"How Can Think Tanks Win Friends and Influence People in the Media?"

Description:
Excerpt: "Put your expertise to good use. Scour the newspapers and television for people who habitually report on issues that you are interested in. Begin to feed them information, on a piecemeal basis, through calls and letters. Be selective. Carefully cull information that they can immediately recognize as allowing them to write better stories on these themes – more hard-hitting, insightful, controversial. Be very certain of your facts (remember, this is a confidence-building exercise) and document them with care. And (this is very important) don’t be concerned at this stage about getting credit. Let the journalist look good thanks to your efforts. You will have accomplished two things. First, you will have established yourself in the journalist’s mind as a credible source, and he or she will have a sense of being indebted to you. Then, and only then, can you really expect media people to take an interest in the things that you think are important."