The Occupy Wall Street movement has the attention of the mainstream media.
It’s slipping, though. Last weekend, I saw no reason to include Occupy Wall Street in my newscasts. Going through my wire copy, transcripts, and tape today, I see no reason — again. Maybe a couple lines on a march against health care. There’s nothing here, except a bunch of people sleeping in a park and a handful of a demonstrators getting arrested in smattering of cities across the country. So what? What’s new here?
The attention OWS is getting is not the attention it needs. Look, OWS is plotting out bathroom trips. The demonstrators have a kitchen. Dealing with medical problems.
News — is new. Any movement has got to keep the attention of journalists, who in turn are watched by the public and the people who make the decisions in this country, like the politicians. I understand the OWS-ers don’t like that. You’ve got to be part of the system before you can change it.
I’ve got twenty years of news, including two national networks, under my belt. I’ve also been studying public relations for the last two years. If OWS wants to stay off life support, here’s the very least that has to be done:
Get a leadership team together. Right now. Yeah, I get it. You’re a leaderless movement, everyone has a voice. That’s a great idea that’s not going to work. You need a spokesperson. You need a lightening rod. You need a team of people who can speak for your movement, who can make decisions, who navigate your ship through rough waters. And you need that team right now.
Get a publicity team together. What I am seeing, over and over and over again, from Wall Street to San Francisco, is reaction from OWS when it comes to dealing with the public. The movement needs to think a couple of steps ahead, and be proactive. I am not seeing anyone who’s got the media and community relation skills to work with the surrounding community, the politicans, the reporters and — this is very important — the COPS — to allow a message not to get swallowed up by pepper spray and riot horses. You need a police liason. You need a community liaison. You need a political liaison, probably several to deal with different offices. You need someone schooled in crisis communications and dealing with reporters, their deadlines, and their ways of doing businesses.
Study the movements that come before you. Women’s Suffrage. The Civil Rights movements. Gay Rights. Study them, and build a strategy. The reason your cute little kitchen in lower Manhattan is being covered is because the reporters are bored. They’re not covering your politics. That’s a problem. Learn from the past, and learn how to build a strategy. Get a professional strategist.
Form Affiliations. We’re seeing some of this, like with the unions. They want your media attention; you can use their organizational skills. Everyone wins. Do it more. Choose friends wisely.
Learn to Work Within the System. Not to get all this-land-is-your-land on you, but you OWS-ers are constituents of the politicians in office. Overwhelm them. Demand your supporters overwhelm them. Start building a political machine. You are part of the system. Make it your system.
Look what you got here, Occupy Wall Street: 43% of Americans agree with at least some of your ideas. You’ve got a foundation. Build a new house on it.
