Comments on: Hints to get press http://www.panonbelievers.org/2009/08/15/hints-to-get-press/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hints-to-get-press Atheists, agnostics, nontheists, humanists and freethinkers Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:08:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: satanhimself http://www.panonbelievers.org/2009/08/15/hints-to-get-press/comment-page-1/#comment-8 satanhimself Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:11:27 +0000 http://www.panonbelievers.org/?p=721#comment-8 PAN doesn't issue many press releases. The problem is that most of our events aren't really wide open to the public. We need to screen people first. That's not to say that believers are unwelcome, but we just like to know in advance, if possible, where they are "coming from". Also....and this is very important: you probably should not widely advertise (in a general circulation newspaper, radio, tv, etc.) the restaurant you are meeting at unless you have permission from that establishment to so advertise. Some establishments don't want the public to know that they accommodate groups of atheists. Of course, if they allow religious groups to advertise meetings, then they'll have to allow atheist groups to do similar. The Drinking Skeptically events aren't really PAN events, so we really have no control over how those events are advertised. I doubt that most bars would have a problem with atheists promoting such events. We really do need some kind of news or PUBLIC event of our own to justify a press release. And most smaller papers don't have a dedicated "religion" reporter. But it doesn't hurt to call the paper and ask who covers church events; then have a brief chat with the reporter, inviting him/her to a future event, etc., with the prior knowledge of your members. The Patriot had a BIG feature on our Lemoyne group a few years ago, when Mary Warner was still a reporter. The new religion reporter has had zero contact with us, and is heavily involved herself with Christian medical missions. The religion reporter for a smaller newspaper in South Central PA is a friend and occasional attendee at our meetings. PAN doesn’t issue many press releases. The problem is that most of our events aren’t really wide open to the public. We need to screen people first. That’s not to say that believers are unwelcome, but we just like to know in advance, if possible, where they are “coming from”. Also….and this is very important: you probably should not widely advertise (in a general circulation newspaper, radio, tv, etc.) the restaurant you are meeting at unless you have permission from that establishment to so advertise. Some establishments don’t want the public to know that they accommodate groups of atheists. Of course, if they allow religious groups to advertise meetings, then they’ll have to allow atheist groups to do similar. The Drinking Skeptically events aren’t really PAN events, so we really have no control over how those events are advertised. I doubt that most bars would have a problem with atheists promoting such events.

We really do need some kind of news or PUBLIC event of our own to justify a press release.
And most smaller papers don’t have a dedicated “religion” reporter. But it doesn’t hurt to call the paper and ask who covers church events; then have a brief chat with the reporter, inviting him/her to a future event, etc., with the prior knowledge of your members. The Patriot had a BIG feature on our Lemoyne group a few years ago, when Mary Warner was still a reporter. The new religion reporter has had zero contact with us, and is heavily involved herself with Christian medical missions. The religion reporter for a smaller newspaper in South Central PA is
a friend and occasional attendee at our meetings.

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]]> By: jehovahgodofgaps http://www.panonbelievers.org/2009/08/15/hints-to-get-press/comment-page-1/#comment-6 jehovahgodofgaps Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:00:25 +0000 http://www.panonbelievers.org/?p=721#comment-6 how would i go about forwarding it to my local papers religion writer if my paper even has a religion writer. i would also like to forward any press relses by pan to the local radio station which i have much more experience with. chris feaster how would i go about forwarding it to my local papers religion writer if my paper even has a religion writer. i would also like to forward any press relses by pan to the local radio station which i have much more experience with.

chris feaster

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