[Imc-newsroom] City Voices/Sharper Messaging/Post Your Link/Q and A

[Community Media Workshop]

COMMUNITY MEDIA WORKSHOP'S eNOTES - Friday, March 25, 2005

On WNUA 95.5 . . . 

* LAWNDALE RESURRECTION *
featured Sunday, March 27, 6:30 a.m. on "City Voices" on WNUA 95.5 FM

Lawndale is coming back -- from the Homan Square residential development on
the old Sears site to the successful movie theatre/Dominick's shopping
center. Listen in as Maurice Redd, executive director of the Lawndale
Community Organization and Richard Barnett, independent political activist
and longtime Lawndale homeowner discuss Lawndale's redevelopment and other
concerns with host Thom Clark, CMW's president.

--------------------------------------------
You're invited to . . .

* THE STUDS TERKEL AWARDS *
Wednesday, April 6, 2005, 5 - 8 p.m.
The Arts Club of Chicago, 201 E. Ontario, Chicago

At one of the best parties of the year, join activists, policy experts,
politicians, journalists and other media folks celebrate journalism at its
best and honor four journalists who have helped keep the flames of hope and
spirit of grassroots Chicago alive. This year's honorees include Tracy
Baim, author and publisher of Windy City Times; John Conroy, author and
staff writer for the Chicago Reader; Mary Schmich, columnist for the
Chicago Tribune; and James Weinstein, writer and founding publisher of In
These Times. Learn more and buy a ticket at
http://www.newstips.org/interior.php?section=Calendar&main_id=430. An
invitation is downloadable at
http://www.newstips.org/Terkel2005invitation.pdf.

 --------------------------------------------
Coming up at the Workshop . . .

 * DEVELOP AND SHARPEN YOUR MESSAGE *
Thursday, April 14, 2005, 9 a.m. - Noon

Learn how to take a complicated message and shape it to get media
attention. Learn how to target your audience, research your audience values
and concerns, and craft messages that move people to action. Ideal workshop
for non-profit staffers and board members. Get full details and register at
http://www.newstips.org/register/index.php?section=Workshop&calendar_id=45.


The FULL WORKSHOP SCHEDULE for this season can be found at
http://www.newstips.org/register/index.php?section=Workshop.

--------------------------------------------
Improve your organization's visibility . . .

* LINK YOUR WEBSITE TO NEWSTIPS.ORG *
http://www.newstips.org/interior.php?section=Resources+Nonprofits

Nonprofit groups with websites can link from our site to theirs. This is a
great way to help journalists find you as they work on stories about issues
that matter to you and draw more attention to your website through the
common search engines.

--------------------------------------------
Recently asked question...

* WHAT DO I DO WHEN I'VE BEEN MISQUOTED IN THE PRESS? *

According to political strategist Laurie Glenn Gista: "Always remember when
you are doing a story that this is just one battle in the war of ideas. 
Don't pick a short-term fight with a reporter and lose the opportunity to
build a long-term and valuable relationship.  Remember, they have the pen,
the camera, and recorder.  Try and take the negative and build it into a
positive opportunity to develop an
understanding between you and the reporter for future stories.".  To learn
more, come to the discussion she's leading with the Chicago Tribune's Lori
Olszewski about nurturing relationships with journalists on June 2 at the
Making Media Connections conference at Columbia College.

Registration and more information about Making Media Connections 2005 is
http://www.newstips.org/interior.php?section=Calendar&main_id=440.

--------------------------------------------
Learn from your colleagues . . .

* PUTTING OUT FIRES *
Wednesday, April 13, 2005, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
at Maggiano's at 516 N. Clark, Chicago

Community Media Workshop trainer Hope Daniels will moderate a panel
discussion about crisis communication and the media, during a Publicity
Club lunch meeting April 13.  Panelists include Shawn Platt, LaSalle Bank's
PR director, who was thrust into the media spotlight when the LaSalle Bank
building caught fire; Janet Froetscher of United Way and Michael Vaughn of
the Chicago Public Schools.  For more information about the discussion, see
www.publicity.org.

An expert on the topic, Hope's half-day "Crisis Communication and the
Media" works will be April 29. Learn more at
http://www.newstips.org/register/index.php?section=Workshop&calendar_id=5.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Community Media Workshop is a nonprofit organization of journalists,
educators and media relations experts helping other nonprofits doing vital
work in their community connect with the media and visa versa. We provide
workshops, an annual conference, a media guide, a journalists' tipsheet,
briefing papers, sources, and sponsor the Studs Terkel Awards.

Community Media Workshop 
at Columbia College 
600 S. Michigan 
Chicago, IL 60605 
312-344-6400 
http://www.newstips.org

This bulletin serves to alert colleagues to events, issues and
opportunities that affect us and our communities. To break our hearts and
remove yourself from this list, reply to this message with "Opt-Out" in the
subject line.