Did you know that over 55% of our articles quote one or more members? Or that many of our members have written entire articles for our website? It’s part of our commitment to sharing more members’ voices.
“We’ve really put a huge emphasis on treating our website like a news site,” explained National President Doug Marshall. “It means reaching out to members to get quotes – it means putting front-and-centre the very people who make our union strong.”
“It definitely makes the content a lot more engaging.”
The Union of National Employees wants to encourage more members to participate in our member journalism program. If you’re interested in writing about an event near you or about a personal experience, please pitch your story idea to us at communications@une-sen.org.
But those with writers’ block needn’t worry: we’ve really tailored the program to make it accessible to all.
“From Day 1, we recognized that not everyone feels comfortable writing – or has the time,” said Marshall. “That’s why we’ve always had the option for members to act as a source. It’s turned out to be the most popular method for members to contribute.”
Indeed, entire articles have been written from short telephone interviews. This method allows members to express themselves in their own words – and later, entire articles come to life thanks to theses members’ quotes.
To date, the website already features close to 400 news stories. If you’re interested in finding out more about our program, you can consult the original announcement article. To pitch a story idea, contact us at communications@une-sen.org.