Tobacco Documents Online

Letters to the Editor. The key here is to write an original letter expressing your concerns. Personalizing your letter is more effective than sending in someone else's form letter from a mass letter-writing campaign - newspapers are more interested in your own thoughts. Highlighting facts and experiences from your community will increase the chances of your letter being printed. Newspaper Articles. Also talk with the editors of your local newspaper and try to persuade them to write editorials in support of nonsmoking policies. Team up with a local health organization to interest the newspaper's health or community affairs reporter in writing a news or feature article about secondhand smoke and what your community is doing about it. Television. Television is a little more difficult to work with, since broadcast time is scarce and expensive. The.best way to get started is by writing the community affairs director. State the facts about secondhand smoke and explain why it's important for the station to address this issue. Most stations cover public issues on Saturday or Sunday mornings, so a local angle increases your chances of getting a response. Also consider working with a local health organization to explore developing a talk show for the community access station of your local cable TV system.

Secondhand Smoke and the Local Media The Environmental Protection Agenc~s classification of secondhand smoke as a "Group A° carcinogen (known to cause cancer in humans) is newsworthy enough to bring to the attention of the media. There are several ways of voicing your concerns and being heard. Call in to radio talk shows. Write letters to the editors of your local newspapers. You may even want to contact your local TV stations. Benefits of Getting the Media Involved The more that people are aware of the dangers of secondhand smoke, the better chance we all have of reducing our exposure to it. And the more we reduce that exposure, the healthier we'll be. The facts about secondhand smoke speak for themselves. If you get the media on your side to publicize these facts, we'll all be better off. How to Involve the Media Radio Talk Shows. Call and ask to speak with the station s producer. He or she will first want to hear an overview of the subject matter. If you can, fax the information so the station can have it on hand. If the station can tie in a local "angle" (related happenings, events, or human interest accounts in the community), the chances of getting air time are much better. Suggest a local expert who would be available to discuss issues relating to secondhand smoke, such as a local pediatrician, family doctor, cancer specialist, or respiratory therapist. If you know what program you or the expert would like to be on, suggest it to the producer. If you don't know, the producer should be able to identify which program would be most appropriate. Contact your local hospital, cancer society, lung association, or other health groups. They can help you line up experts and give you other help you need in working with the station. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES Public Health Service CDC /oIRM,//6