by Paul Dragu, Director of Communications
On September 29, the Kingman Miner, a small, local newspaper in Kingman, Arizona, published an article titled “John Birch Society gets Kingman chapter.”
“The Kingman chapter of the John Birch Society, with a ‘foundation in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and a belief in God who endows each person with rights,’ aims to educate locally while making national and international impacts,” the lead reads. The reporter goes on to quote Kingman JBS Chapter Leader Kris Rodarte, who explains how that Chapter came about and what the JBS is about. The article is fair, even when it mentions the negative publicity the JBS has received in the past.
This is a good example of how we can help spread the word about our local Chapters by using local media. While Birchers, of all people, have good reason to be skeptical of the news media, given the fractious history between the media and the JBS, keep in mind that there are many small newspapers all across the country run by normal people with no connections to leftist Big Media — people who are part of the community they write about.
If there is a local paper nearby, we encourage you to reach out to the editor next time you have an event, or for other newsworthy reasons. Write the editor an email or visit him in person. Let him know about your local Chapter and the work you are doing, and ask if he would like to cover it.
Of course, there is a risk. If you know for sure that your local newspaper is run by raging leftists, you might as well save your efforts. But if you’re not sure, or if you have reason to suspect that your local paper is run by reasonable, objective news people, it might be worth the risk to try to get exposure. If successful, this can help your Chapter’s influence.
Also, we’d like to encourage Birchers who are already active on social media to regularly share JBS and TNA content on your personal social media page. Since Big Tech shadow-bans and outright restricts our content, we already have an uphill battle. But if the Bircher army provides an organic social media “boost,” it would help offset the censorship efforts of Big Tech.
Thank you for everything you do, and keep up the great work!