Media contact
For media enquiries please use this form: Media contact form
Get Heard
The public would know nothing of the plight of stranded Aussies if it wasn’t for those who have shared their stories with the media.
Share our stories
I need help sharing my story.
Without continued news coverage, change is unlikely to occur. Put yourself out there if you’re able and tell your story in any way you can.
If you are willing to tell your Stranded Australian story to the media, contact any of the journalists listed below or those who come to your attention through press reports or on social media. See our ‘Talking to the Media’ guide below and before you speak with reporters, perhaps consider these factors:
- your ties to Australia
- experiences getting home so far
- vulnerabilities
- supports
- personal message to an audience in Australia
- local media outlets where you intend to or currently live in Australia
Journalists
Share your story with the press or share news reports on social media
These are just some of the journalists who have reported on the stranded Aussies crisis. While the press has been invaluable, it’s worth bearing in mind that working with the media is done on the media’s terms. In addition, the contact details for various newsrooms around Australia are available here.
“I am a journalist covering Stranded Aussies.”
Please contact us and we will assist.
‘Talking to the Media’ Guide.
The basics – (all interviews: print, radio, TV, live or pre-recorded)
- Ask if they can send you a list of potential questions in advance or give you an idea of what specifically interest them, so that you may prepare.
- Have 3 or so key points that you wish to get across. Have them written down in front of you during the interview as a prompt and rehearse them well beforehand (writing your thoughts by hand helps them sink in and having prompts will help you to stay focused, concise, and confident when nerves creep in)
- Make sure your points are well informed and factual (numbers and percentages are helpful)
- Circle back to the points you wish to get across “the answer is ‘x’, but what we really need to focus on is (the thing I want to say)”
- Make your answers concise and to the point. Practice 15 second statements – this reduces the risk of them being edited out entirely due to their length/time constraints.
- Make sure to check when it is they will start recording (and record it yourself if you wish)
- Get informed about the media source and interviewer. Be aware of potential political colour, and feel free to decline if you are not comfortable with the context your words may be placed in.
- It doesn’t need to be perfect, be emotional, it doesn’t matter. If you are really unhappy with something and it’s not live, its ok to ask to start over with your answer or scrap the item entirely, most journalists want to work with you not against you.
- It’s best not to disclose anything that you are not comfortable making public. Generally journalists regard whatever you say to them, even informally, as ‘on the record’ unless you specify otherwise.
- Drink tepid water beforehand (not chilled) to keep your voice strong.
- For interviews via Skype, you may have a blank screen so put a postnote or other focal point on your computer close to the camera to help you maintain eye contact with the audience.
- Create a media brief. With your details and a concise summary of situation together with some photos, that can be easily shared at short notice as support material to get your story out there.
- Be prepared for disappointment and don’t let it discourage you. If it is not a live interview, a lot of the time they edit out the majority and sometimes it does not go to air/print at all.
- Share it widely. Don’t expect just because it’s on tv, radio or newspaper that everyone will see it.
TV appearances (pre-recorded and live):
- Sound is key. Sound is 80% of the viewer experience
- Make sure you have good lighting.
- Frame and background. Set yourself up in a place with a good background (i.e. an interior wall) and check how you are framed against that background (closeness, centred etc)
Social Media Tags & Hashtags.
Tags allow social media users to engage an individual, business or any entity with a social profile when they mention them in a post or comment. For example you may tag politicians or people in the media. In Facebook and Instagram, tagging notifies the recipient and provides a link to their profile. Consider targeting your social media posts by using tags.
Some handles for Australian politicians’ Twitter accounts:
Hashtags are a way to connect social media content to a specific topic, event, theme, or conversation. They also make it easier to discover posts around those specific topics, because hashtags aggregate all social media content with that same hashtag. In light of raising awareness, the hashtag #strandedAussies is essential in all our social media posts. Consider further targeting your social media posts by using additional hashtags when sharing Stranded Aussie content.