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Get media advice here

9. Contact the Media

All - Inform Others - Organise - Contact Councillors - Contact MP - Inform Groups
Write Letter - Gather Petition - Organise Protest - Contact Media - Present Case

Yet more pressure on Councillors, and the way to gather more support. The media tends to cover stories in direct proportion to how much interest they think the issue has locally [so it's a chicken and egg situation]. If you have gathered a large petition, or plan a spectacular protest, they're likely to send someone along. Don't expect favours. If you've managed to turn your reaction into a bigger issue, it'll speak for itself. Let them know if your MP comes on board, if your petition reaches a certain number, if you're planning an event. The media needs specific events on which to pin a story ... not a general statement of position.

Some may argue that the media is irrelevant [since the local authority is supposed to be immune to local opinion] but if you want the widest possible debate of a proposal, and to force Councillors and local authority officers to confront their impending decision in context, the media's a great, quick, powerful way to get things done.

© 2006 / The Planning Resource Founding Trust