CREATE MEDIA ATTENTION ON THE CLIMATE CRISIS.

A free and independent press plays many important roles, including shaping public opinion.

A study in the United States found more media coverage directly increased public concern for climate change.

Two effective actions to create media attention:

1. Write an op-ed. This is a short letter to a newspaper where you argue for “who should do what, when,” as David Malakoff, the International News Editor at Science, told me. Op-eds are powerful tools! Check out this guide from Protect Our Winters for how to write a climate op-ed. You’ll have higher success rates starting with local papers. Remember to make the climate link for local issues under discussion, like parking or plant-based school lunches. A great step-by-step resource for writing and pitching op-eds is the book Youth to Power by Jamie Margolin.
2. Organize media-worthy actions. That climate group you joined in the last step? One of their most powerful means of influence is getting media attention for actions. Remember to partner with others, use local messengers, link with local issues, and think visually. See this guide on creating news-worthy actions from 350.org.