'I was tortured and sexually harassed' - former Myanmar political prisoners speak out about life in jail
Copyright: Bartosz Hadyniak
With 275 political prisoners including the two Reuters journalists accused of obtaining state secrets still behind bars in Myanmar, in 2018 I spoke to several women who were locked away for their activism in the former military-controlled state
“I was handcuffed and blindfolded with a hood over me and made to sit on my knees for 10 days,” recalls San San Ma, rewinding the clock back to March 2008 when the activist was arrested by the then military-ruled government for political crimes such as housing revolutionary soldiers and students.
“As soon as I was arrested I was sent to a military intelligence office that was famous for brutality,” she says. San San Ma, now 45, was interrogated for more than a month, each time in complete darkness.
“They sexually harassed me. I had to kneel for many hours and crawl on little rocks – if they were angry they would beat me. They were trying to make me confess but I never did.”
The beatings only stopped when she started to fall ill. “I was vomiting blood so then they called a doctor. He realised how tortured I was and requested that they stop it - and to give me food.”
The harrowing torture ended but she was sent to a special military court, known for its harsher sentences, than a standard civil court. There she was sentenced to 65 years in jail; the same as her husband.
“There were a lot of unfair charges,” she tells me in a humid small office of a human rights organisation in Yangon. “But when I was younger my grandmother always used to say, 'politics is about time. Next time it is someone else's time. Now you win, tomorrow you will lose'. I totally believed that, that's why I managed to stay calm in prison.”
The sentence devastated her family. She quietly explains that when her mother found out she was being sent to the infamous Insein Prison in Yangon, “she passed out”, and died shortly afterwards.
San San Ma saw her husband, living on other side of the prison, for 20 minutes every two weeks. They were both released after six years as part of a prisoner amnesty.
Myanmar has a long history of jailing political activists. Even now, two years after Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy (NLD) took control, the government has continued to arrest and imprison people who speak out against the regime. Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were imprisoned for seven years in September after reporting on the Rohingya crisis.
When military intelligence officers turned up to arrest Kyi Kyi Htay in 2000 for aiding opposition political groups, she swore to her husband that she wouldn't confess anything. As a result, the then 34-year-old endured days of brutal torture. “I couldn't even pee,” she says. “They hit that part of the body, it was so brutal. Each officer would get half an hour each to ask me questions and then beat me. Once their session was finished, they would go back to sleep. I was so tired and would fall asleep sometimes but whenever I feel asleep, they would beat me to wake me up and throw water at me.”
She lost count of how many days she was tortured for but her silence saved lives.
“I didn't confess anything. That way it meant I could save 12 people from going to prison for 10 to 15 years,” she says. “I was beaten up a lot as I didn't share any information. Another guy I knew who had also been arrested gave away some information so they knew I was lying but I made it.”
By the time she was imprisoned – for 15 years for crimes such as communicating with blacklisted organisations – her body was swollen from the continual beatings. But life in the notorious Insein prison, known for its unsanitary and inhumane living conditions, on the outskirts of Yangon was unbearable.
“I cried a lot when I arrived at prison,” recalls Kyi Kyi Htay, who at 12 helped send secret letters between people in opposition groups throughout her village. “It was so dirty. The sheets were so dirty and smelly. You were not allowed to read. You couldn't communicate with your family.” There were no dedicated toilets for in-mates. “You had to use a container and throw it [in a bag] every time. I couldn't bear it anymore. I was depressed there. But I didn't have any regrets because I was doing the right thing.”
After leaving, many former political prisoners face long-term impact such as difficulties finding work and mental health issues.
Galuh Wandita, director of Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR), a human rights organisation which published a report earlier this year on the lives of women survivors of conflict and oppression including political prisoners in Yangon, says the experience of arrest and detention deeply disrupted the education and livelihoods of women. “Many women were arrested as students in the 1980s and 1990s. With many universities closed in the 1990s, these women often had no schools to return to after their release. Most had to abandon their educations.
Imprisonment also had devastating impacts on the economic situation of female political prisoners and their families. Detainees’ families have faced constant surveillance and were often forced to close their businesses. This pushed many political prisoners and their families into poverty. Following their release family members often exerted great pressure on women to give up their political activities and focus on supporting the families economic survival. Some women faced marital difficulties while others were forced to rely on relatives for their survival.”
Kyi Kyi Htay who lived in the notorious prison for nine years until she was released in 2009, says life on the outside has been challenging. “I had no clothes to wear. I didn't have any place to stay. I stayed with my cousin's family. Financially I've not been ok – I've not been able to get a job. I cannot even apply for a job. No companies or organisations want to employ me because I was a political prisoner.”
Unfortunately she was unable to slide back into family life.
“I went back to my home town but my little daughter didn't remember me.” She says, sadly, that she is no longer with her husband. “My husband's family didn't want him to be with me. They feel their son was in prison because of me - he follows what his family says.” Her daughter lives with her ex husband in Yangon.
San San Ma says that once she and her husband were released they encountered multiple issues. They could no longer return home because the authorities had seized it. While they set to be initially housed by her brother-in-law, he received a call from friends telling him it was unsafe to house former political prisoners. “So even after a few hours we were on the road again, luckily one of our friends brought us to their house outside of Yangon.”
She says mental and physical health issues have made it even more difficult to find work. Her husband found a job as an editor as a local newspaper but problems arising from being beaten up meant he needed to lie down in bed for as much as 20 hours a day for several months. “His right eye was beaten up so much, he couldn't work on his writing so much.”
San San Ma decided to open a small grocery store. “But when my husband got sick, I got depressed, and was in bed for eight months. My little daughter working at a garment factory was dependent on me.” She now relies on her husband who earns 200,000 kwat (£101) a month from his job researching and writing articles.
Seeking justice, the women urge the government to recognise their suffering and that the perpetrators apologise, says Wandita.
“There is unfortunately still a lack of governmental recognition or support for former political prisoners,” says Wandita. “The government has not yet accepted a definition of political prisoner, and has quashed efforts to put the topic on the agenda for parliamentary debate.”
She believes that women political prisoners need specialised services that deal with health, trauma, and economic empowerment. “They need assistance, access to basic services, and psychosocial support to address the consequences of violence, and to help them get back on their feet. There needs to be schemes for job creation, vocational training, and micro-finance assistance in order to increase survivors' access to livelihood and capital.”
Kyi Kyi Htay wishes she could slot the missing jigsaw pieces of her life back together again. “I feel so sad. I lost everything. I have given everything and lost everything for what I'm passionate about. I am jobless, but I have friends and I travel around. But I never regret it as I was doing it for the people.”
Looking ahead, she wants systematic change. “We have a situation where people and families have split up and sacrificed their lives and opportunities. Now the government is open and the NLD has gained power...they should take responsibility, admit what they’ve done and apologise for it. It's assumed to be a transparent time in Myanmar but it's not happening. I don't want anything for myself, I just want my country to change.”
Article written in 2018.
Is This The Right Way To Keep Journalism Alive?
Photo by brotiN biswaS
Hi everyone
There was much derision at Rolling Stone magazine's announcement offering people the chance to write for the magazine – for $2,000.
The magazine has set up Culture Council, "an exclusive community for visionary leaders" who, after passing a vetting process and stumping up an annual fee of $1,500 plus $500 upfront, will have the “opportunity to publish original content” to its website and become “thought leaders”.
Its website goes on to whip up interest by adding that such “thought leaders” would “join a vetted network of innovators in the multi-faceted entertainment industry who are doing inspiring work”, adding that “each member adds a unique vibe and perspective to the community”.
Each person will be able to set up a member profile, featuring their bio, company description, and areas of expertise.
Rolling (pun intended) my eyes at the nauseating copy, it goes on to say that these so-called thought leaders will “get direct access to a living, breathing think tank – a crucible for the visionaries of our time”.
With a feeling that now anyone can claim to write for Rolling Stone, critics are outraged. However Rolling Stone has insisted that people are vetted and it's created a dedicated editorial team to help polish the words that pass through its gates.
Does it weaken the Rolling Stone brand? Pimping out a slice of the well-regarded title to those with the biggest pockets probably may devalue it slightly in the eyes of its loyal readers, who may feel stung that only the rich amongst them can contribute to their favourite magazine. But from what I understand, it sits separately on the website and it should be clear that the articles haven't been penned by its in-house journalists or freelancers. This style of publishing is similar to Forbes’ membership councils where you have to pay to join.
While thought leadership posts are generally unpaid, paid-for content has been propping up publishing for years. Whether we pick up the Guardian or The Telegraph, chances are we'll see (clearly marked) branded content.
In an ideal world our most valued newspapers and magazines would be free of advertising, and we'd listen to radio without hearing an annoying ad. But unfortunately journalism is underpaid and underfunded, and many publishers are on the cusp of going under. We saw popular music title Q magazine fold last year after 34 years. NME stopped printing after 66 years. Shortlist was axed.
Do we want our magazines to find new ways of survival if not enough people are willing to pay for journalism and advertising revenue isn't stacking up?
Have a lovely rest of the week,
Susie
Stop Before You Set Up This Kind Of Call With A Journalist
Photo by Nick Fewings
Hi everyone
How are you all muddling through January?
So another week, another Zoom invite. I'm rather fortunate that I've pretty fallen through the online video call cracks and unless I'm running a Power Hour, there's really no need for me to be jumping on Zoom. Phew. I can carry on conducting interviews by phone. Like we did pre-coronavirus.
However, I'm noticing that instead of just organising a phone interview, many PRs and business owners want to dive straight in for a Zoom call, often flinging it in the diary before confirming with the journalist.
One word: don't. (Ok, maybe that was two.)
Unless perhaps it's a celebrity interview, or the journalist would usually conduct the interview in person, it feels rather unnecessary to set up a Zoom call. Just because Zoom is now kind of ubiquitous with the pandemic, doesn't mean we need to be turning on the camera for every chat we have. Even for very short interviews, where I'm interviewing say one person for an article featuring seven others, I'll have founders and PRs throwing a Zoom invite in the calendar.
I'm not the only journalist aghast when this happens; many other hacks have recoiled in horror when they see the meeting code spring up in their email. A phone call means we don't need to worry about scrubbing up or our underwear being on display in the background; we can focus on the interview instead.
When interviewing a founder recently, she started the call saying that she was so relieved I'd switched the proposed Zoom interview to a phone call. "It meant I didn't need to get out of this hammock," she laughed, speaking to me from somewhere far more tropical than the UK.
So set up a phone call if that's what you would have done pre-pandemic. But otherwise stick to calls or just ask the journalist for their preferred format.
Have a lovely rest of the week.
Thanks
Susie
What Would You Like To See From Me In 2021?
Hi everyone,
Happy New Year. I hope you were all able to find some joy over the festive season despite youknowwhat.
Have you set yourself any goals for 2021? Although I'm sure 2020 taught us that sometimes even just basic survival is a good enough intention, I've set myself a few – from the ambitious (book editing and trying to create a physical space for a Library of Things in Margate) to the more achievable (hello adventures in the campervan and scouting out new wild swimming spots).
As you might be thinking about your press coverage goals for yourself or your client, I'd love to know what you'd like to see more of from me in 2021. Are there any subjects you'd like me to cover in the newsletter? Would you like a workshop on a particular subject? Please do drop me a line.
In the meantime, I've rounded up a handful of ways that I can possibly help you in 2021. You could:
Watch my FREE Twitter webinar How to Tweet Your Way to Media Coverage (if you enjoyed it, I'd love it if you could share it on social media - please note I'm in the process of adding captions)
Read my (free) How to Pitch to Journalists During Coronavirus and 17 Insider Tips On How to Pitch to Journalists During Coronavirus (now just £5)
Take my in-depth course Lessons from a Journalist: How to Secure Press Coverage – with a festive 10% off now extended to the end of January. This is half price for anyone who has taken my workshop or webinar - just email me for the code.
Check out my February 6 and 13 webinars and my pre-recorded webinars
Organise a brainstorming session with a journalist, an overhaul of the copy on your website with a copywriter, or any other content such as blog posts or an award entry, through my network of professional writers.
Reserve a Power Hour with myself or another journalist.
Explore booking a PR for a short or long-term project. I have many I can recommend.
Here's to a calmer 2021*
Thanks
Susie
* although after watching the storming of the US Capitol yesterday even that may be too strong to ask for.
How To Tweet Your Way To Media Coverage Webinar
Hi everyone
I don't know about you but I absolutely adore the build up to Christmas. My diary is usually packed with Christmassy events from watching the choir at St Paul's Cathedral to organising a festive lunch for freelancers in Margate. While most of that is obviously off the cards, I'm still trying my damn hardest to make the most of the season with mulled wine by the beach with friends and mince pies by the fire.
Talking about Christmas, I also have a little gift to give to you, my lovely readers. When I first began this newsletter back in the spring, I'll readily admit I didn't have a plan. But I've found I love having this corner of writing that belongs to me (free of what an editor wants) and your emails and messages each week responding to what I've said in the newsletter or professing how much you've enjoyed it or found it helpful have really meant a lot. Thank you.
As you might have guessed, the Christmas treat isn't a box of chocolates or a bottle of wine. Instead, it's a webinar on Twitter. I know some of you might not be on Twitter while some of you might be quite prolific on the platform. Wherever you stand, I'm hoping How to Tweet Your Way to Media Coverage will help you come away with a better understanding of how journalists used the platform and you'll pick up a few tips on how to bag more press for your or your client. The 30-minute webinar is yours to view over the next month.
As you know this year has been tough for journalists with many publications going under and budgets slashed. The next line doesn't come naturally to me (and probably most of us) deep breath...if you like the webinar and it helps you, any contributions to my PayPal would be kindly appreciated.
In the future, I'm considering an advertising and/or subscription model for the newsletter, which would help me pursue more investigative journalism, which can be time-consuming and as with most things media-related, not of huge monetary value.
Of course, if this year has been tough for you too – I know many on my newsletter are hunting for jobs – please don't worry about donating.
So here it is. You can click the link here to watch it.
If you do enjoy it, I'd love it if you could mention it on social media. It really does help.
Despite all the uncertainty, I really hope you have a lovely Christmas.
Susie
Don't ignore this segment of journalists
Photo by Mikey Harris
Hi everyone,
While not exactly The Devil Wears Prada standards of glam, working as a staff journalist can certainly bring its benefits: I can happily recall deliveries of Fortnum & Masons hampers, Krispy Kremes dropping every week from agencies, and packages of chocolate, books, clothes, and various other gifts landing on our desks.
I was about 24 when I entered journalism, starting my career as an editorial assistant on a salary of £18,000. I might have been living on a budget but when it came to work, I was in a privileged position of choosing which restaurants I wanted to meet a PR or founder at. And so began a chapter of breakfasts at The Wolseley or Charlotte Street Hotel, lunch at Yautcha or Andrew Edmunds, and partying on an evening at private members clubs or in a box at the O2. That wasn't my average day – we did have a magazine to get to press and we worked bloody hard – but the glitz, the glamour, and the fun were certainly there in rich abundance.
However, something happens when you go freelance. The lunch offers dwindle. The gifts stop rolling in. It's like you fall off everyone's radars in that sense (but not when it comes to pitching). It's a funny world as even if you're working for a variety of titles including the nationals, PRs and founders stop trying to build relationships with as much vigor. Now I'm certainly not asking anyone to start playing the violin or suddenly shower me in gifts; I understand, peering back with a new lens a decade or so later, that the level of consumerism was probably all a bit too much.
But I bring this up as we're in the height of the Christmas season and perhaps you're sending the odd card and gift to in-house journalists and editors. But also have a think about the freelance journalists you've worked with this year. Many self-employed journalists are struggling even more this year as a result of budget cuts. So could you send a little treat to a freelancer in your sector that you've worked with a few times this year on a campaign? Or a freelancer who continues to quote you? You could email them asking them if you could send them a little gift of your or your client's product (if that doesn't work you being some kind of tech solutions tool, perhaps some chocolate, a mulled wine kit, or a donation to their food bank?). The journalist might say no (many are cutting back on things they don't need), or they might just say yes – and you might put a smile on their face. What you will also do is put you on their radar. It doesn't mean they're going to write about you necessarily, but spreading a little kindness is all part of nurturing relationships.
Enjoy the rest of the week,
Susie
It's not too late to pitch for Christmas guides
Photo by Micheile Henderson
There's still plenty of time to get your/your client's product featured in Christmas gift guides. While the monthlies have already gone to press, newspapers, weekly magazines and online titles will still be running Xmas guides until the 24th (when we'll see a run of guides of what presents to buy last-min etc.).
A few things to consider before you pitch:
Which publications does my product suit?
Does the readership match my audience?
Is the price point a good match for this publication? For example, your £4 bath bombs might work for Stylist but not the FT.
Be targeted in what type of gift guide it might suit: one aimed at men, women, travellers, pets, tech lovers, kids, or the ethical shopper?
Be specific in your email subject line. For example, Christmas gifts for travellers: Personalised vintage-style maps.
If you want more tips and a great case study of a pitch and press release that led to a business being featured in a Stylist guide, a whole chapter in my course is devoted to pitching for Christmas (and Easter/Mother's Day/Father's Day etc) and product round-ups. Click here for more info.
Why you need to research which journalists you're pitching
Photo by Charisse Kenion
When you have a story you want to sell into the press, you'll need to work out which journalists to contact.
Don't just send it to anyone. I receive so many emails and DMs on LinkedIn/Facebook/Instagram from founders and PRs who think that because I'm a journalist I'll write about them. This happens to pretty much every journalist. 📺 📻 🗞
You need to research which journalists your story might suit.
A journalist who specialises in tech? Women's issues? Education? Is your story one for the news or features desk?
Research who is writing about your/your client's competitors. Look on Google News. Buy magazines and newspapers, check out the various sections and look at the bylines to see who's writing about your industry. Pay for access to a media database.
But don't send a release off to - or contact - any journalist "just in case". Our inboxes are already bulging and it's not a great way to build relationships. It's also like contacting an electrician about a plumbing job.
If you're feeling a bit stuck on targeting and pitching journalists, my in-depth course Lessons from a Journalist: How to Secure Press Coverage covers this in more detail.
Don't Contact Journalists This Way
Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash
Hi everyone
How do you feel about WhatsApp? Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with the platform. The upshot, of course, is that it's a brilliant way to quickly chat and ping pictures to friends and family, but on the other hand who doesn't get that sinking feeling when you're added to yet another group?
I bring up WhatsApp as the other day the founder of a business I'd featured in an article WhatsApped me at 6am. Yes, that's right. 6am. I'm just very grateful (for him and me) it didn't wake me up.
The founder had originally been in touch with me over email yet he caught my number at the bottom of my signature and started WhatsApping - asking about pictures, another time asking when the article would be published. I did say to him it would be better to email but still the messages came through.
There was never any reason to bring the conversation onto another (non-work) platform. But this isn't the first time this has happened. I'll often receive WhatsApp messages from PRs when the conversation should have stayed on email. I check my emails regularly enough (probably far too much) and in none of the cases has there ever warranted an urgent need to message me.
For me, and I believe most journalists would nod their heads in agreement on this, from a PR perspective WhatsApp isn't the right platform to converse with journalists on. That is what email is there for.
So my advice is: stick to email (if that wasn't clear enough). Unless a journalist wants you to WhatsApp them, you're pals with a journalist, or you're already working with them on something urgent and it's impossible to get through to them by all other means (and you've tried their email, calling and voicemail).
I know it's not always possible, but some people try to keep their work and personal life separate and jumping into their WhatsApp messages could be overstepping boundaries.
Have a great rest of the week.
Thanks
Susie
This Is The Most Common Question Asked In My Webinars
Photo by Mattias Diesel on Unsplash
Hi everyone
I hope you're managing as well as can be.
The number one question I'm now asked on my webinars or during one of my Power Hours is, “are journalists interested in non-coronavirus stories?” We can all understand why this is a popular question. The C-word continues to dominate the media. Whether it's news of another lockdown and the impact on our mental health or on businesses, or news of the latest changes to the furlough scheme or the self-employment grant, it's still the hottest topic across the globe. Of course, people still want to consume – and editors still want – stories related to Covid-19. Whether we like it or not, it remains the biggest news item worldwide.
However, there's still plenty of room for non-Covid stories. In recent days we've had the election, Johnny Depp losing his libel battle against The Sun and ex-wife Amber Heard, and Dominic West's tryst with Lily James making the front pages. But don't worry if you don't have an A-lister or a politician at hand to help you secure press coverage. When I recently pitched an editor with a few stories, including one related to Covid 19, he stressed that they were trying to keep the feature pages corona-free. With the news section still dominated by coronavirus pieces, the paper wanted to keep readers entertained and enlightened with other things going on in the world. I get it. Even as a journalist, there have been times when I can't face reading yet another story about Covid-19 and I do wonder how much we need a daily countdown of every country's rate of infection and number of deaths.
Against all this doom and gloom, editors want positive story ideas landing in their inbox. In the past week, I've reported on two non-Covid and hopeful stories. For the i, I wrote about the people committed to giving away a substantial amount of their income to effective charities whilst I covered the rise of bartering and sharing economy for the Guardian.
If you look hard enough, you'll see positive stories everywhere (and pitching positive stories is just one of the pieces of advice in my 17 Insider Tips On How to Pitch Journalists During Coronavirus - now just £5 from £19.99 originally). Now as the UK enters Lockdown: The Sequel, it's still as relevant as ever.
Have a great rest of the week,
Susie
What Would I Advise Someone Looking To Enter Journalism Now?
Earlier this month I received a message on Instagram from a 16-year-old who had spotted me on her college's alumni page. She wanted to know how I had made the move into journalism. Given the personal connection and recalling the lack of opportunities and career inspiration when I was 16, I responded asking if she had availability that evening as I'd give her a call.
She confessed she was nervous. Of course, she didn't need to be. But I was once a shy 16-year-old and even years later I can still remember how nerve-wracking it was making calls when I was starting off in journalism. We spoke for about 30 minutes and during that call, I laid bare the reality of journalism today: how the industry is having a torrid time, with many magazines closing their doors, and that it's really really difficult to survive - many fantastic journalists are being forced to leave the sector, or if they're freelance, they're holding down so-called portfolio careers.
But of course, I didn't want to be overly pessimistic. I wouldn't want to push someone completely away from a career that they have a deep desire to explore. Knowing what I know today, would I have chosen a different path and not entered journalism? No. I still think it's a brilliant, interesting, and varied career, and one that I'd still have a good stab at. Yes, I'd love a career with more money and security, but the world still needs journalism (more than ever) and if you understand the almighty challenges ahead (and are ready to accept other jobs on the side like content marketing and teaching), then go for it, I say. It's not like my parents' generation where you stick to one job; you can always slide into another industry if need be.
Over the course of the half-hour, I shared tips with her, including stepping up your tech skills (especially video) and standing out on work experience. I applauded her for using her initiative to contact me. For scouting me out online and sending a message demonstrated key skills needed for a career in journalism.
Want To Find Out About My New Launch?
Hi everyone
Some news: I've launched a Power Hour service – a short yet informative online consultancy session.
During a Power Hour, you'll get the chance to ask any burning questions you have about approaching journalists, building relationships with the press, or any other gripping issue related to journalism or PR that you may have.
There's more information here, but feel free to email any questions you have.
And if I feel there's another journalist who is best placed to help you, I'll be able to direct you to some of the best in the business.
Thanks
Susie
One Small Way To Build Relationships With Journalists Right Now
Hi everyone
Just a quick newsletter as I write this from the picturesque moors outside of Conwy in north Wales where I'm wild camping for the night.
I know many people are wondering how to build relationships with journalists during these strange times, given the opportunity for face-to-face contact has fallen off a cliff since start of the pandemic.
But you don't need to have had coffee after coffee or cocktail after cocktail with a journalist to consider yourselves to have a strong relationship. There are many people working in comms and founders of businesses that I have a great relationship with – and are my go-to for case studies and experts – who I have never met in person. How to achieve that features heavily in my course and webinars but I'll just give a recent example of how you can slowly get on that path.
After an article I wrote appeared in the Guardian on Saturday, one of the people I featured emailed me first thing in the morning to thank me for including him, telling me he was thrilled with being included and had shared the piece with his family. It obviously meant a lot for him to be in the paper and him sharing how it had made his day was a lovely way to start the morning, especially as the van we had hired had broken down on Junction 21 of the M1 the night before, leaving us stranded on the emergency lane for three hours. That's another story. But the expert's kind words and obvious gratitude to email me first thing on Saturday highlights how relationships can be started and nurtured even in this digital age by a simple and easy 'thank you'.
Enjoy the rest of the week and the upcoming weekend,
Susie
Why You Shouldn't Pretend To Be A Journalist's Biggest Fan
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
I bet nearly every journalist has received an email saying something along the lines of “Hi [name of journalist], I'm such a big fan of your work. I loved your article on X [includes title and link to journalist's most recent article]" before going straight in for the kill: "Today we are releasing a line of new cosmetics and we'd love for you to cover it.”
Look, I can understand that some people think flattery may brighten up our inbox and I certainly agree that it's good to be a nice and kind human being. But you don't have to be a jaded and cynical journalist like myself to see right through the above. If you're such a big fan, why haven't you been in touch before? Why have you never dropped me a line to say how much you appreciated my naked yoga article (yes, I did go the full commando - for my sins) or how my piece on volunteering resonated with you? Telling us you're a "big fan" and then promptly going in for the sell tells me you're not such a big fan. If you admire a journalist so much, they might have seen you like their tweets before or comment on a post on LinkedIn. I'm not saying you need to start asking a journalist for a selfie before emailing them. Rather, just don't say it all.
I totally get that you might wish to engage with a journalist but unless you're going to impart something honest, don't say it for the sake of it in some strange attempt to win us over. It won't.
Enjoy the rest of the week,
Susie
ps I know most of you would never dream of doing the above.
One thing not to include in an email to a journalist
Photo by Adam Solomon on Unsplash
Hi everyone
I could probably write a Buzzfeed style listicle of what not to include in an email to a journalist (maybe that's a newsletter I'll write one day), but I wanted to hone in today on founders and PRs needlessly apologising to journalists when they're emailing them.
I'll give you a couple of examples of emails I've received recently:
“Sorry to bother you but I thought you might be interested in news that....”
“I apologise for messaging...”
Now I know journalists are inundated with emails (who isn't?) but as long as you've done your research in targeting said journalist and the publication, there is nothing to apologise for if you're simply sending over a pitch. You're just doing your job. And remember, this is what freelance journalists do for a living – they pitch into the void too.
Sorry can be like a verbal tick, especially to us Brits who seem to have a real penchant for the word. But apologising for sending a pitch won't impress a journalist, it just makes the sender look like they're lacking in confidence. Instead of apologising, just go straight into the pitch.
Of course, if you screw up (which we all do sometimes), then by all means say sorry. But otherwise, stop apologising.
Have a great rest of the week.
Thanks
Susie
Why you need to research who you're pitching to
Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash
When you have a story you want to sell into the press, as many of you with PR experience will know, you'll need to work out which journalists to contact.
I'm begging you not to just send it to any old journalist. I receive so many emails/messages on LinkedIn/Facebook DMs from businesses and PRs who think that because I'm a journalist I'll write about them or their client. Same applies to pretty much every journalist I've ever spoken to.
Please don't clog up our inboxes or contact a journalist "just in case" (words I'll regularly see accompanying a pitch). It adds to our already stifling inbox and really doesn't help with building relationships with the media. It's like contacting an electrician about a plumbing job. I would never send an editor a pitch about gaming if their beat was music. And I wouldn't pitch a magazine without buying it and really looking at what they cover.
You need to research which journalists your story might suit.
A journalist who specialises in tech? Women's issues? Education?
Research who's writing about your/your clients' competitors. Look at who is writing about your sector via Google News. Buy magazines and newspapers and browse the various sections. Look at the bylines to see who's writing about your industry. Check out media databases. If they're a generalist like me, you need to be specific and have a targeted pitch with case studies. Look at what we write on Muckrack. There you'll get a sense of the stories we like to cover.
Have a great weekend,
Susie
Journalism has a diversity issue
Photo by Joan Villalon on Unsplash
The brutal killing of George Floyd at the hands of the police has sparked widespread outrage across the globe, with thousands of people from Bristol to Rio de Janeiro protesting at the treatment of black people and expressing the need for systematic change.
During the past couple of weeks we've seen brands show solidarity by uploading a single black square with the hashtag #BlackoutTuesday across their social media platforms and aligning themselves with the #blacklives movement.
While it's fantastic to see brands utilising their platforms in such a positive way, outsiders are skeptical about companies jumping on the bandwagon and posting content that's hypocritical - showcasing a black grid after themselves falling short of stamping out racism in their own companies or failing to move away using from all-white models in their campaigns or not having a diverse board, can be seen as laughable.
But you only need to look at the presenters on TV or quickly scan the faces of columnists in the UK papers to see there's a diversity problem in journalism too. Visit a newspaper newsroom and you'll be confronted by a sea of white, middle class, and often privately educated journalists.
Around 94% of journalists are white – higher than the proportion of the UK workforce as a whole, according to the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). Further figures are eye opening: black journalism students are less likely to be working as a journalist than white journalism students (8% compared with 26%).
The NCTJ puts the lack of diversity in the media down to several reasons - employers are mainly taking on a graduate-only workforce, therefore choosing a subset who are less diverse; students from minority groups not wanting to enter journalism and employers have selective bias.
There's various diversity schemes and funds in place such as the NCTJ Diversity Fund but more needs to be done to publicise journalism as an attractive career across all parts of society. And I say this as someone who is working class and seen more people from my school year go to prison than work in the media.
There's more that we can all do, myself included. Personally when I'm writing articles I look for a diverse range of case studies and specify this when I'm pushing out requests on ResponseSource or speaking to press officers and PRs. Having a representative bank of case studies is something I mention in my talks. Is there someone else in the organisation that you can put forward to speak to the press?
Also, ask if you/your company are best placed to put out a particular view. Is it really time to push out an email asking if a journalist wants to speak to a white HR director at a company with an all-white board to express their views about how companies can be more representative?
Lots to consider and work on.
Have a great week,
Susie
Why I'm Not Going To Be Covering Your Press Release
Every day my inbox is teeming with press releases. News of a new launch. A new product. A merger. A new campaign. Some of the news I might have written in my old life as a reporter, whereas the title might indicate, my job was to cover news in my industry. During that time, strong interesting stories pinging in my inbox were gratefully received.
But not now. Today, like many freelancers, I write features. So those press releases dropping in my inbox are often a waste of time for everyone. As well as most not concerning the sectors I write about (that's another newsletter), the simple fact is I don't write news stories so I'm not going to be reporting on your press release. I no longer sit on a news desk writing about new launches so the hard truth is that unless you're able to come up with a solid feature idea (something I talk about a lot in my webinars and online course) related to the press release, it can be just a waste of an email.
Also, it's worth pointing out that if the news is going to get picked up, it will be covered by an in-house journalist so if we pitched the idea to an editor – it's already out there. And they're not going to pay us to write up a news release. As much as I wish during these challenging times.
Why We All Need To Be More Sensitive During These Torrid Times
Photo by AbsolutVision on Unsplash
Journalism was already taking a battering pre-Coronavirus and now, with fewer companies advertising and people not venturing to the shops as frequently, we're seeing the industry face an even graver threat to its future.
Last week Buzzfeed announced it was shelving its UK and US operations, Conde Nast revealed it was reducing its headcount by 100 while the Guardian said it was closing its dating arm, Guardian Soulmates (although this is largely influenced by changes in the dating market). While there's no doubt some publications focused on cooking, gardening and home are enjoying a rise in sales, overall it's a torrid time for the industry. Here in the UK quite early on we saw City AM close its print edition temporarily and the London Evening Standard reduce its distribution.
Against this backdrop, it's worth remembering that many journalists may have been furloughed, lost their jobs or seen their workload shoot through the roof as they take on their ex colleagues' work.
Many freelance journalists have lost work as a result of the pandemic. Personally a regular Guardian slot of my mine has gone (but will hopefully return) whilst across freelance journalist Facebook groups my peers are quite rightly concerned about the future as commissions drastically fall.
Although there are still plenty of opportunities for PRs and founders, for many freelancers, there are less places to pitch to. It's just something worth noting when you're pitching. It's a point made in my ebook as some journalists complained about getting chased needlessly at the peak of the coronavirus. Recently someone emailed me three times in a week regarding a pitch for a product I wouldn't usually cover.
There can be upshots to waiting. A piece I pitched the Metro in April was responded to – and commissioned – without prompt, two weeks later.
Oh, and some good news, for those who haven't seen it already. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and newspaper group DMGT have joined forces to give away £3m worth of advertising space.
If you're looking for ways to improve your press coverage, I'm running two webinars this month. If you can't make it, the webinars will still be sent to your inbox afterwards for you to view for the next three months.
Have a great week,
Susie