Getting Your Own Message Out

It is a key feature of Faslane 365 that no one person or group owns the campaign and each group should take the opportunity to make the links between their own mandate and the Trident issue - on the understanding that the deployment and threat to use nuclear weapons undermines their vision of a better society.

In the last year or two the mass blockades of Faslane have had a great diversity in the concerns and issues that people highlight as they sit down at the gates. The most pervasive connection to Trident is the fact that state violence in the form of nuclear weapons is inextricably linked to the devaluing of humanity and the natural world that underlies so many of the ills we face, but there are many others, including:

• The link between a weapon the threat of which is used to protect our vital interests and the unequal economic structures which maintain worldwide poverty and exploitation.
• The tolerance of weapons of mass destruction as a brutalising influence in our social life.
• The waste of precious resources and human skills which could be used to relieve poverty in the UK.
• The suicidal carelessness behind our nuclear weapons policy as a key example and symbol of our inability to see beyond the end of our own noses.
• Trident as a refined expression of extreme tribalism - our interests above those of others at all costs - which fuels our racism and xenophobia.
• Trident's role in legitimising violence, rape, torture and abuse.
• Trident as the core expression of how our economy and trading interests are intertwined with militarism and the weapons of war.

And so much more.

Your message can go out by:

Banners

Can add colour and tone to the blockade as well as words. Very portable and making them is a good teamwork exercise.

Placards

If black on white around A2 size can be very effective in getting your words into press photos and videos. Simple method is to paste printed words onto sheets of fluted polyproplene -there are firms who will print them for you.

Media work

Your introductory press release should carry an explanation of why it is important for your particular group to be taking part and everyone who is interviewed should be ready to give that message. If possible get this message into journals and periodicals which specialise in your area of concern.

Good timing

Aligning your blockading days with an event in your own field of interest.

Parliamentary work

Having a sympathetic MSP/MP ask a related question at the time or in the lead-up. Or better still have them join with you in the blockade.

Arrest and Court

Those arrested can make an issue of their concerns at trial. This process can begin with the response to the arresting officer's Have you anything to say? since what you say should be read out in court.

Getting Your Story Out

Many of the Blockading Groups will already be skilled and experienced in getting their message out via the mass media but others may welcome some pointers.

1. Work out who in your group will co-ordinate media work. Ideally this person or persons will involve group members in the actual communication with the media so that a diversity of voices are represented. The co-ordinator should also keep the whole group informed about what is being said to the media.
2. You may want to arrange a workshop for the group (or some of the group) on media issues. If so you could contact the Faslane 365 Media Working Group for a facilitator.
3. Work out as a group what will be the main themes of your communications with the media.
4. About two months before your blockade send out a press release to alert your target media. Follow this up with phone calls to check whether your press release has reached the paper/broadcast station. These calls will give you the chance to develop the story and to build up contacts with journalists. If that goes well you may be able to encourage a journalist or two to attend your blockade or even accompany you to it.
5. About ten days before the blockade send a second press release and again follow it up with calls. This should repeat the basics of the story but should include any developments/reactions. At this stage a major aim is to get journalists to come to the event.
6. Make sure that journalists will have mobile numbers of people they can contact at the blockade itself.
7. Assign at least one person to take high-resolution digital images of the blockade and work out arrangements to get these e-mailed to journalists when and as soon as required. Digital film footage will also be useful.
8. On the days of the blockade the co-ordinator should be gathering the elements of the story to pass on to the media. There would be scope for a couple of press releases during the event itself.
9. Have people (both arrestables and support people) ready at the blockade to give interviews.
10. Have people primed to clip newspaper articles and record news broadcasts.

Some pointers about press releases and contacts

• Use e-mail to send your press releases -faxes are almost universally redundant. Send the message to yourself and put the media contacts in BCC.
• Keep the releases short and simple. See below for a sample press release (this is not a model press release - it's just one way of doing it that generally works).
• Develop your own contact list (see below for basic UK and Scottish contact lists. You will want to customise these for your use. To do so use the directory on the Media UK website

Sample first press release

Sample Press Release - During the blockade

Checklist

A press Release should contain:

• Short Title
• Single sentence paragraph summarising the story
• Two short paras developing the story
• Quote
• Background note
• Contacts