Vermont Workers' Center / Healthcare Is A Human Right Campaign
Media Committee
Description: The committee is responsible for a broad range of media and communication aspects of the Healthcare Is A Human Right Campaign.
Responsibility: Each County Organizing Committee should plan to have 2-4 members of this committee responsible for carrying out these activities during the campaign. Each of these "point people" will be asked to participate in periodic committee conference calls, be in communication with VWC staff and Committee Chair Megan Sheehan, and help raise the committee goals within their Organizing Committee (especially recruiting letter writers!).
Tasks include:
- helping to enter events into Community Calendars of newspapers and other media outlets
- making sure all relevant media outlets get media advisories leading up to events
- making sure all relevant media outlets receive press releases recapping events or other campaign activities
- being the VWC contact for local Community Access Cable TV stations to cover events and ensure that they receive VWC/HCHR video content to play locally
- monitoring local newspapers to ensure we receive hard copies of articles about HCHR/VWC
- writing and recruiting/coaching writers for letters to the editor in newspapers to respond to relevant editorials, letters and articles.
- helping ensure we take our own video footage of local VWC/HCHR events
- getting all VWC/HCHR video content uploaded to VWC FTP site and longer pieces should be logged
In the 16 Week Plan this work specifically includes:
Letter Writing Army & Captains: We want every HCHR member/supporter to write a letter to the editor in their local paper over the course of the next 16 weeks. We need at least 2 Media Committee Captains for each county to help recruit and coach other members to make sure they send in their letters. Also, every letter which is published should be sent to the VWC Media Committee list so we can put it up on our Facebook site and HCHR Blog (coming soon). We need to have a FLOOD OF LETTERS over the next 16 weeks.
HCHR Video Project: We will be having a series of videos that come out over the next 16 weeks, beginning at the end of January with a launch of a general campaign video. The videos following will be targeted to aid in the recruitment of healthcare providers, faith communities, seniors and young people. Next will be a video to coincide with our April 1st day of action, and finally a video about our May 1st statehouse rally. Media Committee members will assist in recording footage and uploading it to our FTP site so its accessible to the groups editing the video.
HCHR Press Conferences"We Ain't No Fools" Day: April 1st Statewide Action: We will be working to develop the "We Ain't No Fools" Video and leaflet leading up to April 1st. On April 1st itself, Media Committee members around the state will be responsible for capturing footage of local leafletting efforts and interviews with people on the street reading the flyers. We will also be doing everything we can to make the video go "viral" through massive bloggging, Facebook, Twittering, etc.
May 1 Rally Promotion: After the success of We Ain't No Fools Day Action, we hopefully will have started a major buzz for the campaign that will escalate as we lead up to the May 1st rally. We will need you all...