 Making Media Happen - Getting Cycling in the News
Positive media coverage of cycling is vital in lifting the profile of cycling as a fun, healthy and popular activity be it for recreation, sport or getting around.
The Cycling Promotion Fund has engaged a journalist to develop a media kit for cycling organisations to assist them to gain positive media coverage of cycling.
The media is the most powerful communication tool in our lives. The media’s portrayal of news and current affairs surrounds us: it’s on the radio while we’re eating breakfast, in the newspapers on the train, on the Internet on our desktop at work, and on the television when we get home.
Getting our message broadcast by the media is a very powerful and effective way of communicating with a large number of people. Most of us read papers at least several times a week and nearly everyone watches the nightly news on television or listens to updates on the radio. We form much of our public opinion based on what we hear or see in the media.
However, how often does cycling feature in the news? Occasionally there’s a sports report; sometimes there’s an article about an upcoming bike ride; the travel pages occasionally feature cycling holidays; and there might be a news story about a cyclist hurt in a crash or someone complaining about bikes on the roads.
But, for the most part,
bicycles are invisible in the media.
What does this say about cycling? By association, omission implies that cycling is unimportant, something enjoyed by a minority of people. Negative stories imply that it’s dangerous, while the concentration on sports stories relegates it to a pastime enjoyed only by athletic types.
Remember, governments and policy makers are influenced by public opinion: they do what they think the public wants or needs. So if bicycling issues aren’t on their radar they’re going to do less about them than they would if everyone was clamouring for something to happen.
By contrast, think of how often cars appear in the media: there is a daily parade of articles on funding for new roads, petrol prices, new car reviews, driving trips, traffic crashes, road rules, debates about taxes... So, if we want more facilities for cycling and better conditions for cyclists, we need to influence public opinion by getting cycling in the news.
This guide will help. It shows you how to get positive, free media coverage for cycling. It includes hints on writing effective media releases, tips on working with journalists, and lots of cycling-related examples to help you get cycling in the news.
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