Participation level:
- Low (Information only)
Innovation level:
- Low (Traditional)
Facilitator skill level, and other support required:
- High (Specialist skills)
- Medium (Computer & other expertise)
Can be used for:
- Showcase product, plan, policy
- Engage community
- Communicate an issue
- Large (> 12 people)
- Medium (2-12 people)
- Individual
Newspaper inserts aim to reach and inform the majority of people in a targetted geographic area about an issue or proposal.
Newspaper inserts will increase awareness of a proposal or issue, even though many inserts will not be read.
- Achieves high level publicity.
- Provides information.
- When a large number of potential stakeholders exist.
- When a large number of people are affected by a development decision (e.g. road works/planning scheme preparation).
- Outlines opportunities for public involvement in a participation process
- Content should be simply stated, concise and unambiguous.
- Content should provide basic information (do not overload with too much information).
- Contact information should be provided.
- Cost may be a factor if the newspaper charges for the inserts, or insists on advertising.
- If undertaken as a community service, rather than a commercial transaction, distribution depends on the newspapers willingness to insert the flyers, leaflets, etc.
Organizing Newspaper Insert
How many people to organize?
Time required:
- Medium (6 weeks-6 months)
Cost:
- High (> AUD$10,000)
- Medium (AUD$1,000-AUD$10,000)
- Decide the size, cost and number of inserts by determining the potential number of stakeholders, and how these match with the delivery areas of the newspaper.
- Decide on your key messages, including methods for public participation.
- Write your information in simple, concise and unambiguous language.
- Outline major events and the duration of the participation process.
- Include contact information, i.e. key project staff (by name), information hotline numbers, location of information repository ( if any), and include phone, email and website addresses.
- If possible, use trained layout help to ensure the inserts attract interest and are easy to read.
- Record contact made as a result of the insert, and add to project mailing list.
- Use to report project outcomes as well as publicizing the process.