Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions Be accessible If a journalist is unable to reach you for comment, he or she will quickly move on to other sources. Make sure journalists how to contact you during the day and after hours. Give them your direct line, mobile phone number and email address. In addition to developing strong personal relationships with journalists, NHRIs can demonstrate their institutional support for the work and rights of journalists by being consistent advocates for freedom of expression in their country. As part of their regular programme of work, NHRIs can monitor laws, policies and practices – including threats and acts of intimidation – that undermine the ability of journalists and other media professionals to report independently on issues of public interest. They can also develop and champion recommendations, to government and private bodies alike, that promote freedom of expression and the right to information. 1.6. SETTING EXPECTATIONS FOR MEDIA ENGAGEMENT Before developing a media and communication strategy for your NHRI, it is important to have reasonable expectations about what is – and what isn’t – possible to achieve. This will help you set realistic goals. The mass media of any country has enormous cultural significance and plays a central role in reflecting and shaping community values. However, despite its enormous reach, the media makes up just one part of a complex system of social exchange that contributes to social and attitudinal change. The media is also marketplace of competing ideas. Every day there are a huge number of organizations and interest groups trying to capture the media’s attention and “sell” a message or a story to the public. Some messages will be in opposition to human rights values or principles. In turn, media consumers will generally look for and select only those news stories that are of interest to them. People are also increasingly sceptical about the news media and do not always take everything at face value. In other words, the media can only do so much to influence the “hearts and minds” of a community. In this context, building community awareness of human rights issues and changing attitudes takes time and sustained coverage across multiple media outlets. What you can expect to achieve R Set a news agenda R Inform people about pressing human rights issues R Get people thinking R Stimulate debate R Influence decision-makers What you can’t expect to achieve T Create unanimous support for your agenda T Produce social change without supporting laws and policies T Communicate all your messages to all your target groups 10 | Chapter 1: Working effectively with the media