Download the entire November '99 MLK Day of Service Toolkit as a 480K .pdf . Reaching the news media starts with some homework and planning a strategy. When making decisions about media outreach, remember that you've got a lot of competition. Many organizations try to get their stories and events covered at the same time. Fortunately, most newspapers will plan to cover some aspect of Martin Luther King Day.
Several characteristics make information newsworthy.
You have a better chance of making the news if you can show that your project will be of interest to local readers and viewers. People of all ages know about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life and teachings, and that's a good start to getting the word out about the service aspect of the day. Possibilities include athletes, news anchors or weather reporters, local officials, and business people. For a TV reporter or newspaper photographer, what your project looks like is very important. While it doesn't make sense to plan your event simply around how it will look on TV or in a photo, you probably want to keep it in mind as you plan.