Tools for Media

The commercial media has a history of covering National Improved Medicare for All in a negative way, if at all. This absence of coverage and negativity will likely increase as we build greater momentum until we break through.

We must take it upon ourselves to be the media in every way possible to get our message out, educate the public and counter misinformation.

Together, through our networks, we can rival the commercial media. We can write letters to the editor, create radio programs, post blogs and reach out through social media.

Here are tips for you to participate in the people’s media!

Write a letter to the editor or an Op/Ed

Respond to relevant articles in your local newspaper with a letter to the editor that mentions National Improved Medicare for All. Health is related to everything – check out the Tools for Education page to learn more about how National Improved Medicare for All connects to food, water, education, the economy, jobs, the environment and more.

Click here for more helpful tips for writing your letter to the editor.

Click here for helpful tips on how to increase the chances of getting your letter published.

Alternatively, you can contact the editors of your local paper and request permission to submit an OpEd. These tend to be longer than a letter to the editor and focus on a specific issue.

Click here for specific information on submitting an OpEd to your local paper.

Radio

Use your local radio stations to spread the word:

Call in to radio shows when they cover related topics and talk about why we need National Improved Medicare for All.
Contact you local radio stations and urge them to invite speakers who can talk about National Improved Medicare for All. PNHP.org has speakers in almost every state. Click here for more information on speakers.
Create your own podcast to talk about National Improved Medicare for All. There are lots of tools for online podcasts. Click here to learn more about creating a podcast.

Blogs

Are you skilled at writing? Can you explain why National Improved Medicare for All is important to you or your community? There are many ways to be published online.

Start your own blog. Click here for more information about starting a blog from scratch.
Share your articles with us at HOPE and we’ll consider posting it and sharing it out.
There are many progressive online websites that may post your content – try TruthOut or Nation of Change to name a few.

Social Media

Used properly, the social media is a powerful tool.

Here is a training video on using Facebook and Twitter:

Here are some tips for spreading the word through Facebook and Twitter:

Facebook

Follow the HOPE campaign on Facebook here: Health Over Profit for Everyone – HOPE
Make sure that you “like” the page by clicking on the button that looks like this:
Posts on Facebook reach more people when they have activity on them. You can help HOPE reach more people by reacting to the posts (click on the “like” button under the image), commenting on posts, “liking” comments on posts and “sharing” posts to your Facebook page.
To share a Facebook post, click where it says “share” and choose “share” again. You can make an additional comment or just share it as it is. Check the box to include the original post. Click “post” at the bottom right-hand side when you are ready to post it.
Make your own post on your Facebook page by publishing a “status”. Type in the message you want to share. You can add a link to an interesting article too. Always make sure that you have an image for your post. You can add an image by clicking on “photo/video” and uploading one. You can also add multiple images, which is great if you are sharing news of an event. See:

Make your own video on Facebook using Facebook live. If you have a smart phone with the Facebook App on it, you can produce your own live video. These are great for actions. People love to see what is going on. But you can also do a Facebook live of a presentation or you talking to the camera.
Let people know ahead of time that you will be doing a Facebook live event by posting the information in your status (e.g.,”I’ll be live on my Facebook page at 5 pm Pacific tomorrow during the Medicare for All Rally.”)
Do a test Facebook live before you do your first one so that you are comfortable with it and so that you can check your sound quality. You can delete it afterwards.
To get started, first go to your personal Facebook page and type information into your status about the Facebook live using language that will interest people. You can add #hashtags such as #MedicareForAll or #SinglePayer to help people find you. Then choose the icon that says “live” and has a small camera next to it. Make sure your camera is facing the direction that you want to video and when you are ready, press “go live”.
You will attract followers over time so start out slowly and watch as people join the broadcast. Encourage them to react to what you are saying by pressing the “like” button and to share your video to their Facebook pages. People can post comments and ask questions. You may want to respond to those or acknowledge them if you can.

Twitter

Follow the Health Over Profit for Everyone campaign on Twitter here: @H_O_P4E
Spread the message: Retweet HOPE’s tweets, comment on them and like them to increase their reach.
If you create your own tweets, make sure to include an image and use hashtags. You can also tweet directly at particular groups or people by including their Twitter handle. Tweets are 140 characters. Images do not count as a character.
Really expand the reach by organizing a “Thunderclap” – a thunderclap happens when Twitter users agree to tweet one tweet at the same time. This is great if there is a special event or a day of action that you want to elevate. Thunderclaps are most successful if you start organizing them more than a week ahead of time. Click here to learn how to plan a thunderclap.
Twitter storms are regular events where people agree to tweet about a particular topic at a particular time to try to get that topic to trend. These need to be organized in advance so that people know to participate. They usually last an hour or less. Prepare a set of tweets ahead of time and share them with others. For example, they can be posted on a website or a shareable document and you can link to that in your first tweet of the storm so that people can find and use it. Create a unique hashtag for the storm and use popular hashtags that are relevant as well. Click here to learn more about Twitter storms. Click here to learn more about Twitter storms.