Anyone with experience of writing press releases?

[95Theses]

I was beginning to think yesterday that getting in the print edition of the Times was enough really, and it was time to drop it. After a good sleep I've totally changed my mind. I just made this post in another thread :

I care, and I'm going to keep this going as long as I can.

Richard stresses that if there are two sides to an argument, then look at the evidence, don't just believe what you are told. In this case We have the evidence, and all he has is blind assertions based on fallacies, mis representations and quote mines. I intend to hold him to his own standards wherever possible.

We have evidence that the thread on RDF discussing this wasn't the hate filled vitriol he claims it was
We have evidence that the thread was deleted and wiped from the logs
We have evidence that PM's were turned off to stop us exchaning information
We have evidence that his admins vandalised thousands of science posts, and ruined the science writing competition out of sheer spite
We have evidence that he has quote mined and mis represented us as nothing more than a bunch of thugs

It is getting to the point now where I am reminded of the Wendy Wright interview, only Richard is behaving like Wendy Wright, refusing to even acknowledge the evidence we are waving in front of his face that he and/or his staff are wrong. His behaviour is more becoming someone from AiG than I ever expected, covering up the truth, blindly making assertions with no evidence, painting anyone who doesn't agree with you as a mindless thug.

Yesterday I was perhaps beginning to worry that this was blowing up too far, but we have to remember Richard is just an atheist, if we want to think we are better the blind ideological stormtroopers for doctrine (TM Cali) then we have to hold our own to the same standards we hold them.

He's wrong in this case, he's totally mis representing the truth in order to try and force his own made up version of reality down people's throat, and I'm not going to stand for it.

I'm annoyed about the fact that we are having to go onto comments sections of the times, the guardian even Pharyngula to get the truth about this out, and I would like to start being more proactive. Peter, Jerome and Hack have written excellent blogs about this, but I'd like a properly formatted press release so we can pre empt coverage in other media outlets by getting our story to them before Richards PR machine swings into action.

To this end a properly formatted press release with the facts would be useful, can anyone help?

The times has proven that this is worthy of the printed press, lets pre empt more false stories while we can.

Cheers

95

[Girlysprite]

While I can certainly understand why you do this and feel sympathy for it, I am not sure if it is a good idea. Maybe its best if the discussion will just die down. A press release will invite another reaction from the other side, the websites will keep on reporting about it, and the conflict will just drag on. And it is not getting our forum back. No, I know it's not nice if the users are vilified (I'm a user as well), but keeping the topic alive will just invite more of it.

[Simon_Gardner]

Anyone with experience of writing press releases?

Yes.

[95Theses]

Anyone with experience of writing press releases?

Yes.

Would you consider writing a properly formatted one containing the facts and evidence so we can pre empt any more spin?

[95Theses]

While I can certainly understand why you do this and feel sympathy for it, I am not sure if it is a good idea. Maybe its best if the discussion will just die down. A press release will invite another reaction from the other side, the websites will keep on reporting about it, and the conflict will just drag on. And it is not getting our forum back. No, I know it's not nice if the users are vilified (I'm a user as well), but keeping the topic alive will just invite more of it.

I don't care anymore about getting the forum back, that's long gone.

I care about Richard still continuing to paint the entire membership and staff as a bunch of thugs, when it was his own staff that vandalised the website out of spite.

He should know that he can't just adopt the tactics of his enemies on the religious side when it fit's his purpose

[Svartalf]

You think that press releases is the way rather than let him bury himself in his own rhetoric and attitude, and let word of mouth and grassroots deprive him of respect?

I mean, and no offence to him, but Calilasseia's attitude, albeit measured, courteous, and stemming from a perfectly justified position, managed to look preachy and, in my sympathetic eyes, possibly detrimental to the cause.

I suspect that we won't win anything by pursuing a war, and may not even manage to do much more damage than the official RD side is inflicting to itself.

[95Theses]

You think that press releases is the way rather than let him bury himself in his own rhetoric and attitude, and let word of mouth and grassroots deprive him of respect?

I mean, and no offence to him, but Calilasseia's attitude, albeit measured, courteous, and stemming from a perfectly justified position, managed to look preachy and, in my sympathetic eyes, possibly detrimental to the cause.

I suspect that we won't win anything by pursuing a war, and may not even manage to do much more damage than the official RD side is inflicting to itself.

I mean that this is oging to get out to the media one way or the other.

We have already seen 3 pieces at the times and one at the guardian, and all of them swallow the lies to some extent or another. I want to get the truth in first, and I'd like it to come across professionally and not as comments on a piece they have already signed off on.

[pErvinalia]

I support going the press release route. Richard is being grossly hypocritical here, and just as I don't suffer idiots at the best of times, I won't suffer Richard being idiotic now.

[WhostolemyID]

As a virtual non-poster there, I don't feel I should be "in" with a vote. However, a problem I do see is that "The Richard Dawkins Foundation" can have a united opinion, parcelled in a press release. It's more difficult to form such a view from the diaspora spread here and at other forums.

I've used "view" and "opinion" rather than fact, because it'll always be difficult to prove the facts. I saw (some of) it, I'm convinced that the general description by the mods is completely correct, but I'm still not sure there's an easy 100% consensus statement that can be issued....

[DMac]

If it's written it should (imo) be a dry recounting of the timeline, with citations such as dates and web locations of the posts referred to in "Outrage" that make Dawkin's presentation inarguably false. Present those facts, and remind that others such as the true level of vitrolity in the RDnet thread(s?) criticizing things were deleted by the admins. Let people form their own conclusions, don't offer any that aren't completely factual.

And/or present it along with the text of "Outrage" or one of the Times articles, noting inaccuracies point-by-point and making the issue about lousy reporting rather than who's right and who's wrong.

[Simon_Gardner]

Anyone with experience of writing press releases?

Yes.

Would you consider writing a properly formatted one containing the facts and evidence so we can pre empt any more spin?

Sorry. Only just got this on account of not being on Ratz.

I’d have no problem writing a release. It would need to be short and succinct (the opposite of so much I have seen from various people online). If you want a long account or want to direct people to one then you can do no worse than Peter’s blog.

BUT who is it for? The stories have now been written and the hacks have agreed a common line and moved on. There just might be something in the Sundays but I don’t think so. The US press has never shown an interest.

My advice FWIW is that it’s too late by about 4 days.

[95Theses]

Anyone with experience of writing press releases?

Yes.

Would you consider writing a properly formatted one containing the facts and evidence so we can pre empt any more spin?

Sorry. Only just got this on account of not being on Ratz.

I’d have no problem writing a release. It would need to be short and succinct (the opposite of so much I have seen from various people online). If you want a long account or want to direct people to one then you can do no worse than Peter’s blog.

BUT who is it for? The stories have now been written and the hacks have agreed a common line and moved on. There just might be something in the Sundays but I don’t think so. The US press has never shown an interest.

My advice FWIW is that it’s too late by about 4 days.

Yeah i agree now, I wrote this early doors friday when I hoped to try and get something out for the weekend.

I just thought it would be nice to have that succinct account for people to disseminate.