Whatever the editorial policy of a particular media outlet, they still need to deal in news and we have the opportunity of turning that to our advantage.

In any event, ignoring or boycotting the media will not create a more pro-union atmosphere. It will simply allow the anti-union position a free run.

There are several very good reasons for developing a systematic approach to the media at all levels of the union.

It offers the quickest means of communication with our own members and supporters, with potential supporters and with any opposition. With the active intervention of the union, a news story relevant to members can carry a message from the union which arrives days before any circular is received.

We can intervene in a public debate in an attempt to set the agenda with our priorities, for example in the privatisation debate by highlighting the effects on quality, jobs and public service rather than simply on cost cutting and "savings".

We can use the media to build up pressure on Ministers, senior civil servants or private employers by creating a "bad press" for them and disquiet in Parliament.

By doing this we force them on to the defensive and start to dominate the debate. It also assists in helping us build a coalition in support of our campaign as others are drawn towards us by the high profile that we adopt.

This high profile is of benefit in several ways. An organisation that is seen to be actively intervening in the public debates about issues of relevance to its membership is more likely to retain its existing membership and to attract new members.

It serves notice to the employer that we are a professional organisation that can use a variety of means to place pressure on them, including through the media.

It shows to the public that the union has developed policy on issues of concern to them as well as on the wages and conditions of its members. We can become the defenders of quality public services in the eyes of the public. This then assists in building broader coalitions in our campaigning work.

Dealing with the media can be hard work and time consuming so make sure that you actually have some news worth pushing. That is why it is pointless (and counter-productive) to send out a news release on a non-issue. It may keep the Branch Executive Committee happy this time but it will be unlikely to produce any results and will irritate your media contacts, undermining their view of you as a good contact.

What is or isn't news can vary by the day. On a slack news day a story that was not strong enough to get in the papers the previous day might get a "good show". But it still has to have some news value. The slackest news day in history is unlikely to create room in the paper for a story on the recommendations of your Branch Executive Committee's working group on future branch social events.

The real test is whether you can imagine reading the story in the paper yourself. This can depend upon how the story is presented, and that is up to you. There are a number of types of story that are likely to get picked up by the media. These are shown below in bold with some examples used in the UK by the Civil Service unions in the past:

Union hits out at teachers' pensions sell off plan

Driving test changes: not enough to improve road safety

Drugs white paper: union condemns government hypocrisy

Immigration officers vote for action in early start dispute

Union says Nolan anti-corruption proposals inadequate

Cowboy contractors queuing up for Crown Jewels

Government scorns Polish WW2 heroes amidst VE day celebrations

Union wins court of appeal ruling that mobility clauses in employment contracts discriminate against women

Every branch or region, campaign committee or whatever the unit of the campaign, should have one person in sole charge of media relations - the press officer. This person should be in regular contact with the Press Officer for the campaign nationally, and this person should, in turn, liaise with the national union press officer.

The local press officer should begin by making a list of all the local media:

Go through them and identify the name of the person who appears to regularly cover the subject area of your campaign. If that is difficult to work out, go for the industrial/labour correspondent or political correspondent. If that's also hard to find out, phone the newsdesk and ask who is the relevant journalist.

Once you've established who it is, get their telephone number and fax number. Next, ring them up and introduce yourself. Tell them that we're just starting a campaign on X and that you are the local press officer. Give them your day time and home phone numbers.

You should now have the beginnings of your campaign media database. Make sure that you pass on these details to the campaign's national press officer.

Next, prepare a local version of any national media handouts that have been issued. This should be just 1 or 2 sides of A4 setting out the basic background facts and figures of the campaign:

This should be your basic handout for all journalists to go with, or in advance of, your news releases.

Even if your branch or local is not currently engaged in a major campaign, it is still worthwhile developing your contacts with the local media as set out above. It will stand you in good stead at a later date.

1. First, is it really news? It needs to be a new story or at least a new angle on an old story. It's no good issuing a release about a strike that happened last week for example. But it also needs to be something that the media itself would consider a news story. A news release about a decision by the branch committee's ad hoc working group set up to examine job evaluation proposals is unlikely to inspire even the most dedicated industrial correspondent. Can you imagine reading about it in your local paper, listening to a report of it on your local radio station?

2. Use headed paper if possible. For example, head it News from Public Service Union, Government Buildings, Cardiff or whatever.

3. Always put the date at the top. If you want journalists to cover the story in their next issue or programme, clearly mark it Immediate release.

You can embargo or prevent its use until a particular time. This can be useful if you want to give journalists warning of the story without letting them publish it before you are ready. It may be useful to you to see the story published on a particular day. It also allows you to send detailed information that requires some work on the journalists part before publication.

Use the 24 hour clock. For example Embargoed until 00.01, 17 November 1998. This example would mean that it would not be covered until the morning papers and morning TV/radio broadcasts of the 17 November.

Use embargoes sensibly. Most journalists will not break them for the simple reason that they want information from you in the future, but don't slap them on for no particular purpose. Make sure that they don't fall foul of papers' deadlines and make sure you don't break them yourself.

If you are trying to catch the following day's morning papers, aim to have faxed your release to journalists by 3.00 pm (at the latest - preferably a lot earlier) that day. If you are aiming for evening papers, the night before is OK or as early in the morning as possible. Don't forget, evening papers are often out on the streets by midday. Most pages of most papers are made up long before the deadline with only the front pages held over for last minute changes. Therefore the earlier the better is the general rule. It allows the reporter time to cover the story fully, conduct interviews, take photographs and come back to you for additional detail.

4. Newsrooms are inundated with press releases every day, so make sure that you provide the essential information. The editor will want to know who you are, where you are based, what you will be doing, when you are doing it and why you are doing it.

5. Start with a good, short strong headline that sums up the story supported by the essence of the story in the first paragraph. What will be its impact, how will it affect the public - what?

6. Place the union's name in full (followed by initials in brackets) prominently in the opening section - who? The first mention of the union should also include the fact that we are the main public service union, or the Coastguards union or whatever is appropriate to the story. After the first mention of the union's name in full, it is OK to use the initials from then on.

7. Demonstrate that the story is of local or national importance - where?

8. Provide information on the timescale of the news story. What happens next - when?

9. Give a brief indication of what the workers think and the union's view with a quote from a named spokesperson with their title - indented and clearly separated from the body of the text - why?

10. As you can see, the release falls roughly into three parts - introduction, development and comment. Introduction refers to who did (or is doing) what, where and when. Development covers how and why. Comment is a quote or two from the union. Remember, it's our news release. Quotes from others, particularly "opposition" will not help our case.

11. Don't use acronyms unless spelled out in full first. Avoid jargon and explain things which a layperson might not know, for example that the UK DSA is the Driving Standards Agency, a Department of Transport agency responsible for conducting driving tests.

The release should be positive. Do not write in a way which suggests that the union accepts that jobs will be lost, for example.

The release should take the story forward and indicate what is likely to happen next.

Finally, try and put yourself in the reporter's shoes. Are there any questions unanswered by your release?

12. Clearly mark the end of the release proper with ENDS (centred and on a separate line to the last line of the release). Underneath this include Notes for Editors (only if necessary) with a few basic background facts about the department, agency, recent events etc There is no need to write an essay here.

13 Feature a contact name at the very end of the release who is briefed to answer queries and provide further details about the story. The title of the contact should be clearly identified - branch secretary, chair etc

14. Support the name with a direct line work telephone number and a home telephone number. NB It is worse than useless if the person named is not there, is unable to provide any additional details or if media callers simply get put through to an ansaphone.

15. Remember, try to keep it short - one side of A4 is ideal. If you have to go over one page, put "more follows" at the bottom of the page, then continue on a new sheet (not the reverse side). Write in short sentences, try to keep it interesting and informative.

A press release is not the article, so don't try to write it as though it is. Just try to provide all the relevant information, a quote and contact numbers. In most cases, the release is just a hook. Any journalist who's interested in the story will follow up with a phone call to you.

16. Always fax your releases. Never send them by post unless there is plenty of time and there are bulky accompanying documents.

17. Just before you print and fax it, ask a colleague to read through it. You will be surprised at how often irritating little errors creep in when you are working fast under pressure.

18. It is a good idea to follow up your release with a phone call to the Newsroom or to the relevant journalist. This shows that you are keen and acts as a reminder. You may find this a good way to build up contacts and develop a relationship with journalists who cover your issue. Journalists like to keep regular contacts, particularly if they prove to be reliable sources for stories.

A news or press conference is an occasion when you invite a number of journalists to hear what you have to say on a particular subject and answer their questions.

As a general rule, don't bother with them. They are a lot of work, are rarely well attended and you can usually find better ways of achieving your objective. The litmus test is: if you can put your story in a news release, don't call a news conference.

However there are always exceptions to this. If your story is very strong a news conference can be a useful way of getting your message over to a wide range of outlets in one go. You can personalise the story, provide a lot of detail, and fully develop your arguments.

If your story is poor, even if the journalists come this time, they will probably not turn up again. So make sure that you've got something worth holding a news conference for.

They can be used to launch campaigns or announce initiatives, results of ballots in high profile disputes etc.

Try to avoid clashing with the timing of any other big events in your locality. If you have developed a reasonable relationship with one of the local journalists, you could ask them if your proposed time clashes with anything.

Invite by name all the journalists you can think of who may be interested. Send your notice of the news conference out as though it was itself a news release, ie make sure the information is clear and to the point - where, when, what, who, why. It is best to give as much advance notice as possible. The sooner your news conference gets into the Newsdesk Diary, the better the chance that it will be covered. Remember, most media hold weekly conferences looking at the week ahead and planning their news resources.

You can include a quote from a named spokesperson in the notice but embargo it until the news conference. This may help to get coverage from papers that were unable to attend the conference.

Send your notice to Forward Planning or Newsdesk Diary of each media outlet on your list as well as the named journalists that you have made contact with.

The notice should go out in plenty of time. Ring around your contacts a few days before to check that they have received the notice and to see if they are coming to the conference.

Try to fit the timing of your conference in with the timetables of the journalists that you are hoping to get along. Mid morning is usual the best time as this should fit in with both TV news and evening papers.

The room should be accessible with space for cameras, enough chairs, a top table with space for three or four people. Ideally there should be a second (quiet) room nearby where radio and TV interviews could be held.

If you have invited radio or TV journalists, you should choose a venue with reasonable acoustics. Avoid a large echoing hall or a room next to major roadworks for example. Make sure that they have enough time to set up their equipment, test for sound levels and so on before you start.

Provide tea and coffee.

Tape record the conference. It will be useful for training purposes and provides you with a record of what you actually said.

Greet everybody who arrives by introducing yourself, giving them a copy of the press release and any other relevant documents, and take a note of who they are and the news organisation they represent.

When you begin the conference, the three or four people in the top table should briefly introduce themselves. The chair should explain how the conference will run - a short statement from X, an example from Y, then questions and answers.

Just before you move into questions and answers, the chair should ask the journalists to identify themselves when they ask questions.

In answering the questions, be brief and to the point. Don't make grand speeches and don't waffle - especially if there are TV crews present.

Aim to run the conference for between 30 and 40 minutes maximum.

Afterwards, talk to the journalists, not to each other. Part of the reason for calling the conference is to develop your contacts. Also arrange any radio and TV interviews that they require.

If your campaign takes off, sooner or later, you will be approached for a radio or TV interview. With the huge increase in the numbers of local and regional radio stations, you are most likely to be approached by radio.

Some events or stunts do not make good radio because they are visual. On the other hand they will be perfect for TV or photographers.

Radio news bulletins are very short and very frequent (usually on the hour). You need to have worked out a clear, simple message that you can give summarising the main issue.

Many people don't like the sound of their own voice on tape. Don't worry about this, and don't worry about drying up in front of the microphone. You will be surprised how well your own voice comes over on radio, so long as you try to relax, speak clearly and naturally.

If you are approached for an interview, start by finding out some of the practical points in advance

Do your preparation properly. Apart from anything else, it will help you to relax if you are confident and at ease with the issue to be discussed. Learn your facts and figures.

Decide on 2 or 3 main points that you want to get across in the interview and how best you can make them.

Think about the sort of things that you would ask if you were the interviewer. Anticipate any tricky questions. Practice with a colleague and, if possible, use a tape while practising.

If you are worried that you might forget the important points, jot some notes down on one side of a piece of paper or a card. Just use headings to remind yourself of the main points during the interview. Don't write out a long document and shuffle your papers around in the middle. Don't read out a prepared statement. It will sound wooden, unconvincing and will bore the pants off any listener unfortunate enough to hear it.

Many journalists will prefer to get a face to face interview because the sound quality over the telephone is not very good.

If you have invited radio journalists to cover your press conference, you should allow them enough time to set up their microphone and check sound levels. You should also be holding your press conference in a room with reasonable acoustics.

At the end of the press conference, you should check with all the radio journalists present to see whether any of them want any further interviews in addition to their recording of the conference.

If you are not having a press conference but radio journalists want to interview you they may come to you with a portable tape recorder, may invite you into the studio or they may interview you in a radio car.

If you are invited for interview, again check whether it will be a live interview or pre-recorded.

Arrive at the interview in plenty of time.

If possible spend a little time before hand with the interviewer going over the background. Most likely they do not know very much about the subject and by filling them in a little, you may get more out of the interview.

Try to relax before the interview. Don't worry about asking for the toilet or for a drink if you want one. Cold water is ideal. A hot drink can dry your mouth, and avoid "relaxing" by drinking alcohol even if it is offered to you.

You will find it easier to speak if your mouth is not busy with cigarettes, sweets, or chewing gum.

Sit well back in the chair to help your breathe naturally. Look at the interviewer, not at the microphone.

Many of the tips are the same as for radio interviews. Before the interview you need to find out :

Do your preparation properly. Apart from anything else, it will help you to relax if you are confident and at ease with the issue to be discussed. Learn your facts and figures.

Decide on 2 or 3 main points that you want to get across in the interview and how best you can make them.

Think about the sort of things that you would ask if you were the interviewer. Anticipate any tricky questions. Practice with a colleague and, if possible, use a tape while practising.

Arrive at the interview in plenty of time.

If possible spend a little time before hand with the interviewer going over the background. Most likely they do not know very much about the subject and by filling them in a little, you may get more out of the interview.

Try to relax before the interview. Don't worry about asking for the toilet or for a drink if you want one. Cold water is ideal. A hot drink can dry your mouth, and avoid "relaxing" by drinking alcohol even if it is offered to you.

Sit well back in the chair to help your breathe naturally. Look at the interviewer, not at the microphone.

For TV interviews, dress neatly, avoid loud patterns and bright colours.

You will find it easier to speak if your mouth is not busy with sweets or chewing gum. Don't smoke or fidget. Don't use your hands to gesticulate. You'll just look like a nutter on the 6 o clock news.

Get eye contact with your interviewer and look straight at him or her. Looking up, down or around will make you look shifty and as though you've got something to hide.

Don't try to rush your answers. Take your time.

Speak clearly without acronyms or other jargon. The viewers probably won't have a clue what you're on about if you tell the interviewer that the DTI's FER proposed major downsizing but the Perm Sec hoped to avoid compulsory redundancies through VERs and the TUPE regulations.

Don't give "yes" or "no" answers but don't go on for ever either. Short, sharp and to the point.

Don't be afraid to be combative or to disagree with the questioner, but don't be rude or shout. Keep cool and don't lose your temper.

It is best not to take notes in with you to a TV interview, although if you feel the need to have some written support, put a checklist or reminder list on a postcard or small notepad.

If the interview is done outside the studio, make sure that the background looks OK. Don't agree to stand in front of signs which make you look stupid or where kids are walking behind waving or pulling faces.

As soon as you become known as the media contact for the campaign, journalists will come to you for information, quotes and so on.

If you are a civil servant you may wish to inform your management that you are the media spokesperson. In the UK, Civil Service trade union representatives are entitled to speak to the media so long as they make it clear that they are speaking as a union representative, not as a civil servant. Most departments and agencies will have a section of their code which sets this out. You should check the relevant section and keep a copy for your file.

Get your facts and figures ready. Draw up a list of the five main points in the dispute/campaign. Prepare a short quote from whoever is to be the main public spokesperson. Make sure that this (or at least the broad approach) has been discussed and cleared with colleagues in advance.

Media interviews and enquiries will generally be done over the telephone. Don't forget that unless you say otherwise, they will assume that everything you tell them can be used in a story. In effect, they are interviewing you over the phone. So don't say things that you wouldn't like to read in the evening paper next to your name.

Quite often, the journalist will be a general reporter who does not know very much about the dispute, the union or whatever. They will probably welcome a short briefing before any statement that you make.

It's sometimes useful to specifically say to them that you'll give them some background information and then an attributable quote (which you should then dictate or fax).

If they ring you up, never say "no comment". They won't come back again, and part of your job is to cultivate your contacts and to make them realise that you are a reliable and useful source of information.

If they've caught you on the hop and you don't know what to say, just tell them that you'll phone them back in 5 minutes because you're in a meeting, the other phone's ringing, the kettle's boiling, a plane's just crashed in the back garden - whatever.

However, if you do say that, always make sure that you phone them back promptly with the quote. Discuss with colleagues first if necessary. Again, make it to the point and avoid waffle. Alternatively you could tell them that you'll fax the quote to them, and that they can ring you back if they need anything else once they've seen the quote.

If you still cannot answer the query or do not feel confident enough to comment on a particular part of it, pass them on to somebody who can. That may be someone local, a full time officer or the national press officer.

Almost all newspapers have a letters column. They vary in terms of the amount of space that they devote to letters and consequently the length of letters that they are likely to print.

Whatever the details, letters columns are valuable opportunities to publicise your campaign, defend members or enter a public debate. Branch press officers should always be on the lookout for opportunities to use the letters page. Ideally, you should have a panel of branch committee members who can share out the letter writing tasks. By varying the person who writes in, you are more likely to be successful in getting your branch's views published.

It is not necessary to base your letter on something covered in the paper but it is generally a good idea to be able to refer to "your article on the minimum wage, 23 July...." It is more important to summarise the point that you are agreeing with, disagreeing with, elaborating on etc.

Your best chance of getting into print is to write as clear and as short a letter as possible - 200 words is about right. Anything above 300 will almost definitely be cut.

Before you write, jot down the most important points that you want to make. When you have made your first draft, go back over it and apply the same rules of thumb as you would to a news release.

Answer the questions who, what, where, why, when and how. Make one striking point in your first sentence. Don't use any jargon and write in short, clear sentences in everyday English. Remember, you've probably only got about 200 words, so make every one count. When you've finished, go back to the beginning again and see what, if anything, could be cut without losing the sense of what you are trying to say.

So long as you are writing in line with union policy, sign the letter with your title, eg Josephine Bloggs, branch secretary Public Service Union, Ministry of Defence, Smallville.

If for any reason, you do not want to have your address published (for example, if you are writing in response to racist attacks in the local area, and do not want the local fascists to come calling), then you should include a request to withhold your address for this stated purpose. If necessary, state that you do not wish the letter to be published at all unless your address is withheld. You will still have to provide your address, even if the paper does not print it as they will not print anonymous letters. The paper will expect to be able to print your address unless there are specific reasons why not However, a reasonable request not to publish your address will normally be complied with

Finally remember to include a daytime telephone number as some letters editors like to check the authenticity of letters.