2. Promotional Guidelines
Please talk to a director before contacting the media or other groups
This article will cover
- Who to contact,
- How to contact,
- How and when to follow up, etc.
Please do not approach media on your own without first speaking with someone from the CodeDoesGood business team
Always keep our group's central message: To Do Good in mind when speaking with other developers, outside non-profit and charitable organizations, and the media, be it press and other traditional media outlets, or internet news sources.
Our mission is to harness the cognitive surplus of the tech community towards building solutions to real problems in the world. In practical terms, your own project helps our organization and the wider community to address a real problem - with direct, focused, results-oriented steps to solve that problem.
Be sure to consult this wiki, for pointers as to our philosophy. In particular, look over our Mission Statement and Guiding Principles and our About page.
Our public reputation is important and must be protected.
In the current political climate the new political default is to be slanted or biased in one direction or another. Therefore we cannot be asleep when we encounter the media, we have to be alert to bias whether we agree with it or not.
We make no bones about our left-leaning viewpoint. However, we accept that we won't be able to convince everyone, and we should not wish to do so. Do not enter into arguments with any person, media outlet, or organization on behalf of CodeDoesGood. This is grounds for removal from CDG.
If possible include others from your team and from the CodeDoesGood business team in any interviews. A brief, concise description of who we are and what we do is a good idea, especially if your contact with this specific outlet is the first for us as a whole. We would rather focus on CodeDoesGood as a whole and all the great things we are doing than give the impression that an individual project is the only important thing people should know about.
When it is time to speak with media you can contribute by describing how your project addresses a need. When discussing your project, concentrate on what the problem is, which steps your project has taken to define it, and how it addresses that problem. Ultimately, prepare ahead of time to explain how your project realizes our goal of doing good.
Keep your explanations simple, not technical. Practice defining your project to non-technical people first. This is very important. If you can explain it to the general public in a clear and direct manner, your message will be more effective.
Be sure to do some vetting and source checking when deciding which news media outlets or other groups to approach. Know who you are talking with and be aware of who and what they represent.
When we vet media outlets, we're vetting them for compatibility -- or sympathetic contrast -- with our viewpoints.
We believe every human on this planet should be treated with dignity and respect and should be extended the same basic rights as each other no matter their race, nationality, sexual orientation, gender, ability/disability, or cognitive level. We reserve the right to limit the organizations we work with for any reason but especially if they are involved in any actions, projects or promotion of values and beliefs we deem anti-humanitarian, regressive, or harmful to the environment. We will additionally not provide services for political or religious based projects and reserve the right to not work with a political or religious group even for non-political and non-religious projects.
Remember that for the purposes of participation in this group, we are not aligned with any specific political or religious viewpoints, although we are definitely inclined towards an explicitly progressive worldview. This will be relevant when you are approached by news outlets that do not share this view; their goal will be to work towards an agenda that is not our own. Use your discretion when speaking at all times.
If you are concerned that the outlet will grossly misrepresent your project, us or our goals, please be sure to speak with one of the founder members before communicating with the outlet. Do not approach the outlet.
Keep your public statements to the point and limited to your project's scope, and nothing else. While our viewpoints are well-known, there is no need to repeat them at every opportunity if it will be seen as argumentative or repetitive. Where we differ with a given outlet or political opinion, chances are good that staff will be aware of these differences and tailor our responses appropriately.