by Ewa Jasiewicz

There were some delegates and organisers at the European Social Forum who were shocked to see Subhei Marshadani, the General Secretary of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) attacked by protestors when he tried to speak on a plenary platform titled “Ending the Occupation in Iraq”. Later some would label the action of the protestors as “fascist”. Others were not so shocked. The current government of Iraq, which Marshadani and his UK rep Abdullah Muhsin’s party, the Iraqi Communist Party, are part of, is generating a climate fertile for fascism. Many Iraqis regard the interim government as neo-Baathist. The Interior, Security, Defence and Prime Ministers in Iraq are all former Baathists. Those rebuilding and supervising the state apparatuses of control; the police, the army and the intelligence services are descended from a regime which depended heavily on these apparatuses. And the current collaborationist government is relying on them heavily again. History is doomed to repeat itself.

Our Opposition Can Prevent The Replacement Of The Black Watch

• Black Watch Soldiers Likely To Be Targeted, Likely To Be Replaced By Scots Guards At Christmas;
• British Troop Levels Expected To Rise;
• 61% Of British Adults Oppose Redeployment Of Black Watch

JNV Briefing

Introduction

850 British troops from the Black Watch are moving into central Iraq for 30 days to free up 1000 US soldiers for a planned assault on the rebel town of Fallujah. Leaks from the British forces indicate that political opposition at home could stop the Black Watch being replaced by soldiers from the Scots Guard at the end of their tour of duty in the Iskandariyah triangle.

While the aim of our opposition must be to prevent (and at the very least to limit) the damage which could be done by the threatened assaults on Iraqi towns and cities, it is encouraging to see that protest in this country can affect the planning in the Ministry of Defence, and shake Tony Blair out of at least one commitment he seems to have entered into with Washington. (See end of this briefing for details)

ADVANCE PREPARATION:

1.) Prepare and maintain a list of all media contacts including newspapers (weekly & daily), TV, and radio. Don’t neglect alternative and religious press. Your list should include names of friendly reporters as well as editors of the news desk, religion desk, etc. Make sure you have both phone and fax numbers.

2.) Check out the wire services in your area – AP (Associated Press), CP (Canadian Press), Reuters, UPI (United Press International). Wire services send out bulletins continually to most other media.

3.) Write a press release. (See guide: “WRITING A PRESS RELEASE“).

4.) Send or Fax press release to the news desk, city desk, special departments (women, religion, etc.) and specific reporters who have been friendly. The release should arrive several days before the event.

5.) Think of ways to write articles for periodicals, letters to the editor, etc.

6.) Several days before your event, the phone should be covered continuously.

7.) Put together a “press packet” for distribution on the day of the action. Include the press release, your best leaflet, and any helpful background information.

THE DAY BEFORE THE ACTION OR EVENT:

8.) Telephone all media. Give a brief run‑down of the action (who, what, where, when, why). Be enthusiastic and positive but not unrealistic. Stick to the purpose and underline the issue(s).

9.) Be prepared to re‑fax the press release immediately.

10.) Contact radio “news” stations. Many will tape telephone interviews from people at the action site and send directly to the radio station. Some will also tape 30 second spots in which you can read a prepared statement or sound‑byte.

11.) Make sure arrangements have been made for someone to take photos of the event. Pictures can be used in follow‑up work.

THE DAY OF THE ACTION:

12.) Call TV and radio stations early. Most assignments are made by 8:30 am. Ask them to come at least half an hour after the action is scheduled to start so they aren’t the first to arrive - a common problem.

13.) Have press packets available.

14.) Assign one or more persons to relate to the press and help them get good information and pictures. It is often helpful to have one or two people “hustle” the press ‑ ‑ take initiative to greet them and direct them to the press spokes people.

15.) Keep a press log of information on who shows up.

Adapted from Resource Manual for a Living Revolution; New Society Publishers, 1985

GETTING STARTED:

1.) Write “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” and indicate the DATE for the release at the top left of the page. At top right of page, list name and phone number of CONTACT PERSON. Use organizational LETTERHEAD if appropriate.

2.) A short but attention getting TITLE should state the subject of your release.

3.) Begin the first paragraph by writing the name of the PLACE from which you are reporting in capital letters followed by two dashes. This is relevant when reporting from a specific field location.

TIPS ON TEXT:

4.) The LEAD SENTENCE must concisely say only the MOST ESSENTIAL FACTS of the release. Save secondary elements and lengthier information about place and organizational names for later sentences.

5.) Use ACTIVE VOICE rather than passive. Example: “Anti-sanctions activists counter sue us government” as opposed to “U.S. government was counter sued by Anti-sanctions activists”.

6.) When announcing an event, include the TIME, DATE, PLACE, PARTICIPATING GROUPS, and REASONS for the action EARLY in the release.

7.) Limit the LENGTH of the release to ONE PAGE double spaced if possible. Define the basic 2-3 POINTS you want to make and avoid extraneous information. If longer than one page, write -MORE- centered at the bottom of the page. Your release should never be longer than two pages. You may include additional pages of background material if helpful, but they should be clearly separate from the press release.

8.) KEEP SENTENCES SHORT. Eliminate unnecessary words and phrases.

9.) Avoid “buzz words” and aim for a SIMPLE VOCABULARY.

10.) Don’t exaggerate information. Make it INTERESTING.

11.) Try to obtain at least one QUOTE. Mention support from well-known people and organizations if appropriate.

12.) Write so that your first paragraph could be used directly by a news editor and subsequent information could be cut from the bottom up. LESS IMPORTANT INFORMATION belongs in the LATER PARAGRAPHS of the release.

SIGNING OFF:

1. End your release by including a DESCRIPTION OF YOUR ORGANIZATION.

2. Finish by putting -30- centered at the bottom of the page.

A coalition of seven Iowa peace groups (List and contacts below) are planning, “A Vote With Your Feet” Anti-War Rally and Direct Action at the STARC Armory in Johnston IA on Nov 2nd - Election Day.

Among those who will be doing the direct action and risking arrest are area High School students.

The STARC Armory is the Headquarters for the Iowa National Guard. Dubbed the Iowa Pentagon Building, all Iowa Guard personnel who leave the state to fight in Iraq are Federalized through the STARC Armory.

From the presidential campaigns, it is clear that we cannot wait for politicians to act to end the illegal and immoral wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Regardless who wins the presidency, we will still be stuck in these god awful wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Neither candidate is leveling with us about these reckless military adventures and what needs to be done to make things right.” writes Frank Cordaro, one of the organizers of the Rally and Direct Action.