Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association Ministry Days

0002 Media Skills in Public Ministry

Center Day Workshops, A4: Helio Fred Garcia

Prepared for UUA.org by: Bill Lewis, Reporter; Jone Johnson Lewis, Editor

In this workshop, Fred Garcia explained and demonstrated how and why reporters behave in very predictable ways. With that knowledge, participants explored techniques for engaging reporters in ways that allow them to stay in control.

The key to understanding journalists is realizing that they are in the business of telling stories that people want to read or watch. They are working in a tradition that begins with the traveling bards of pre-literate times, and they will choose the interesting over the important every time.

More reporters gathered in front of the New York Federal Courthouse for Martha Stewart's trial than for any prior event, including the announcement of the verdicts in the World Trade Center bombing. Twice as many reporters were accredited for the beginning of Michael Jackson's trial as were accredited for Iraq and 2,250 reporters – five times the number accredited for Iraq – were accredited for the end of the trial.

To make a story work, reporters look for the "Five Cs" of news:

• Conflict
• Contradiction
• Controversy
• Colorful Language
• Cast of Characters

Without at least one of these elements, the reporter doesn't have a story. The more he or she has, or can work in, the more appealing the story becomes. With all five, the story should lead the newscast, top the front page, and be shared with other publishers.

When we work with reporters, defining the five Cs, or as many as we can, helps us retain control of the story and the message. A few years ago, John Buehrens was being pressured by a reporter to voice anger against the Boy Scouts of America for breaking their promise to sponsoring Unitarian Universalist congregations by adopting a policy of excluding members based on the member's sexual preference. In that interview, Garcia said, "Unitarian Universalists believe that homophobia, not homosexuality, is a sin." That short, pithy statement became the story. It summarized a position and, more importantly, it contained the five Cs – it is colorful and memorable, it underscores the controversy, bordering on conflict, between two characters – the UUA and the BSA – and it juxtaposes the contradiction between a human condition and a discriminatory belief.

Helio Fred Garcia is the founder and president of Logos Consulting Group. More information is available at www.logosconsulting.net .

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