Why should I try to create an alert?

Do you have a human rights issue to communicate?

Do you want to tell people about an alternative to the traditional mental health system, or find a particular resource?

Our social change is all about empowerment and self-determination. We have some suggestions about how you can take steps to get out the word.

But can't MindFreedom do an alert for me?

MindFreedom does issue many alerts about human rights and alternatives to thousands of people. At times those alerts have gotten results. However, we do not have the staff to be able to research and write all the alerts that ought to be written.

You and/or your family and friends may want to consider issuing even a simple, brief, public introductory alert. While MindFreedom cannot guarantee we will publicize all alerts we receive, it makes publicizing your situation much easier.

Does an alert always make sense?

No. Sometimes issuing a public alert does not make sense. For instance, perhaps you are involved in legal negotiations behind the scenes, and a public alert could jeopardize that. Perhaps a public alert might actually harm someone's human rights or a valued ally may lose a job. Also, there is always the risk run by anyone who goes public about fraud and abuse.

But at other times, a public alert makes a lot of sense, and the risk is well worth it. Our social change movement may not have the resources to hire a huge legal team, but we do have people power.

The individual who is the focus of the alert ought to make the difficult decision about issuing a public alert. Make the decision carefully.

Do I need to be an expert to write an alert?

A basic e-mail alert is very easy to do. Simple is often better.

At the very least, a simple alert allows you to quickly inform concerned people about the basic details of a situation, rather than repeat the story over and over by phone. With an alert concerned people can easily "blip" each other via the Internet to network resources. While there is no guarantee, amazing results have occurred when people network with each other. And who knows, such an alert may lead into a major campaign.

It is the 21st century, and everyone is now "our own media." Oppression mutes people. You can un-mute the mute button!

How do I get my news out via the MindFreedom news e-mail lists?

MindFreedom has a number of one-way news lists for the public and members. Some have thousands on them. All of the MindFreedom news lists are moderated. No one outside the office can directly send out to the list. If you have an item you'd like to submit, feel free to e-mail it to news@mindfreedom.org. Anyone is welcome to submit an item, and we'll do our best, but no guarantees that all items we receive can get out, due to the sheer volume of news we are receiving. As a coalition, however, it's especially helpful when a sponsor or affiliate submits the item.

Can I write an alert for someone else?

Often because of circumstances, a person experiencing human rights violations cannot write an alert. He or she relies on someone else to write the actual alert. It does help if possible to be able to actually quote at least some words or sentences from the individual who is being championed.

Important: Please be sure to get the permission, participation and approval of the individual you are issuing an alert for to the greatest extent possible. Be sure to let he or she know it's nearly impossible to issue a "private" alert publicly. Once a public alert is issued, his or her name could be very public, and searchable by Google and other search engines for years afterwards. Many of our members when threatened with a human rights violation would want the whole world to know no matter what, but some people prefer privacy. Reflecting the values of empowerment find out the wishes of the individual for whom you are issuing an alert.

Top 10 tips for a basic e-mail human rights alert:

1. Sum it up! Start by briefly summing up your situation: who, what, where, when, why, how. What is the campaign's main goal? If you can't sum up the primary goal of the campaign in a sentence it may be difficult to communicate clearly to hundreds or thousands of people.
   
2. Write like a newspaper reporter: Grab people's attention at the top with the most important sentences. Include and double check important facts, such as dates, ages, locations. If you have a chronology in your alert - that is, a list of events by date - do not necessarily start the alert with that chronology. Like in a news article, the first few sentences ought to sum up the most important story right now.  Use simple language almost anyone would understand. Including an accurate quote or two from key people, using "quote marks," helps humanize your alert. Please keep your alert civil, and do not use language that would insult an opponent. MFI tries to follow MLK guidelines in selecting alerts to re-distribute.
   
3. Encourage readers to network the alert publicly. If you do not include that encouragement early on, many people will assume they ought to keep what they receive from you private and confidential. Do not "address" the alert only to the MindFreedom office, or to one individual. You are issuing an alert to the world!
   
4. Keep it simple! Keep the initial alert to a page or so. You can always write more "updates" later! This is not the place to write everything... or you will probably lose many readers. To start with, one simple clear alert with the basic info is needed. If you have a complicated campaign you can add a fact sheet and/or timeline to supplement your basic alert.
   
5. Write for everyone. Write so that someone brand new to your situation will understand it. For instance, never ever use abbreviations and assume someone else knows what it means! Do not assume your reader has special knowledge. Some readers may not understand technical words without an explanation. Think like a journalist, because you are one!
   
6. Make it readable. For instance, we know you may be very upset, but please do not just write one huge enormous paragraph, or use lots and lots of ALL CAPITAL WORDS. On the Internet, people tend to break up larger paragraphs into smaller paragraphs. Use upper and lower case, and not just all caps.
   
7. Include human interest. At the very least try to include the age and occupation of the individual. Important: If possible, offering a clear digital photo of the face of the individual you are advocating on behalf of can make a huge difference for those publicizing your alert via the web. If you have the time and space include a quote or statement about the true feelings that an individual or loved one is experiencing. You can write the alert factually, but insert strong feelings and opinions by quoting people involved, in "quote marks." Try to add a few personal detail to paint a picture and tell a story.
   
8. Call for one simple action. For example, some alerts include the web contact information for the State or Provincial Governor. It's easier if readers can act via e-mail or the web. Lots of people speaking out adds up. Deciding what action readers ought to take can be challenging. If you must you can also list secondary actions for the very interested. But pick one main action everyone who cares can do. If possible include your contact info so people can get more information. Anonymous alerts can be hard to do, though not impossible. MindFreedom seeks to follow Martin Luther King, Jr.'s nonviolence guidelines, and asks those taking action to be civil when they speak out.
   
9. Thoroughly double check every fact! All reporters make mistakes, but amateurs can make some real doozies! Be sure to proof all facts, contact and other data you are sending out in any alert. It's especially common to make a mistake on a phone or fax number, or an e-mail or web address. Absolutely be sure to try out any e-mail addresses, web sites, phone numbers, etc., first! If your error is sent to, say, 10,000 people, and you need to retract and correct something, that can really complicate, slow-down or even derail a campaign. Errors negatively impact people's participation in future campaigns. Have a friend check spelling and grammar to make your alert professional.
   
10. Broadcast it! Then get out your e-mail alert! If you do not have access to e-mail, ask a friend, colleague or volunteer to write up your alert and e-mail it out. Especially if you are a MindFreedom member, e-mail it to MindFreedom. If you are part of the MindFreedom Shield program be sure to say so. While there are no guarantee of results, the MindFreedom office tries to review all alerts we receive, especially from members. An easy way to start is one of MindFreedom's member-only e-mail lists such as MindFreedom-USA for alerts in United States, and MindFreedom-Global for alerts internationally.
    

To sum up, here are the top three most effective nonviolent weapons in a human rights  alert:

1. Clarity.
   
2. Clarity.
   
3. Clarity.
   

More advanced alerts:

For extra impact, try to get your alert onto the web yourself. This may seem beyond many people's ability. But it is now fairly easy to create a free blog or web site about your loved one's issues. This lets you add updates, and it also lets you add photos.

Once you have created your own web presence you only need to get out a web address so that people can quickly read about the situation, see the latest photo, network with others, and get updates. Key words in your alert such as the name of an institution you may be dealing with become "searchable" by search engines.

It is also possible to now add video fairly easy to YouTube, and include the web address to that, so that people can view video snippets.

You are your own media! Break the silence!