Tips to help small advocacy organizations maximize the impact of the media outreach.

Prison Policy Initiative updates for September 2, 2025 Exposing how mass incarceration harms communities and our national welfare

WEBINAR: Taking the Lede: How advocates can shape news coverage of the criminal legal system [[link removed]] Come learn how small organizations can make the most of their resources to build relationships with the media. [[link removed]]

by Wanda Bertram

With every sheriff's office, department of corrections, district attorney, and police department armed with its own media relations team, the news cycle is all too often stacked toward the status quo when it comes to criminal legal system issues. How can advocates for system reform have their voices amplified — and their priority issues covered — without overworking themselves to get the media’s attention? And how can advocates frame issues in ways that resonate with journalists?

On September 18th at 3 p.m. EST, the Prison Policy Initiative and the Center for Just Journalism [[link removed]] will host a webinar to help advocacy organizations hone their media strategies and get attention on critical issues. Panelists Wanda Bertram of the Prison Policy Initiative and Hannah Riley of the Center for Just Journalism will provide guidance on how small organizations can make the most of their limited resources and staff capacity. They will cover:

The lay of the contemporary news media landscape and basic tips for interacting with journalists; The strategic benefits of building relationships with reporters, and how advocates should select reporters to reach out to; How to have informal conversations with the media that can influence the news cycle, as well as write formal pitches that can lead to news clippings.

The webinar will also include a 15-minute Q&A period where we'll discuss specific challenges that advocates are facing in getting press coverage.

This session will include ASL interpreters, and will be recorded for those who wish to watch it later. This resource is part of our growing Advocacy Toolkit, [[link removed]] a series of resources for criminal legal reform advocates based on our own research and advocacy.

Register here [[link removed]]

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Our work is made possible by private donations. Can you help us keep going? We can accept tax-deductible gifts online [[link removed]] or via paper checks sent to PO Box 127 Northampton MA 01061. Thank you!

Other news: Youth Confinement: The Whole Pie [[link removed]]

On any given day, 31,900 youth in the U.S. are in confinement.

Our new report [[link removed]] explains where they are held, under what conditions, and for what offenses, and explores the growing racial disparities in the system.

New study finds confined neurodivergent youth of color are particularly vulnerable to physical assault by staff [[link removed]]

A new study analyzing a national survey of youth in custody reveals stark disparities in rates of staff physical assault among Black and neurodivergent youth.

In this new briefing [[link removed]], we dive into the study's findings to understand the scale of the disparities and what they say about the incarceration of children.

Please support our work [[link removed]]

Our work is made possible by private donations. Can you help us keep going? We can accept tax-deductible gifts online [[link removed]] or via paper checks sent to PO Box 127 Northampton MA 01061. Thank you!

Our other newsletters Ending prison gerrymandering ( archives [[link removed]]) Criminal justice research library ( archives [[link removed]])

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Prison Policy Initiative [[link removed]]

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Northampton, Mass. 01061

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Prison Policy Initiative

PO Box 127 Northampton, Mass. 01061

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