Resources for Activists
About the toolkit
Any media outreach effort must have a compelling and media-friendly press kit. The kit's purpose is to provide basic information that will inspire stories or at least spark further inquiries - not to answer every conceivable question about an issue. The idea of a press kit is to create interest, not to exhaust it.
This kit is intended to introduce issues pertaining to sex work to people who are unfamiliar with sex work. This kit is for people that may take small steps as they learn more about the problems faced by sex workers, rather than known allies who are already educated about sex work.
A well-done kit signals a level of seriousness that reporters respect. It should be simple, clear, and not too showy. It should draw attention to your main messages and themes, not to the money you spent putting it together.
For the Working Group on Sex Work and Human Rights, we have attempted to follow the above advice with a kit that gives basic information on sex work and sex workers.
Our goal is to break down common stereotypes and conventional wisdoms so that reporters will think differently about both the issue and the people involved in sex work. Where appropriate, we have raised our opponents' best arguments and then demolished them so that journalists will see those arguments as old news.
The messages and principles conveyed in this toolkit can be adapted to be used as the basis for:
- Interviews with the media;
- Letters to the editor;
- Op-ed pieces; and,
- Advocacy letters and documents.
We encourage you to find creative uses for this kit. Distribute it with press releases and at news conferences, briefings, special events and other meetings. Take it with you when you are scheduled to do a media interview. The kit is also a useful tool for conversations with potential allies, major donors and foundation executives.