Media Policy FAQ

The Media Policy working group was established by a chapter resolution on April 2, 2019. The intent was to create an approval process and facilitate guidance of media projects that represent our chapter to the public. 

The Media Policy working group’s core is:

• Either of the chapter’s co-chairs, who are the official spokespeople for our chapter 
• A representative from the Political Education Committee
• Any editor of a recurring chapter publication (like Red Delta, our chapter newsletter)
• The Media Policy Liaison, who is appointed by the Communications Committee to serve on the working group for a six month term. The liaison coordinates between the Communications Committee and project heads to anticipate needs and provide follow up
• Any general member. We strongly encourage participation of anyone in our chapter interested in these topics

Together, we create policies, guidelines, and tools to assist members with their projects. We aim to create a process that is collective, democratic, and fair. A crucial question for all media projects is: Who is our intended audience and what is the desired outcome?

Currently the Media Policy working group meets at least once every two months. The group will also meet as necessary to consider final drafts of projects or time-sensitive materials.

No, Media Policy is a standalone group, although there is some overlap in participation on projects. The group was created so that detailed supervision on projects would not be the sole responsibility of either the Communications Committee or the Local Council.

• Pamphlets or zines
• Guides and training materials with an audience outside of our chapter
• Audio or video projects 
• Op-eds, letters to the editor, or public statements on behalf of our chapter
• Media appearances or other representations in a public forum

Media Policy does not issue recommendations for approval for such things as:

• Rapid Response statements or articles
• Social Media posts
• Chapter-wide communications (such as mass emails or texts)
• Internal documents such as guidelines or training materials
• Flyers, handbills, or other promotional materials

These types of messaging should be approved by their respective committees, caucuses, working groups, and/or in some cases a chapter co-chair. 

Once you have defined your project’s format, goals, and audience, please fill out this form to notify the Media Policy group. We will put someone in contact with you who will likely come to your next project meeting to get a better understanding of it. If you will need assets or production skills from the Communications Committee, please also fill out their requisition form.

Working with the Media Policy working group is optional, but it is strongly recommended that you submit your project (especially a large-scale one) for consideration before seeking approval from the Local Council or General Membership. The Media Policy working group will give feedback and vote on whether to recommend approval for release. The Local Council may have additional suggestions or revisions, so please factor in this discussion and approval process into your project’s timeline! It may take a week or more to go through this final stage, especially if there are suggested revisions.

As soon as the Local Council has approved your project, you’ll be notified and can proceed with distribution. Again, if you need the project promoted on social media or the chapter’s website, please give the Communications Committee ample notice.

No. While taking advantage of the Media Policy working group’s guidance is the best way to draw in as many people as possible to assist you with your project, our chapter bylaws were written to be as democratic as possible. Any member can bring a proposal to the Local Council or the General Membership at a general meeting and motivate people to approve it. However, you are not allowed to include our chapter’s logo or name on any project until you have formal approval from one of those bodies. 

That’s great! We depend on our members to generate ideas and brainstorm them alongside others. We recommend that you find at least one other person to discuss your idea with to help shape its focus. We have written Guidelines for New Media Projects to help refine and plan your project. Once you have a pitch, you can bring it to the Communications Committee or the Media Policy working group to discuss it. 

Awesome! You can join the #media-policy-wg channel on Slack or email hello@dsaneworleans.org, and we’ll make sure you are aware of the next meeting date and time.