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Playing the Race Card? How to Tell Your Story in the Media (Room 9205)
Popular wisdom tells communicators not to talk explicitly about race if they want to be covered in mainstream and even progressive media outlets. But staying silent allows stereotypes to run rampant and lies to go unchecked. Telling stories to and about people of color demands both a sophisticated knowledge of PR tactics and the skills, savvy and determination of an organizer. ARC presents a new tool that provides progressive communicators a proven strategy for breaking into the media with crisp, hard-hitting messages that expand the conversation and advance racial justice.
Andre Banks, Applied Research Center and ColorLines Magazine
Notes:
Thanks much to all who came to the workshop. Many people requested the notes I used and the message triangle, so I've uploaded them here. Be in touch with Qs and concerns. And thanks for coming to FACING RACE 2007! - Andre Banks abanks@arc.org
Our goal:
- Translate our principles and political analysis into shared values and popular culture.
- Telling our stories.
Why Communications Counts:
- Gets the word out.
- Reframes the problem, Exposes Lies.
- Polarizes the Debate. Which side are you on?
- Creates an echo. Changes the way society talks about our issues
- It matters for racial justice.
- The framing of the problem dictates solution.
- Racism underlying popular ideas undermines your work.
Public Relations
- The set of strategies created to sell a product.Lessons
- Communications channels.
- Limitations
- Racial/Social justice communications are not traditional PR.
- We can’t follow the usual strategies or we fail.
Our work must:
- Confront Lies (Racist Stereotypes)
- Move beyond the hardship/responsibility of the individual (Myth of Meritocracy)
- Create new stories that challenge dominant narratives. (Welfare Queen, Colorblind Health).
Frame
- The bigger story that lives in people’s heads.
- If the facts don’t match the frame, facts are discarded.
- Explain the problem, who is responsible, how they’ve created the problem
- “Compassionate Conservative”
What is a Message?
- The specific argument we project.
- Point, Evidence, ELEGANCE.
- Tell the story: The frame, the message, the EVIDENCE
Evidence
- The facts that prove your story.
- Case Studies
- Personal Testimony/Anecdotes
- Outcomes/Impacts
- Expert Commentary
The MESSAGE TRIANGLE
- A message-structuring tool.
- Not a one-sentence “message” that leaves you sounding and feeling like a broken record.
- Three consistent message points with evidence to help you build your case.
Resources:
The Message Triangle:
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