Media blog for September 2008

Welcome to our new Epilepsy Action monthly media blog. It would be impossible to report on all our media coverage (you’ll see why if you visit our press releases page). I want to give you a snapshot of just some of the work we have been involved with to help raise awareness of epilepsy in the media - in the press, on the radio, online and on the television.

With the explosion of the digital age, opportunities for media coverage are now endless. The launch of the second phase of our Mothers in mind: healthy births campaign took full advantage of this fact, achieving coverage in a variety of mediums. There are already 18 online articles placed on the superhighway! It never fails to amaze us how far our campaign messages reach – one even as far as the Texas-based redorbit..com!

September was set to be a busy month for Epilepsy Action’s press team. Our latest women’s campaign was launched on 8 September. We were delighted that the trade press took the issue seriously. The campaign was reported in the magazine of the Royal College of Midwives, Healthcare Republic, Medical News Today, Health4media.com, Health Service Journal, Nursing Times, and Independent Nurse. Consumer magazines, Askamum.co.uk, Xtra and Pregnancy, Baby and You featured interviews with our diary writers.

Our women’s development officer, Nicole Crosby, took part in 11 regional interviews and one national radio interview. So far, we have achieved around 10 pieces of regional press coverage but articles are trickling in every day so watch this space!

During August, we worked on placing Epilepsy Action mentions in two of the national papers - The Times and the Daily Express. Alice’s Run was reported in the Yorkshire Evening Post and the Hebden Bridge Times, among others.

We placed several articles for the Great South Run 2008, the most interesting one in the Asian Eye, and we must congratulate the Guildford branch on getting the most press coverage ever for a branch meeting – they got a staggering 28 mentions in regional newspapers. This is practically unheard of!

Finally, a couple who forgot to book their wedding venue decided to raise money for Epilepsy Action instead by cycling from John O’ Groats to Lands End. They had eight features in regional newspapers.

Thanks for reading,
Lucy at Epilepsy Action