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Local Church Comms @RevArun #medialit

Arun Arora: Local Comms (used to work for Archbishop John Sentamu)

How do you get a story out when you know what you want to say?

  • God’s Rule
    • The media is something that can be redeemed by God’s Kingdom.
    • Traditionally in the church – relations with the media have been rocky, especially because the church can be quite anti “the media”.
      • OK if it’s The Times or The Telegraph, etc. but what about The Sun?!
  • Redeeming stories
  • Fear Stories
    • http://www.flickr.com/photos/textlad/2252631472/
    • A Word on Digital Media
      • “Digital is not all it’s cracked up to be. I’m sick of seeing all this hi-def, hi-hi, super-hi… It just seems to be a trend. In reality we all want analogue experiences.” Kylie Minogue. Times 19/06/10.
        • There’s a relationship between “old” and “new” media – Twitter only works because you can link to greater understanding.
        • E.g. The Beatitudes – bit like Twitter without the bigger understanding.
        • “Which Media Do You Trust”. Photo (2 years ago) by The Newspaper Society
        • 80.4% of British adults read a regional newspaper, rather than 61% who read a national newspaper – are these figures out of date?
  • New Media: The Power of Localism.  Clay Shirky “Here Comes Everybody”.
  • The Potential & The Fear
  • News-What is It?
    • Is it everything? Do people want to read about cereal?
    • Something that’s new?
    • Something unusual?
    • Not defined by the audience?
    • 5 categories
      • Events (something happens, e.g. 9/11) – in big stories may be all we hear about = “hard news”
      • Response (e.g. “The Today Programme”) – respond on behalf of community to what was hard news earlier (e.g. Cumbria shootings)
      • Piggy Back (commenting on comments, responding to response, especially fills a “slow news day”) – in many ways this is what we understand by blogs.
      • Calendar (specific known events)
      • Image (1972 – http://coffeeforclosers.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/napalm20girl.jpg – can’t see what has been cropped out of the image – other photographers & other soldiers)
  • So, if you want to get in the press – you need to fit in one of these criteria – the often is in the Response/Piggy Back category.
  • The role of the church as part of the event – e.g. repatriation of bodies, violent deaths, etc..
  • Editorials – don’t tend to make news… occasionally it may become an event.
  • Spot the Odd One Out
  • Interesting response:
  • Within full nuances, complex, hour’s lecture – it makes sense, but who actually reads the whole story…
  • C of E = a voluntary organisation, not a company. Term “Broad Church” comes from here. So can say “Don’t talk to Press without talking to your Comms Office”, but doesn’t work that way – but each vicar needs to think “does this empower the Kingdom”.
  • Assumption that this story is a bad thing… just because it got hot… Get 2 lots of coverage by putting out a statement & then the retraction.
  • A Priestly Parable?
    • What can we learn from Fr Tim Jones?
      • Possible to use media effectively in highlighting issues of faith –esp prophetic
      • Good relationships can/do exist – usually in the form of individuals continuing relationship
      • The adrenaline of ’15 minutes’ in 24/7 media world can be addictive (the first story was good, the 2nd a mistake)
      • Not all publicity is good publicity.
    • A Priestly Parable?
      • What can we learn from Fr Tim Jones?
        • Possible to use media effectively in highlighting issues of faith –esp prophetic
        • Good relationships can/do exist – usually in the form of individuals continuing relationship
        • The adrenaline of ’15 minutes’ in 24/7 media world can be addictive (the first story was good, the 2nd a mistake): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_cross_controversy – pushed story too far, lost, now legally binding on all.
        • Not all publicity is good publicity.
          • AB John Sentamu – prayed through all stories, was seen as key. Secret to strong leadership – being led by the Holy Spirit & discerning through prayer.
    • What Would Hosea Do? http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=HOsea%201&version=NIV
    • http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=HOsea%201&version=NIV
      • How would you advise the prophet Hosea to use the media to proclaim his message?
        • The Sun or a gossip magazine could pick it up. But would this be positive?  Draw out the human story. Good news story – moving from prostitution to home?
      • What are the main issues that you face in getting across this message?
        • “God said to me…”
        • Not in CONTROL of exactly how the message will be portrayed – newspapers likely to promote negative image.
        • It’s NOT happened yet.
          • FACED
            • Culture – Theocracy v liberal democracy
            • Authority – God? Which? Whose?
            • Association – “God told me to do it”
            • Authenticity – Stunt v. Prophetic Act? (people are so CYNICAL)
            • People don’t buy into “God told me”, but if you say “it’s my story/it’s my faith” it works.
      • Think of a modern day Prophetic Act that media would cover positively.
        • Tony Campolo (lost the detail here)
      • Application
        • Be culturally relevant – know your pitch and know your audience. (Those who critique the church for reducing self to soundbites, need to see that Jesus often did this).
        • Authority – wide appeal
        • Association – nothing new under the sun. Dog bits man, man bits dog. (Understand the news values that operate)
        • Authenticity & Proclamations? As against Paul 1 Cor 19.22
        • NEVER be afraid to say I’ll ring you back (having taken the questions) – but do ring them back quickly!

By admin

Dr Bex Lewis is passionate about helping people engage with the digital world in a positive way, where she has more than 20 years’ experience. She is Senior Lecturer in Digital Marketing at Manchester Metropolitan University and Visiting Research Fellow at St John’s College, Durham University, with a particular interest in digital culture, persuasion and attitudinal change, especially how this affects the third sector, including faith organisations, and, after her breast cancer diagnosis in 2017, has started to research social media and cancer. Trained as a mass communications historian, she has written the original history of the poster Keep Calm and Carry On: The Truth Behind the Poster (Imperial War Museum, 2017), drawing upon her PhD research. She is Director of social media consultancy Digital Fingerprint, and author of Raising Children in a Digital Age: Enjoying the Best, Avoiding the Worst  (Lion Hudson, 2014; second edition in process) as well as a number of book chapters, and regularly judges digital awards. She has a strong media presence, with her expertise featured in a wide range of publications and programmes, including national, international and specialist TV, radio and press, and can be found all over social media, typically as @drbexl.

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