Hi folks,

This is to inform you of a great tool that I think should be made the most of.
Many of you have probably complained many a times about the lack of
representation of our voices and opinions in the flurry of debates all around
us.  This lack of representation is especially sad when it comes to issues that
have direct impacts on our lives, and livelihoods, for example debates about
forgiving debts to poor countries.

One way of getting more of our opinions out is to engage the media more, and
more effectively.  Toward this end, it is very helpful to make ourselves
available to the media when they are interested in soliciting opinions on issues
of the day.  I am a volunteer host of a call-in talk radio program here in
Madison, Wisconsin, and have come to learn the importance of getting the right
people to talk about issues I'd like to discuss with them and our listeners.

It is thus fortunate that for those of us in the US,  there are indeed some
avenues out there that can be used to give our African opinions more exposure.
First, the Institute for Public Accuracy (http://www.accuracy.org) has a e-mail
service for journalists giving them lists of people available for interviews on
topical issues.  You can find a sample of these news releases at
http://www.accuracy.org/press.htm   And feel free to subscribe to either their
e-mail list or news releases (if you are a journalists) by going to
http://www.accuracy.org/join.htm

I called both the Washington, DC and San Francisco, CA offices of IPA to ask how
one can get on their database of experts and informed them that I intended to
share the information with a number of Africa-oriented mailing lists I'm on.  I
was told that all one needs to do is to send them a brief resume that includes
keywords of your areas of expertise. These keywords might include regions of
expertise (e.g. West Africa, Nigeria), issues (e.g. women in development, debt
relief), or industries (e.g. african agricuture, business, etc.).  Further, the
information would have to be sent to both the San Francisco and DC offices of
IPA.

And here's how to proceed sending them the information:

1.  For the San Francisco office, send them an e-mail at the following address:
[log in to unmask]  Please indicate in the "Subject" field that it is meant for
Martie Hiken, and regards their experts database.  You can, for example, write
in the "Subject" field:  "Experts Database - Attn: Martie Hiken" (without the
quotes).  Martie told me that they will be able to open a Microsoft Word file,
in the event you'll like to attach your resume as a Word file to your e-mail.

2.  For the DC office, I talked to Sam Husseini who told me that he'd rather I
compile the messages from interested people, and forward them to him.  For this
reason, I suggest you send me your resume or information about your areas of
expertise so I can forward it along with whatever I receive to Sam.  Please put
the phrase "Speaking Up" (without quotes) in the "Subject" field of the e-mail
you send me.  This is to enable me manage the mail better, as I'm filtering it
to a folder.

More information about contacting IPA can be found at
http://www.accuracy.org/contact.htm

I should also mention the Profnet (http://www.profnet.com) service from
PRNewswire.  Although the Profnet Service is not free, in contrast to the IPA
service, it is also a potentially useful inroad into the media.  Information
about the program is found at  http://www.profnet.com/whatisprofnet.html and I
think it might be a good idea for those affiliated with Universities, Think
Tanks, or other Insitutes and Research Centers to look more into registering
with their Experts database.

Finally, I would like to say that while I am directing this e-mail to
Africa-oriented mailing lists, I see no reason why the information should not be
shared with our African-American brethen.  So please pass this information on to
anyone who you think the world will benefit from having their opinions heard.  I
guess that rules me out, but ...

I suppose that's about all.  Please let me know if you need any more
clarification or information about this stuff.  Have a great week, and best
wishes.

Katim