SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE II
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT: Your Name, Phone, E-mail
JUNE 23, 2007
Local Resident Attending National Protest at US Supreme Court
Your City Your City resident Your Name will travel to Washington,
DC
next week to participate in the 14th Annual Fast and Vigil to Abolish
the
Death Penalty, held in front of the U.S. Supreme Court each year.
Your Name, a member of Your Group, will join other death penalty
opponents
from across the nation and from other countries for this annual event
to
maintain a four-day presence in front of the Court and to educate the
public about alternatives to the death penalty.
The Fast and Vigil begins at 12:00 AM on Friday, June 29, the
anniversary of Furman v. Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1972
decision
which found the death penalty to be unconstitutional in practice,
forcing
all states to rewrite their death penalty laws. The Fast and Vigil
ends at
midnight on July 2, the anniversary of Gregg v. Georgia, the 1976
decision
which allowed the resumption of executions in the U.S.
The 2004-2007 US Supreme Court session has seen the abolition of the
death
penalty for juvenile offenders, and in the last several weeks there
have
been strong rebukes to both prosecutors and defense attorneys that
will
absolutely reduce the number of people executed in this country.
“As the YOUR STATE legislature deliberates over a proposed moratorium
on
executions, I am traveling to Washington to join with others who
believe
as I do that the death penalty system is horribly broken,” said
Your
Name. "We are very excited this year because of the momentum that is
building in the movement to abolish the death penalty. This year we
will
celebrate these victories and continue to educate the public about
why the
death penalty is a bad public policy."
Interviews with Your Name can be arranged by calling Your Number. A
live
interview from the steps of the Supreme Court during the event can be
arranged by calling 561-371-5204 (mobile) -- Or Your Cell Phone.
For
more information, please visit www.abolition.org
*****************************
STAYING "ON-MESSAGE"
Please also review the following for suggestions on working with the
press.
"HOW TO STAY ON MESSAGE"
From the Ruckus Society's Media Manual
RUCKUS: Settle on one simple message
Accept it: You are not going to be able to communicate all the main
points,
sub-points, and shades of gray about the issue as you would like to.
An
action is like a freeway billboard: It is designed to hammer home one
- and
almost always only one - message. If you can't focus on one issue as
the
main reason you are doing the action, you shouldn't be doing the
action at all.
AAC: Our issue is "The Abolition of the Death Penalty."
RUCKUS: Choose a strong image that clearly communicates the message
Remember the freeway billboard: With one glance it is (or should be)
unmistakable what product or idea is being sold. Ideally, your action
should communicate the message without any words of explanation - and
always in as few words as possible....
If you find yourself saying, "They'll understand it when they read
the
banner," your message isn't clear enough.
AAC: We have a series of large standing signs (4x8 feet) that
together
present a longer overall message. These provide great visuals, but
they are
meant more as visuals than "sound bites." Therefore, the following is
important as well:
RUCKUS: Craft sound bites that communicate and enhance the message.
Assemble the media team. Take out a legal pad. Lock the door.
Brainstorm
simple, short, declarative sentences that express your message.
Remember
that the average sound bite on U.S. TV is less than 10 seconds....
AAC: We've done a lot of this already. You probably have too. We will
have
a variety of signs and T-shirts that are short and to the point. To
help
you get "on-message," the T-shirts are available to registered
participants
AT REDUCED PRICES. We urge you to wear the message, because that way,
if
the media uses your image, even if they misquote you or take you out
of
context, your message is clear from the image. Here are a few "sound
bites." Please know them, practice them, and use them.
(If you have other suggestions, please feel free to offer them!)
"(Morally, economically and socially,) The Death Penalty is Bad
Public Policy"
"Execution is NOT the Solution."
"(What we are saying is) It is wrong to kill people who kill people
to show
that killing is wrong!"
"Don't kill in my name!"
"If we can't trust our government to fill potholes, tax us fairly, or
run
an election, we shouldn't trust them with the power to kill."
"We seek the total abolition of the death penalty in the United
States and
worldwide."
"97% of murderers who face the death penalty get the alternative of
Life
Without Parole. Why not all of them?"
SAMPLES OF SUCCESS!
Some participants have had success getting hometown media coverage,
along
the lines of "John Smith, who lives here is abolitionville (or, who
is a
student here at X University), has traveled to Washington DC to
participate
in the 14th Annual ....
Here are some examples of successful such efforts. People just took
our
press release, modified it for themselves, and it got picked up.
