Home Stories Community Print Kits Media Response  
1. Gather your organizing team.
You need a few dedicated people to put together a Print Project. You can then divide the following tasks among individuals or teams.

2. Secure your media outlet.
Talk with the editors of your college or community newspaper. You will need to secure space in two issues of the newspaper: a space in one issue of the newspaper to print an invitation for survivors to submit their stories, and space in a later issue to print the collected stories with a Print Project introduction. It is essential that the editors agree not to edit the content of any of the survivors' stories out of respect for the survivors' voices and experiences. If you cannot secure a space in a newspaper, you can create your own mini-publication of collected survival stories.

3. Invite survivors to share their stories.
Now that you've secured a space in your college or community newspaper, you are ready to publish an invitation for survivors to submit their stories. The invitation should be an empowering and sensitive request for survivors to share their stories for publication in your community's Print Project. Review or use the sample invitation, as it contains key points that should be conveyed to survivors. You should distribute the invitation as widely as possible. In addition to publishing it in the newspaper, you may consider emailing it to your contacts, posting flyers around campus or your community, and distributing flyers in public places. The invitation to survivors should include a secure email address to which survivors can send their stories. Please also include the Take Back The News website address (www.takebackthenews.org) on the invitation, so that survivors can learn more about the national project.

4. Collect survival stories.
Whoever is receiving the survivors' stories must maintain confidentiality of the survivors' contact information. Survivors are encouraged to share their names, but may also submit their stories anonymously. It is not legal to print the name or any other clearly identifying features of the perpetrator, unless the perpetrator has been found guilty in a court of law. Remember, it is essential that the content of the survival stories remains unedited.

5. Prepare the introduction to the survival stories.
You can use our sample introduction to a Take Back The News Print Project or you can create your own. The introduction should address the epidemic of sexual violence and its impact on your community, and describe the purpose of printing the survival stories. You may use these rape and sexual assault statistics in your introduction.

6. Publish the stories!
Pass along the finished project (survival stories and the introduction) to the editor of your newspaper, or if you are self-publishing, go to press.

If you have any questions along the way, email Julia@takebackthenews.org.