[KinkForAll] KFADEN: Westword wants to cover us

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Rebecca Crane

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Feb 7, 2012, 5:59:40 AM2/7/12
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Just got an e-mail from Jenn Wohletz, a writer for the Arts and Culture section of the Westword. She'd like to cover the event. She wants to do an advance piece, and then attend the event and do a recap story with photos.

I replied, told her that was great, that we'd be happy to have her at the event and to please let me know what else I could do to help. I'm assuming she may want to interview me and/or other (un)organizers for the advance piece? I've never talked to the media before, so I'd appreciate any tips anyone has about doing that. :-) Meanwhile, I'm going to check out the Poly Media Association's media training resources (http://polymediaassociation.com/) and see what I can find in the KFA archives. But if anyone on the list has pointers to specific resources, threads, or wants to share experiences (or horror stories :P), please let me know.

I'll keep you all updated on what I hear back!

- R

Siren Sage

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Feb 7, 2012, 11:15:58 AM2/7/12
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I have nothing to add here except YAY!!! And I think you are the
perfect person to talk to the media on this and I have tons of faith
in your talking skills. :)

~Siren

Dakota Raynes

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Feb 7, 2012, 11:54:11 AM2/7/12
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Well, that is super exciting! I second Siren - you will be amazing Rebecca!

Dakota Raynes
Graduate Assistant
McNair Scholar
Sociology & Women's Studies 
New Mexico State University
MSC 3WSP
Las Cruces, NM 88003-1230








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Jeff Jizz

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Feb 7, 2012, 12:16:30 PM2/7/12
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Jenn is the perfect reporter to cover this from WW as well. She
actually gets this stuff.

maymay

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Feb 7, 2012, 4:30:43 PM2/7/12
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On Feb 7, 2012, at 2:59 AM, Rebecca Crane wrote:

Just got an e-mail from Jenn Wohletz, a writer for the Arts and Culture section of the Westword. She'd like to cover the event. She wants to do an advance piece, and then attend the event and do a recap story with photos.

That's wonderful! :)

I replied, told her that was great, that we'd be happy to have her at the event and to please let me know what else I could do to help. I'm assuming she may want to interview me and/or other (un)organizers for the advance piece? I've never talked to the media before, so I'd appreciate any tips anyone has about doing that. :-) Meanwhile, I'm going to check out the Poly Media Association's media training resources (http://polymediaassociation.com/) and see what I can find in the KFA archives. But if anyone on the list has pointers to specific resources, threads, or wants to share experiences (or horror stories :P), please let me know.

First things first. Be certain Jenn is aware of the KinkForAll Press Center and the KinkForAll Press Guidelines.[0] It's short and sweet, so it's a good idea to direct any press inquiries there as a starting point.

We don't have anything akin to the PMA but everything you learn there is relevant to speaking with the media generally, so it's a good resource. The key point that the PMA rightfully harps on is the fact that you want to brush up on your sound bites. This is where all that talk about the language that's being used to describe KinkForAll Denver will come into play. For example, we don't do "demonstrations," we do "skill shares" or "teach-ins," etc.[1]

Take some time to brush up on sound bites/taglines/slogans/etc. for KinkForAll. Mostly, this just means reading through and re-using the language that's been developed on the wiki.

It sounds like Jenn is likely to be friendly, but either way, I'd also encourage you to re-read or even reference my take-down of the fears that KinkForAll often gets hit with by people who are looking to make trouble:

Beyond adhering to specific venue rules, local laws, and global KinkForAll rules (each designed to create de-sexualized and educationally-focused environments), individual participants are encouraged to bring their friends when they attend rather than show up alone. This effectively arms newcomers with the protection of their social circle at the events themselves. As most women will no doubt understand, it is safer to go to places where you have never been when you go with your friends.

In this way, the highly social atmosphere of a KinkForAll unconference also acts as a self-policing safeguard against abuse.

More of that here:


You may want to take a look at past press coverage about KinkForAll,[2] the most high-profile of which came from KinkForAll Washington DC 2.[3] This was part article, part email interview. The main takeaway I wrote about after my experience dealing with media for KinkForAll that may also be useful:[4]

[…] you do not get to tell the story you want to tell when you speak to news outlets of any sort, whether large and well-known or small and self-published. Instead, you only get to influence it. If you want to tell your story, you damn well better tell it yourself.

To help yourself tell your own story, I suggest that if you do an interview, do it in writing, because that way you'll have the entirety of the exchange recorded and you can quickly put up a blog post about it. I didn't realize how helpful that was until after I'd done it the first time. Now I do that anytime I'm asked for an interview.[5]

After it goes live, be sure to keep a watchful eye on any reactions. If there is negative press, it will come quickly and after a short delay. When this happened last time, I made several very valuable contacts who are professionals in negative public relations management, so if something goes badly and you need damage control help, just ask. :)

And, of course, if you're feeling overwhelmed or simply need additional voices, feel free to send along my contact info to Jenn. You've surely got this, but I'm happy to help liaise with media contacts, too.

I'll keep you all updated on what I hear back!

- R
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