The$Art$of$Chapter$Leadership$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Media Media Issues “Never&neglect&details.&&When& everyone’s&mind&is&dulled&or& distracted&the&leader&must&be& doubly&vigilant.”&&Colin$Powell Your$reporter$for$the$local$paper$calls$ and$wants$to$interview$you$on$your$ chapter$acHviHes$and$ACT!&for&America.$$ She$seems$so$“friendly$and$harmless”.$$ What$should$you$do? Here$are$a$few$guidelines: 1) With$close$to$zero$excepHons,$never$give$an$interview$that$can$ be$edited.$$Why?!They!can!edit!it!!!The!edi.ng!table!has!a! strange!ability!to!turn!a!very!reasonable!set!of!responses!into!a! web!of!lies,!halfZtruths,!slander!and!innuendo.!! Don’t$go$there.$$This$includes$all$print$media$and$produced$ radio$and$TV$shows.$$ The$vast$majority$of$“stories”$done$on$the$subject$of$radical$ Islam$and$Sharia$law$are$very$unfriendly$to$the$truth.$$The$ average$reporter$comes$from$a$world$view$that$fundamentally$ opposes$ACT!&for&America’s$mission.!!Be!VERY!careful!and!wary! of!this!tendency. 2) Part$of$ACT!&for&America’s$corporate$culture$is$the$phrase:$ “Making$a$difference,$not$just$a$statement”.!!Please!remember! this!important!point!when!you!are!asked!for!an!interview.!! Rarely$will$a$media$interview$result$in$making$a$posiHve$ difference. 3) The$only$interview$that$you$should$even$remotely$consider$is$a$ live$one.!!Do!not!give!an!interview!if!you!are!not!well!versed!in! the!subject!maXer. www.actforamerica.org! Ch. 4: The Process-36 The$Art$of$Chapter$Leadership$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 4) You$don’t$“owe”$anyone$an$interview!$!The!best!response!to!a! reporter!is!usually!“I!am!unavailable!for!comment!at!this!.me”.!!At! this!response,!many!reporters!could!become!indignant!and!imply! that!you!owe!the!public!your!side!of!the!story.!!This!is!reporterZ speak!for!“Please!say!something!so!that!I!can!twist!it!out!of! context.!!I!really!want!to!make!you!look!like!a!bigoted!fool”.!!I! know,!I!know,!how!could!someone!be!that!unfair?!!The!answer!to! that!is!beyond!the!scope!of!this!Guide,!but!I!will!tell!you!that!this! happens!on!a!regular!basis.!! My!most!memorable!example!of!this!happened!to!me!over!15! years!ago!when!an!AP!photographer!wanted!to!“take!my!picture”.!! He!showed!up!with!a!camera!that!took!hundreds!of!frames!per! second.!!Needless!to!say,!they!picked!the!photo!that!most!made! me!look!like!Oscar!the!Grouch.!!They!had!thousands!of!photos!to! choose!from.!!It!was!not!an!accident.!!Never!let!the!old!adage! come!back!to!haunt!you,!“Fool!me!once,!shame!on!you.!!Fool!me! twice,!shame!on!me.” 5) If$you’ve$analyzed$all$the$above$points$and$you’re$sHll$ considering$giving$an$interview,$call$ACT!&for&America’s$naHonal$ office!(Kelly!Cook:!!850Z912Z8973,!Ext.!2)!for!advice!on!the!maXer! before!you!commit!to!an!interview!with!a!reporter.!!In!most!cases,! the!na.onal!office!will!handle!the!interview!if!one!needs!to!be! given.!!If$we$do$decide$you$should$give$the$interview,$remember$ to$state$to$the$reporter$that$you$are$not$speaking$on$behalf$of$ ACT!&for&America,$but$as$an$individual$volunteer. 6) Our$cause$is$rarely$improved$through$media$exposure$and$offP thePcuff$interviews.$$Do$not$be$a$media$“ambulance$chaser”.$! Some!in!our!resistance!movement!act!like!this!is!the!sum!total!of! the!required!strategy!to!win!the!war.!!They!feel!front!page! coverage!equates!to!winning.!!They!will!probably!look!back!ten! years!from!now!and!won’t!be!able!to!answer!for!much!progress.!! Remember, we are about making a difference, not just a statement! www.actforamerica.org! Ch. 4: The Process-37