Ottawa Forests & Greenspace Advisory Committee

Outreach Sub-Committee

 

September 13, 2006

Minutes

 

Present:          Frances Coates (host), Mark Rowsell (Chair), Nicole Parent, Jeff Blackadar

Regrets:             Deborah Ironside, Martha Copestake, Danielle Fremes

 

Marlborough Forest Walk

 

The third “walk in the woods” is planned for Sunday, September 17, 2006 at the Cedar Grove Trail (Parking E3) in Marlborough Forest.  This trail is on the south side of Roger Stevens Road approximately 6 kilometres west of North Gower.  The walk will be guided by City of Ottawa Forester, Craig Huff and Ministry of Natural Resources Ecologist, Shaun Thompson.  Advertising for this event has been active for the last month.  Announcements have been seen in the Ottawa Citizen and on Posters at the trail head. 

 

A            Nicole Parent to contact Wayne Stephenson and invite him to the walk

A            Mark Rowsell to arrange for speaker gifts and map of the forest

A          Jeff Blackadar to post event notice to the Rideau Trail Association and Ottawa Horticultural Society.

 

Media Relation Strategy

 

On occasion individual members of OFGAC are approached by the media to comment on issues related to forests and Greenspace.  There is no clear strategy in place to ensure that the response from OFGAC reflects all members’ views.  To ensure that all OFGAC members are engaged and knowledgeable about issues and concerns and have the opportunity to support OFGAC’s response, the following policy is suggested (formal motion of the September 25, 2006 OFGAC meeting).

 

Whereas, when asked by the media to comment about an issue on behalf of the Ottawa Forests and Greenspace Advisory Committee (OFGAC), it is the responsibility of each member of the Committee to execute due effort to ensure that all OFGAC members have the opportunity to review, understand, and comment and/or edit OFGAC’s response to ensure that it accurately expresses the collective views and/or opinions of the Committee.  This effort shall be executed for a minimum of 48 hours when possible via email or fax using the OFGAC Media Enquiry Form.

 

Whereas, it is the responsibility of all Ottawa Forests and Greenspace Advisory Committee (OFGAC) members to take advantage of the opportunity and provide the necessary support to ensure the message that is conveyed to the public via the media is accurate, positive, and credible within the same 48 hours. 

 

Whereas, all OFGAC members are encouraged to participate an/or initiate contact with the media on issues related to OFGAC’s mandate as outlined in

the Advisory Committee Members’ Code of Conduct. 

 

Be it resolved that OFGAC endorses the media relations strategy as written.

OTTAWA FORESTS & GREENSPACE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

MEDIA ENQUIRY FORM

                                                           

Today’s Date:

 

Date of Media Contact :

 

OFGAC Member Contacted:

 

Media Contact Information

 

Name and Title:                                        Outlet Name: (e.g. CJOH TV)

 

Phone number:                                               Fax number:

 

Subject of Enquiry:

 

Deadline for Response (if any):

 

Proposed OFGAC Response:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When will story appear/air?:

 

 

Who else (other agencies/groups) has the reporter spoken to?:

 

 

Who else are they contacting?:

 

 

COPY TO All OFGAC MEMBERS FOR COMMENT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER CONTACT FOR 48 HOURS VIA EMAIL

OFGAC GENERAL MEDIA TIPS

 

Return calls promptly.

 

Print and radio journalists often phone unannounced and expect you to answer questions immediately. If this requirement is inconvenient, don’t feel rushed by a journalist’s pressing deadline.  Make an appointment later in the day or perhaps the next day so you have time to prepare an articulate response. 

 

If possible, ask the journalist to supply you with questions in advance and agree on a time limit for the interview. Anticipate questions by preparing clear and succinct answers in advance. Appreciate that every journalist may look for a different angle in your story.   One may seek a human-interest story, another may be concerned with urban planning and some may invite you to suggest an angle of your own.  Anticipate several possibilities and draft your answers accordingly.  When approached for an interview, note the journalist’s name, publication or media outlet, and always request to be informed when your story will be published or aired.

 

Furnish the journalist with other key contacts and their numbers.

 

If there is a visual element to your project/subject, have copies of photos or drawings available.  The journalist who calls may already have received visuals in the media kit (if one was supplied), but you should always check if the images are sufficient.  Especially in the Homes Section of a newspaper, a story may not be pursued by the editor if good images are not available.

 

A description of OFGAC and a personal bio (if expertise is given) is always helpful for a journalist to understand the committee and representative better.  These should be no longer than one paragraph and can be furnished before or after the interview.

 

For interviews which require the involvement of a photographer or film crew, suggest a background or location that is favorable (e.g. trees or other Greenspace).

 

Television is a revealing medium.  Be attentive to the journalist’s questions and address them succinctly. Do not address the camera when responding. Also, be aware that for television interviews, red, white or checked clothes are not recommended. These colors and patterns broadcast poorly.

 

Keep a copy of whatever relevant OFGAC messages close by for reference during an interview.  OFGAC’s website contains the mandate, workplan and many other documents.

 

And finally, please note the Media Call on the Media Enquiry Form for OFGAC’s records.

 

 

Web Site Working Group Update

 

The Web site working group has been discussing issues related to the OFGAC Web site via email.  They plan to meet face to face to discuss issues such as maintenance, hosting costs, content, and future applications.

 

Several suggestions were made by the Outreach Committee with respect to the OFGAC Web site.  Two new sections were proposed for the front page: Current Forest and Greenspace Issues and What is OFGAC Doing?  These new sections would be written by Outreach members and other OFGAC members where appropriate.  The Current Forest and Greenspace Issues section would be comprised of short paragraphs written in plain language that summarize current issues (e.g. Pocket Parks).  There would be a link to further content either on the OFGAC site or a partner site (e.g. www.saveourgreenspace.ca).  The What is OFGAC Doing? Section will summarize in plain language what was discussed at each OFGAC meeting with links where appropriate. 

 

A          Jeff Blackadar to conduct an inventory of current OFGAC Web site content

 

Councillor Interviews

 

It was agreed that it is necessary to systematically interview each council member to determine how OFGAC can best advise and guide them with respect to forests and greenspace.  This will be done prior to the new council being elected in November and before the OFGAC future directions strategy meeting in November.

 

A          All Outreach Committee members are asked to send meaningful questions for             councillors to Mark Rowsell via email

 

Information Items

 

A two page spread on the Poet’s Pathway was published in the Ottawa Citizen on September 10, 2006 in Section A6.  This was the site of our first “walk in the woods” on May 21, 2006.

 

Future Meeting Topics

 

OFGAC Display

 

Crisis Management Strategy

 

Next Meeting

 

Wednesday, October 11, 2006 – 7pm – Frances Coates house