Media Matters: ACN Spring Gathering

Agroecology Comms Network Coordinator, Jo Kamal, reflects on our latest ACN gathering.

Thank you so much to everyone who attended our Media Matters Spring Collaboration day this May.  We had a delightful and informative day full of incredible top tips, amazing food, and opportunities to pitch directly to journalists, all set in the newly renovated Omved Gardens in North London.

“I’ve come to expect a lot from ACN events, but this exceeded expectations with added Omved Gardens! Amazing!” – ACN Member

Attendees arrived to enjoy freshly picked herbal teas from the site, and we got to know each other through an exercise discussing a piece of land we love. We then moved on to a tour of Omved’s incredible spaces, including their wildflower meadow, kitchen garden, glasshouse and sky garden.

After the tour, we retired to the barn where journalists Lucy Seigle, Ben Cooke, Nada Farhoud, Matt McGrath and Lucie Heath joined us. They spoke from their collective decades of experience working in various news outlets across the country, and we learnt about the importance of timing,  the power of an incomplete pitch, and of just how crucial interpersonal relationships with journalists are to getting stories published. 

“The expertise shared by the panel was extremely valuable but I also found hearing from fellow members of ACN to be extremely inspiring and informative” – ACN Member

After an incredible lunch served by Marie et Marcelle, we split off into groups to pitch stories to the journalists based on the morning’s learnings. Space was made for feedback on how to improve pitches in future, and we wrapped up with a reflection session on the day, encouragement from Rebecca on pitching, and a trip to a local independent pub for more connecting and reflecting.  

What was most valuable about the day for many was the opportunity to connect in person and gain valuable insights into how to truly make arguments for agroecology reach the public consciousness. Attendees also benefited from the opportunity to build one to one connections with prominent environmental journalists who could make their stories heard. 

“I had a bursary ticket to attend which was so helpful. My org has a great story to tell – but barely any comms resource and certainly no training budget.” – ACN Member

While so many of us tend to feel like we are working in siloes, days like the Media Matters Spring Collaboration Day remind us we are part of a budding and bustling movement of people working towards a common goal – that we can get our voices heard, show the transformative potential of agroecological futures, and have fun while doing it. 

“I found the topic even more useful than expected. I don’t usually think of our work as being “newsy” enough to be pitched to journos but the panelists had some great ideas that have really helped me climb out of that box and see more opportunities to share our work through journalistic channels.” – ACN Member

About the Agroecology Comms Network
The Agroecology Comms Network (ACN) is a network of almost 200 people working in comms roles within the agroecology movement, coordinated by the Real Farming Trust and a team of six steering group members from the network itself. We offer media events, online skillshares, resource banks and a host of other benefits to members. The aim is to build a thriving agroecology movement through cultivating a powerful shared voice – we work towards this by linking communications professionals with each other, upskilling them, and creating opportunities to grow ideas and inspiration together.

There are exciting plans on the horizon for ACN, including upgrades to member services and the potential for a cross-movement comms campaign on topics important to our members. If this sounds like something you could benefit from, get in touch! 

Interested in learning more? Email jo.kamal@realfarming.org to hear more about ACN and how it can benefit your work.