Thursday, National Media Day of Action on Afghanistan

United For Peace & Justice

What's the first step for us to stop the war in Afghanistan? Shift American public opinion!

After all, we did change public opinion on Iraq - through countless street protests, petitions, op-eds, blog posts, bumper stickers, and more. The peace movement pushed (and continues to push!) the majority of Americans to shift their values and demand real change to U.S. foreign policy - including an end to the war in Iraq.

So how do we shift public opinion against the war in Afghanistan? We get our voices out through op-eds, letters to the editor, TV and radio interviews, Twitter and blogs to change the public discourse about the crisis in Afghanistan and Pakistan. These media might be the most effective and powerful force to provoke and change minds nationwide, resulting in a collective push to end the war.

That's why UFPJ calls on you to take part in our National Media Day of Action on Afghanistan this Thursday, May 21. If each of us picks up a single action from the ideas listed below, imagine the impact our combined call for withdrawal could have across the country and the world!

And we've put together a list of resources to help you do just this. Click here to find out how you can participate in this National Media Day: from writing op-eds and letters to the editor to calling-in to local talk radio shows to posting links on social networking sites (like Facebook or Twitter). (We've also attached the resource list below for easy use.)

Remember: our effectiveness in ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be measured by how much and how well we can push our message into the larger public arena. So we need you to join us this Thursday, May 21 for the National Media Day of Action on Afghanistan!

Thanks,

United For Peace and Justice

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Resources for Media Day of Action

The Afghanistan Working Group has put together a list of resources for you to use when you participate in UFPJ's National Media Day of Action on Afghanistan. See below for ways to get your voice heard in print, radio, and online media.

And make sure to use our Talking Points on Afghanistan and the Supplemental bill when you do your media outreach!

PRINT

There are two basic ways to get your message into print media: an Op-Ed piece or a Letter to the Editor. Below, we have sample Letters to the Editor, Op-Ed tips and talking points, links to find newspapers in your area, etc.

• Sample Letters to the Editor
  
• Tips on Writing Effective Op-Ed Pieces
• Where Can I Find Newspapers Near Me?
  
• Report - tell us what you did!
  

RADIO

Talk radio is a powerful and free medium with millions of listeners tuned into national and local programs everyday. Producers from programs of all political bents want to hear from people in the community, with story pitches, interviews, and call-ins. Our job is to make sure that we outreach to talk radio and spread our message through this medium.

• Call-in radio tips
• Find local talk radio stations to track down their call-in lines
  
• Report - tell us what you did!
  

ONLINE

Most important of all -- in this day and age -- is online media work. This includes Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Digg, and all kinds of blogs. We need to push our message in this medium if we're going to have any success in changing public opinion.

Tools, Embeddable Media, and Widgets:

• Video Clips from Rethink Afghanistan
• Cost of War widget: This widget is also customizable to calculate the cost to your state or local area.
• "This site is against the escalation in Afghanistan" button

Need help getting started or need somewhere to post your blog?

• Visit Get Afghanistan Right and post on their blog
• Report - tell us what you did!

ONLINE/SOCIAL NETWORKS

Suggested Status Updates/Tweets:

• Out of Iraq and into Afghanistan? We demand another plan! http://bit.ly/out-of-afghan #StopAfghanWar
• Click here for more status updates.

Facebook:

• Change Your Status. Select one from above.
• Join the Cause. Join "Creating REAL Security for Afghanistan" and invite your friends
• Share the Videos: Share the Rethink Afghanistan videos by posting the link on your wall

MySpace:

• Change Your Status. Select one from above.
• Post a Bulletin. Share the Rethink Afghanistan videos with your friends. You can copy and paste the embed code from any video on this page.

Twitter:

• Tweet: Use one of the Status Updates above. Be sure to include #StopAfghanWar in your tweet.
• New to Twitter? Check out this beginner's guide.