To ask how one 'goes to the papers'?

[bandthenjust]

As it says!
When something outrageous happens and somebody declares, 'go to the papers!', How do you actually do it? I mean, how and who do you approach with the issue?

Would really like to know! Actually googled it but it just came up with how to write a paper

You phone the newspaper number and ask to speak to the news desk.

Local or national? I know a few local journalists so would prob get in touch through Twitter.

Google around the topic in question and/or search the topic via news sites and you'll come up with various articles. Contact authors of those articles.

post an AIBU on here they'll pick it up in no time at all.

www.dailymail.co.uk/home/contactus/index.html

But each of the papers has a similar page with an email. Or twitter, especially if you tweet a journo who writes similar stories to the one you have.

Here you go.

Journalist here.

News desks numbers easy to find online plus we put details on twitter.

Try typing "report a story to the press" into google and you'll find your answer.

Many high profile individuals cultivate relationships with particular journalists or get approached.. everyone else has to go through the normal channels!

There's a Daily Fail Sad Face App!

Go to a news agency. They sell stories to the papers and are a much better bet than contacting a paper directly as they will know where best to place your story. They are also better resourced for handling members of the public than newspaper newsdesks are. Just google U.K. news agency + selling story or somesuch.

Oh wow, thank you! Learn something new everyday!
I actually want to make a public complaint- or rather a complaint, publicly, is there such a thin g?

I did local this year for the first time. Just rang the news desk and they had me in one afternoon with their senior reporter.
The reporter was very kind

Another journo chiming in - if you have a complaint that would be newsworthy, contact your local newspaper editorial desk.

Don't be offended if they say no or aren't interested though - unfortunately, we get a LOT of it, and a lot of the time what's genuinely upsetting/enraging/shocking to an individual just doesn't make for 'good' news, and we get a lot of upset people wondering why we haven't published their dispute with their neighbours etc.

I did this last year. I just messaged their Facebook page saying I had a story I thought they might be interested in, told them a bit about it and they got back in touch to arrange to send a reporter out.

I thought you just wrote on AIBU and it got printed in the Fail.....

I emailed our local paper and they printed my "sad face" photo on the front page!

Lol eleanor, it's local I'd like to contact, and it's sort of a bit gri m; it's about safeguardi ng concerns in a school. Thanks for all the replies, I'll start contacting people on Monday.

If it's safeguarding concerns, do you have reasonable proof? Have you raised them with the school?
Have you contacted the LADO?
Have you contacted the police for advice (if relevant)?
Have you contacted Ofsted?

I'd be doing all of those before going to the papers, after all they are the people professionally equipped to respond to those situations (and probably 9 times out of 10 better placed to investigate than a local paper out for a quick story).

You can phone or email whoever you want. A newspaper won't publish without checking facts or asking the other side to respond. Very unlikely to get a school complaint published unless it's something like a child being locked in a classroom overnight

The school situation is just... Words fail me. It's an academy, so the LA wont do anything (I rang them).
Also, I've tried to go to OFSTED but I can't for same reasons - which I find bizarre, so if anyone can help me go through OFSTED I'd be g reatfull.
I've contacted the people in charge of the Academy (it's a faith school) and I'm waiting to hear from them.
One of the main issues I have in regards to complaining to the school, is that they point-blank refuse to give me the governors details. Which I've been told is illegal by the LA, but the school still won't help.

I'm not about to start with the paper's or god forbid, 'social media', I see it as a last ditch attempt to getting somethin g done. just didnt know how to go about it.

Can you start a thread on the education boards here ? Lots of very well informed people who will have experience of dealing with academies.

Have you been through all the proper channels first?

I started a thread a couple of days ago 'violence in primary school' on the primary schools but... Not sure how to link!

contact.ofsted.gov.uk/online-complaints
There. That took me under 1 minute to find in google.

Just to clarify:
The LADO is a local authority designated officer. They are separate from the LA for dealing with schools. The LADO is the council's safeguarding person. Anyone can report to the LADO. I work in an academy and we are explicitly told that shouls we feel school has safeguarding issues and wasn't dealing with them then we are legally able to go to the LADO.

It sounds to me like you have an issue (haven't seen the original thread so not going to comment on whether it is/isn't an issue) but are approaching things in a 'I want to kick off so I'll scattergun complain to anyone and then be annoyed I'm not getting anywhere' way.

1. School policy for safeguarding and complaints
2. Academy trust level / MAT leaders
3. LADO
4. Ofsted

You need to be able to outline the facts of the issues based on your understanding. No reading between the lines. No assumptions. No I'm furious so will exaggerate a little to be taken seriously. You then need to outline where/when you raised things with the school (and who to) & why you feel it hasn't been dealt with. Have you spoken to the school's safeguarding lead, for example?

You also need to be aware that just because you've not seen something doesn't mean nothing has happened. You can absolutely raise your perceptions.

You get the idea. In my experience, it seems Ofsted will first ask how the person complaining has aimed to resolve an issue in school (hence why lots of us tell people repeatedly on MN taht threatening Ofsted is a silly thing to do)

If you have serious concerns then hopefully I've helped give you some ways to raise them further. I don't think the press is the answer.