Here are some ways you can make your voice, and the voices of other young people, heard in the news:

1. Approach your local media outlets and encourage them to:
   
   
   • Pay attention to youth issues. Media outlets respond to the needs of their audiences, so if enough young people ask for more and better coverage of youth issues, sooner or later the editors and reporters will take heed.
   • Assign a regular "youth beat" reporter. Contact the editor or news director, and suggest a reporter who's already familiar with youth issues - or you can even volunteer your own services.
   • Publish stories, editorials or reviews written by young people. Some newspapers have regular youth sections written and edited by students.
   • Establish a youth council to advise staff and editorial boards on youth issues; or add a youth member to the existing editorial board.
   
   
   
2. Offer yourself, or your student council or youth group, as experts the media can contact when they need a youth response to a news story.
   
   
3. Download the Tip Sheet for Journalists (right sidebar), written to increase awareness of youth stereotyping and promote fair and unbiased journalism. Send it to your local media outlets, and pass it out to reporters at media events.
   
   
4. Organize your own media events about issues that concern you and other youth. See the right sidebar for tip sheets on Making a Communications Plan, Writing a News Release, and How to Hold a Media Event.
   
   
5. Organize a panel discussion on youth stereotyping in the media. Invite members of your local media and youth representatives to participate. Child and Youth Friendly Ottawa has organized similar events. If you have a Child and Youth Friendly agency in your city, suggest that it host the event.
   
   
6. Pitch your own ideas for articles to the media. For how to go about this, see the right sidebar for Pitching a Story Idea to Print Media and Writing a News Story.
   
   
7. Get involved with youth publications and youth media on the Internet. (See the Accessing Youth Media and the Internet section on the rightbar.) The Internet will allow you to find and network with other youth who care about how youth issues are covered by the media.