigger story ‘breaks’, so the journalists do not attend.

• Journalists may turn against your campaign if the press conference is badly focused or unconvincing.

• Time is needed to prepare speakers for a press conference to make sure that everyone agrees and reinforces the key messages and yet everyone contributes something different.

• You cannot predict the questions that the journalists will ask or how your issue will be presented positively by the media.

Skills-building activity
Objective: By the end of the session participants will be able to explain the purpose and format of a press conference

Preparation time: 2 hours
Resources: ‘How to...’ Handout

Instructions
Timing: 1 hour 30 minutes

1 Introduce the topic and explain the aim of the activity to the participants.

2 Ask participants to explain what a press conference is, and its purpose.

3. Ask the participants to prepare and role-play a press conference. To save time, one of the advocacy issues already identified during the workshop can be used.

4 They should choose roles:

• Writers of announcement of press conference (two people)

• Writers of press pack (two people)

• Chair of press conference

• First speaker

• Second speaker, etc.

• Journalists supporting the advocates

• Journalists opposing the advocates (who ask difficult questions).

5 The group should quickly agree on:

• The subject of the press conference

• The identities of the speakers.

6 Allow 20 minutes for them to prepare. There may not be time to write a complete press pack, but at least it should have key headings, with ideas of where to find the information, key issue, etc.

7 Let the participants take their roles and stage the press conference.

8 After the press conference discuss strengths and suggestions for improvement.

9 Invite any other comments or experiences of using press conferences for advocacy work.

Facilitators’ notes

• If this is the first media skills activity of the workshop, ask participants to do Instructions 2 and 3 from the activity in Advocacy in Action Card 7.

• The subject of the workshop need not be a current or even hugely important issue. Suggest ideas if the group is taking long to decide on a subject and speakers.

• You may want to ask some pairs to do a different activity – preparing some advice (for example, ‘Try to...’ and ‘Try not to...’ tips) for organising a press conference.

Example: Preparing a press conference
Participants practising holding a press conference during an advocacy workshop held in Mongolia.

Reference: Photo taken at an advocacy skills-building workshop for HIV/AIDS/STI work, National AIDS Foundation and International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Mongolia, February 2002.

Advice
Try to make sure that your press conference does not coincide with an important event that will prevent the journalists or speakers from attending.

Try to call to check whether the announcement has been received – use this as an opportunity to encourage journalists to attend.

Try to choose speakers carefully – they should be interesting, confident speakers and show the human face of the issue/problem.

Try to ensure that each speaker knows your key messages and co-ordinate each speaker to say something different.

Try to capture attention with quotes, comparisons, examples or visual aids such as photographs or graphs.

Try to respond to questions clearly and simply.

Try to make sure that the person chosen to deal with the media is clearly identifiable.

Try to make clear why the different organisations or people are involved if this is a joint press conference.

Try to involve a journalist in advising you on how to organise and plan the press conference.

Try not to have too many speakers – the message can get confused!

Try not to allow speakers to talk for more than 10 minutes.

Try not to start late – journalists have deadlines!

Try noy to allow the speakers to answer the questions at great length – warn the chair of this as appropriate.

Try not to let the press conference overrun in time.

Try not to allow the speakers to make conflicting statements – try to rehearse the key points with the speakers before the conference.

Try not to organise a press conference if there is a cheaper, more effective way to publicise the issue.

Try not to hold a press conference if you predict the majority of the journalists will disagree with you or present negative coverage.

How to...organise a press conference
Preparing for a press conference

• Give two to seven days’ notice of the conference to relevant journalists (consider reporters, columnists, newscasters, editors) and send them an announcement including:

- The purpose of the press conference
- Date, time and where it will be held
- Who will speak at/present/chair it.

• Choose a suitable venue including the following as required:

- Easy location, access and adequate parking space
- Low noise levels
- Enough capacity – power points for TV lights, space, layout
- Audio/audio visual equipment
- Room for individual interviews
- Helpful staff with experience of hosting press conferences and with technological expertise.

• Choose an appropriate time of day for the majority of media, i.e., so that they can write the story before their deadlines (but you will not be able to fit in with everyone’s deadlines).

• Select and brief a chairperson and appropriate speakers. Work with them to identify and practise answering questions from the journalists – especially the difficult ones!

• Select a press officer/key contact person for the press to deal with.

• Prepare a press pack for journalists, including:

- Press release (see Press Release Advocacy in Action Card 7)
- Background on your organisation/coalition
- A list of the key points you are making and sample quotes
- Recommendations for future action
- A list of contacts whom journalists can contact to discuss the issue
- Any relevant photographs, statistics, graphs, etc. Take special care concerning confidentiality, and brief the chairperson and speakers about these issues where necessary.

Format of a press conference
1 Welcome, refreshments and distribution of the press pack.

2 Chairperson:

• introduces the speaker/s

• explains arrangements and proceedings

• points out the press officer/key contact person for all enquiries

• states whether interviews are available afterwards

• stresses confidentiality issues where appropriate.

3 First speaker.

4 Second speaker, etc.

5 Chairperson takes questions from journalists then gives them to one of the speakers to answer; other speakers may also add remarks.

6 Chair thanks the press for attending and closes the press conference.

7 Individual interviews with speakers.

After the press conference

• Send the press pack to the journalists who did not attend.

• Make a list of attendees and update your database where appropriate.

• Note down the names of journalists who asked particularly important questions/appeared sympathetic to your cause.

Source: Advocacy in Action
This is an extract from Advocacy in Action: a toolkit to support NGOs and CBOs responding to HIV/AIDS, developed in collaboration with the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO) and published by the International HIV/AIDS
Alliance in June 2002.

To view the whole report follow this link.

To download this section, complete with graphics, in pdf format (which requires Adobe Acrobat software to read it) follow this link (file size 1.0 Mbytes).

 

Resources for working with groups

Advocacy toolkit

• Advocacy toolkit - Contents
• Advocacy toolkit - Introduction
• Advocacy toolkit - Introducing advocacy
• Advocacy toolkit - Planning and implementing advocacy work
• Advocacy toolkit - Planning and implementing, steps 1-4
• Advocacy toolkit - Planning and implementing, steps 5-8
• Advocacy toolkit - Planning and implementing, handouts
• Advocacy toolkit - Including advocacy in an organisations work
• Advocacy cards - Introduction
• Advocacy card - Analysing and influencing legislation or policies
• Advocacy card - Preparing a briefing note or position paper
• Advocacy card - Working from inside the system
• Advocacy card - Lobbying or face-to-face meetings
• Advocacy card - Writing and delivering a presentation
• Advocacy card - Persuading through drama
• Advocacy card - Writing and using a press release
• Advocacy card - Carrying out a media interview
• Advocacy card - Preparing a press conference
• Advocacy toolkit - Other advocacy resources