Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions Depending on the human rights focus of the campaign, it is important that individuals affected by the issue are able to share their experiences and perspectives. These personal stories give a human face to the issue and can make the campaign’s key messages more compelling. The NHRI should also nominate a single spokesperson to represent the organization. In general, having a single NHRI spokesperson is preferable to having many as it helps establish an association among the audience with that particular individual. It also means that journalists know who to approach within the NHRI to discuss about the campaign issue. Preparing your messengers Not all of your campaign spokespeople will be confident in front of the media. Furthermore, some, while supportive of the campaign, may need to learn more about the issue being promoted. It is the responsibility of the NHRI to prepare all campaign spokespeople so they can present the campaign message clearly and confidently. This will included providing background information and “talking points” about the human rights issue being promoted, what the campaign seeks to achieve and what practical things the campaign is asking the community or decision-makers to do. In addition, the NHRI can organize “practice” interviews for spokespeople, which can be recorded and then reviewed afterwards to identify what was done well and potential areas for improvement. Journalists will expect your campaign spokespeople to be able to explain the issue in a way that is simple, clear and relevant to the general public. Media stories are built around “talent”, so journalists will come back time and again to interview a person who can present information in a way that is interesting, emotive or personal. The NHRI should provide additional support to individuals who may be sharing personal stories of human rights violation. Not only will they need advice and assistance to prepare for media interviews, they may also need emotional support (before and after an interview) if the issues they are speaking about are particularly sensitive. The NHRI has a duty of care to ensure that individuals giving their personal stories are not put in a position where they feel attacked, compromised, exploited or exposed to further danger or victimization. 3.6. SELECTING THE RIGHT MEDIA A campaign succeeds or fails on how well it gets its message out to the audiences that can make a difference. In developing its campaign strategy, the NHRI should identify which media outlets and social media platforms its audiences use. It is important to be specific in order to target your media advocacy, as time and limited resources mean that NHRIs will not be able to engage deeply with every single media outlet. For example, rather than saying that a target audience of “business leaders” listens to “morning radio”, identify which radio station/s and which specific programmes or presenters are most popular with this group. It is important to conduct “media mapping” of national, regional and local mainstream media (television, radio, newspapers, news agencies, magazines, industry journals etc), as well as social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, bloggers, online journals), to identify the most relevant media opportunities. You should also make a list of individual journalists that have covered the NHRI’s work in the past and the way in which they have reported human rights issues. 48 | Chapter 3: Media advocacy