Be sure that there is a bias.

It would be nice if the media was pro-life, but it is something which we cannot demand.

What we should demand is that on a controversial and important topic such as abortion, our side should be heard.

In our community, we noticed that letters sent to our local newspaper to refute pro-abortion editorials and letters were rarely printed. In contrast, Planned Parenthood often had their letters published and editorials favorable to Planned Parenthood were frequent. Their director was quoted on a myriad of topics.

Build a coalition

Bring together a few competent people to organize this. In our case, two of us organized and brought in others as needed.

Firstly, we placed a petition on the internet. The petition was very firm but polite and non-confrontational. A confrontational petition will taint you as a radical and will keep many who agree with you from joining your effort.

Focus on getting respected members of your community to sign the petition i.e., Bishop, ministers (Catholic and Protestant), business leaders, attorneys, physicians, retired judges, professors. Then, obtain as many other signatures as possible. Remember that newspapers are businesses; the more of their consumers you represent, the more bargaining power you will have.

Gather evidence of bias

Go onto the newspaper's internet site; perform a search on words such as abortion, pro-life, etc. Document the bias and unbalanced coverage and be prepared to explain how this is unfair journalism and gives people an inaccurate or misleading impression of the issue. Accuracy is of the utmost importance here.

Set up the meeting

Write to your newspapers editorial page editor and ombudsman and politely request a meeting. Explain that you represent a broad constituency of people concerned with the issue and email a link to the petition.  The petition is key here, as it reinforces your position that the newspaper is not representing its reasonable readers. Be persistent;  keep calling until you get a meeting.

Plan your presentation

You will probably want to meet or formulate strategy ahead of time--- what to say and what not to say; what statistics or documentation you would like to provide, who will provide them, etc. First impressions are key. Your presentation must be both respectful and professional. What exactly do you want to communicate and in what order? We first met with the ombudsman at lunch and respectfully laid out for him our findings of bias. He was presented with a folder of every letter, editorial, and article concerning pro-life published in his newspaper during the previous twelve months. Included was a list of pro-life activities not covered by them during the same time period.

Present your case

You are not anti-abortion, you are pro-life; you may wish to bring someone who represents the abstinence effort or post abortion counseling.  Realize that the editor or ombudsman, while they may not agree with you, in all likelihood are good, decent people. Be clear about what your goals are before you go into the meeting. Be polite but firm. Be persistent but do not lose your temper. Stick to what you can prove. Conclude your meeting with specific requests for improvements in coverage, the inclusion of views that are being excluded to provide balance, providing context or history on a specific issue, terminology changes, etc.

Follow-up