March 2015 Lajna Mentoring Lajna Mediawatch Conference Houston, TX
What is Media Watch? ❖ Our mission is to mount a spirited and robust defense of Islam through our writing and to teach people about the beauty of Islam. ❖ In two Friday sermons on Feb. 11 and 18, 2005, Hazoor (aba) said some in the media were making offensive allegations against Islam. ❖ He requested Lajna USA to form a team to respond to such sentiments. Lajna Mediawatch was born.
Who is Mediawatch? ❖ YOU are! ❖ We welcome any and all writers who want to defend Islam.
Mediawatch Structure ❖ Local chapters should find and cultivate good writers, headed by the local Muavin Sadr for Mediawatch. ❖ Muavin Sadrs report to Shahina Bashir, National Muavin Secretary In-charge for Mediawatch, who supervises a national team of editors.
What does Mediawatch do? ❖ At the local level, local Muavin Sadrs should keep an eye out on the local news, looking for opportunities to defend Islam. They should also inspire and meet regularly with their local media watch team, and pass on any directives from National. When a member writes a piece, send it to the Media Watch editing team at lmw-editors@googlegroups.com. They should also let National know when their members have published something. ❖ At the regional and national level, Lajna Mediawatch monitors the national news for stories on Islam, keeps records of all published articles, publishes guidelines for writers on a variety of topics, and holds regional day-long workshops on how to write, respond to critics, and get published.
Responsibilities of the Muavin Sadr ❖ Should identify potential writers and encourage them to write for Mediawatch ❖ Have a Mediawatch mailing list updated ❖ Pass on directives from national and make sure local writers are actively writing and maintaining momentum ❖ Monitor the local media for opportunities to write about Islam ❖ Send letters for editing to National at lmw-editors@googlegroups.com ❖ If a regional workshop is being held in the majlis, the Muavin Sadr should be responsible for coordination ❖ Attending any workshops in her region ❖ Meet regularly with her writers to share ideas and writing and keep them inspired.
How to Monitor Media ❖ Research all local and national media, (i.e. newspapers, magazines, books, TV/Cable, Radio, Internet) for negative comments or misconceptions about Islam and respond to these publications. ❖ Research the various media types (local & national) for positive comments/articles on Islam; and reinforce them by distributing to other publications and writing comments. ❖ Emphasize on posting multiple responses ❖ Monitor publications from other churches and religious organizations, and post a response to them ❖ Work on building public relations with local newspaper/news groups to have our articles published on the Islamic stance on current issues ❖ Take proactive steps in bringing out the beauty of Islam
For Local Sadrs: Kickstarting Mediawatch ❖ Pray! ❖ If you haven ’ t already, assign someone to be your local Mediawatch Muavina ❖ Pass on what you ’ ve learned here ❖ Aim for regular writing activity every month, even if it ’ s just letters to the editor ❖ Have the Mediawatch Muavina hold regular meetings with her team. ❖ Treat Mediawatch as you would any other department
Lajna Mediawatch on the Web ❖ On Twitter: @lajnamediausa ❖ www.lajnausa.net
How to access the Mediawatch page:
To see more resources:
Current Timeline/Topics Topics Draft Review Publish Death of Jesus - The Ahmadiyya Perspective 03/15/15 03/25/15 04/01/15 Islam's Emphasis on Mothers/Fathers 04/15/15 04/30/15 05/05/15 Patriotism/Government/Democracy – Memorial Day and 4 th of July 05/07/15 05/15/15 05/20/15 06/10/15 06/22/15 06/30/15 Significance/Reason for Ramadan in Islam/Ramadan's Lessons/ 05/25/15 06/06/15 06/13/15 Eid-ul-Fitr Significance of Eid-ul-Adhiya/Islam's Commonalities/Abraham etc. 08/20/15 09/08/15 09/15/15 Islam's Views on Giving Thanks 10/25/16 11/09/15 11/19/15 Jesus in Islam 11/15/15 12/03/15 12/18/15 Islam's Emphasis on Equality/Brotherhood/etc., to coincide with 12/15/15 12/31/15 01/13/16 MLK day and Black History Month 01/01/16 01/15/16 01/25/16 Role of Women in Islam, to coincide with women's history month 02/01/16 02/15/16 03/01/16 Death of Jesus - The Ahmadiyya Perspective 03/10/16 03/11/16 03/21/16 Status of Mothers/Fathers in Islam 04/05/16 04/20/16 05/01/16 Patriotism/Government/Democracy - Memorial Day and 4 th of July 05/25/16 06/10/16 05/20/16 06/01/16 06/15/16 06/25/16 Significance/Reason for Ramadan in Islam/Ramadan's 05/05/16 05/20/16 06/01/16 Lessons/Eid-ul-Fitr Significance of Eid-ul-Adhiya/Islam's Commonalities/Abraham etc. 08/01/16 08/15/16 08/25/16 Islam's Views on Giving Thanks 10/20/16 11/05/16 11/15/16 Jesus in Islam 11/15/16 12/03/16 12/18/16 Islam's Perspective on Diversity 12/21/16 01/07/17 01/02/17 Role of Women in Islam, to coincide with women's history month 02/01/17 02/15/17 02/25/17
Some Tips and Advice ❖ We ’ d like to take questions, but before we do, we ’ d like to share just a few quick tips with you (if you ’ d like to know more, attend our regional workshops!)
The Difference: Letters and Op-Eds ❖ Letters are only 200-250 words. They ’ re very succinct. If you ’ re not brief, you won ’ t get published. ❖ Op-Eds are much harder to get published, and tend to be only 750-800 words. The point is more nuanced than the thesis in a letter, but can ’ t be overly long and complicated.
Do Letters Matter? YES YES Writing a letter to the editor might not sound as glamorous as an op-ed, but they introduce you to the community, and if you ’ re consistent in writing them, you build up credibility and expertise in the community which will lead to other opportunities. They ’ re also easier and less intimidating to write, and much easier to get published.
Ok, I want to write. Now what? Keep your eyes open and pick a topic Decide on what you want to write about. Maybe Mother ’ s Day is coming up, and you ’ d like to write about Islam and the importance of mothers. Or maybe you read something related to Islam and you want to respond to it. Or there ’ s been some criticism of Islam that ’ s been all over the media, and you want to address it. Any of these is fine to write about. Keep up with the news so that you can find prime opportunities.
More tips ❖ Use short and simple sentences, and avoid jargon. ❖ Explicitly support or oppose something. ❖ Personalize the op-ed with an anecdote ❖ Link the op-ed to current news story but keep the focus local. ❖ Follow the particular paper's guidelines for submission, closely ❖ Make your main point in the first or second paragraph. ❖ Elaborate two, maximum three, supporting points in the following paragraphs Make sure paragraphs are short and contain one main idea. ❖ Use facts, statistics and studies to support your argument. Do not, however, be overly legal. Use metaphors ❖ Conclude with a paragraph that draws the piece together and links to your opening anecdote.
Constantly Learn Constantly read and study. The Promised Messiah(as), writing in Al-Balagh, identified several qualities for those who want to defend Islam: they should know science, history, know the Islamic and Ahmadiyya literature, and knowledge of logic and debate. They should also work on developing a true and deep friendship with Allah.
Ok,I ’ ve read up, and I have a topic Now What? Having a topic to write about isn ’ t enough. You need a thesis. Let ’ s say you ’ re going to write about terrorism. What are you going to say? You need to have a point that point that ’ s more targeted. You won ’ t be able to cover every aspect in 250 words. So pick a more focused thesis: The example of the Holy Prophet (saw) shows us that terrorism is never allowed. Then pick a few examples that support that.
Editing Okay, now you should have a draft. Next, set it aside for 6-24 hours, depending on how time- sensitive it is. In the meantime, send it to a brutally honest friend for editing. First-time writers tend to get discouraged by heavy editing. But: even the best, most talented writers get brutally edited all the time. all the time. Don ’ t be discouraged — use it to up your game.
Final Tips Most people don ’ t write because they are intimidated by writing or because they don ’ t have the time. So, one thing you can do is write with a buddy — there ’ s no law saying that each letter or op-ed has to be written by one person. Find someone you work well with and co-draft a letter. As for time, in our longer workshops we ’ ve found that lots of people can draft a great letter within 30 minutes. So challenge yourself: set a timer, and get a draft out in 30 minutes. Then send to a trusted friend for editing, and you ’ ll find it ’ s much less time- consuming and intimidating then you might have thought.
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