Being able to effectively engage with the media is essential for third sector organisations to draw attention to pressing social inequities, put forward solutions that shift public opinion, and ultimately enact policy change.
A challenging media landscape
Stronger Voices was created to help small and medium-sized equalities organisations strengthen the impact of their existing work. Many charities we work with have small communications teams, with sometimes just one person juggling multiple roles, and limited formal training in strategic communications. This means participants have little capacity and time to craft stories that showcase their work and often don’t know what makes a story ‘news-worthy’.
When it comes to engaging with the media, third sector organisations can face a lack of reliable journalist contacts, confront harmful, dominant narratives popularised by the far-right, and grapple with a mounting disinterest in long-form content and human stories.
These challenges are often the result of a media landscape in the UK that is progressively difficult to navigate. According to Media Reform Coalition’s ‘Who Owns the UK Media’ report, 70% of people in the UK no longer trust the media to be objective and non-partisan, and the growing prevalence of AI has compounded problems with misinformation and disinformation. Trending and recommended content across social media has also led to a rapidly changing news landscape ruled by algorithmic bias.
When it comes to engaging with the media, third sector organisations can face a lack of reliable journalist contacts, confront harmful, dominant narratives popularised by the far-right, and grapple with a mounting disinterest in long-form content and human stories.
The role of the third sector in policy change
Being able to effectively engage with the media is essential for third sector organisations to draw attention to pressing social inequities, put forward solutions that shift public opinion, and ultimately enact policy change.
We’ve seen this recently with the Labour Party’s contested welfare reforms. Although eventually voted through, the Universal Credit Bill faced significant rebellion from members of Parliament when disability justice organisations mobilised to share the devastating consequences of welfare cuts in demonstrations and petitions.
It was clear, once both disabled people and members of Parliament protested the Bill, that there was a complete lack of consultation with those who rely on welfare benefits. When those with lived experience have no media visibility and cannot influence public opinion, it results in policies that can actively harm the most vulnerable.
For real, progressive change to happen, the voices of marginalised communities need to be centred and strengthened. Stronger Voices aims to do this by helping participants from third sector organisations, those who know the needs and priorities of their own communities best, develop essential strategic communications skills to navigate the media landscape.
Building practical storytelling skills
This year, Stronger Voices responded to the rapidly shifting media landscape in the UK by providing participants with the essential tools to strengthen their storytelling abilities.
We introduced workshops on the fundamentals, like framing and messaging around values. This helped participants shape narratives around their communities, not just respond to dominant narratives. In our media coverage workshops, participants were given an insider perspective on the journalism sector and how the news cycle works, as well as how to pitch stories and respond to current affairs.
Participants also had the opportunity to apply these learnings and develop practical media skills. Our media interview training helped participants get more comfortable in front of a camera and navigate difficult TV and radio interviews. In our innovative speed pitching event, we supported participants to develop and deliver impactful 90-second news pitches. This not only provided participants with connections to journalists, but it also strengthened relationships between third sector organisations and journalists that spanned beyond the programme.
"For real, progressive change to happen, the voices of marginalised communities need to be centred and strengthened.
The future of Stronger Voices
In the coming year, the Stronger Voices programme will offer a programme at the forefront of strategic communications research.
We’ll be exploring a range of new topics, such as:
1. ‘Movement Ecology: Participants will explore how social change happens and where their organisations fit into its broader landscape.
2. Lived experience storytelling: Participants will cover how to safely capture and share community members’ lived experiences and provide wrap-around care for them.
3. Comms strategy: Participants will consolidate their programme learnings into a comprehensive comms strategy.
Stronger Voices 2025
If you’d like to find out more about the eighth year of Stronger Voices and apply to the programme, you can visit the Media Trust website.