Reading JWLEAK's thread about The Age newspaper article, Victoria, Australia, I was thinking how we could motivate our local newspapers to cover such a story. I emailed an old friend of mine from Wash., D.C. who used to write for the Associated Press and now hosts a news show in Colorado, and asked him how a person could motivated one's local newspaper to take an interest in a story like this.
He answered:
Newspapers these days - even big city ones - are skeletons of what they were a decade ago. For example, the Washington Post has 450 fewer writers/reporters than ten years ago.
Smaller-market papers have had it even worse. SO, to get something in the paper, you just about have to do their work for them. You have to hand it to 'em on a spoon.
They have the wire services and syndicates to provide national/world news, so these local people at the paper are charged with filling local slots.
SO... how could they localize that cult story? Are you aware of any local connections to the cult you were talking about?
Like I say, you would just about need to do at least the kick-off work for the local paper. Give 'em names and phone numbers. And, yes, give them the URL to the cult story and tell them "Here's some background information on this topic."
Hope that helps.
Just FYI