The Talking to Decision Makers Toolkit aims to help broadcasters talk to decision makers on issues affecting your community.
Ethnic and multicultural community radio provides a great opportunity for building relationships between your community and politicians and developing dialogue on issues like cultural diversity, racism, migration, and language maintenance. You can offer politicians a chance to communicate with your ethnic community, and you can ask politicians to demonstrate their support for ethnic community radio.
This toolkit was originally prepared by the NEMBC ahead of the 2013 Federal Election, in conjunction with our Leadership Media Manual, to help ethnic and multicultural broadcasters plan and prepare programs about the federal election, lobby politicians, and conduct in-depth political interviews.
We welcome your input and feedback to help develop this toolkit. Please contact us if you have more ideas of how you can use your role as a broadcaster to lobby for your community and for the multicultural broadcasting sector.
Download the whole Toolkit for Talking to Decision Makers as a pdf.
1. Ideas for Broadcasters
This section goes through different ways you can engage with political news and issues on your program – whether through interviews, talkback, vox pops or roundtable discussions – and outside of your program.
Some ideas in brief:
- Hold a one-on-one interview with a politician
- Get your friends and colleagues together in a round table discussion
- Invite candidates and political leaders to tour your station
- Report on issues affecting ethnic community broadcasting on air
- Radio stations can become involved by organising forums and meetings
2. Background Information
Click to view any page in this section:
- Flyer of some basic facts on why ethnic and multicultural broadcasting is important.
- The latest information from Government showing that multiculturalism is a defining success story for Australia: 2013 Inquiry into Multiculturalism in Australia
- Need to know how to run a media campaign? Download our detailed Leadership Media Manual see page 21 for how to run a media campaign.
3. Interview Planning and Preparation
This section takes you through the process of securing, researching, preparing and conducting in-depth political interviews.
4. Election Do’s and Don’ts
This section guides you through your responsibilities as a broadcaster in terms of ethics, media law, and the rules pertaining to political material and political advertising.
5. Social Media
This section shows you how to take your program further by promoting it on social media.
Click on the map and zoom into your location to find community radio stations in your area.