Raising awareness

• A fact sheet has been developed to help families and friends of missing persons work in cooperation with media journalists, photographers and camera crews. How can the media help you? (PDF 1.51 MB)
• If you are interested in participating in media opportunities with the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre (NMPCC) to share your story and increase the awareness of the issues and impacts surrounding missing persons, please contact us.

• Social media is a powerful tool, and when used correctly it can help to raise awareness of missing persons cases in the community. Before starting a social media campaign it is important to discuss any plans with your case officer. You should also consider the long term implications.

Ensuring information is appropriately responded to and investigated

• If you are calling for information to be provided or sent directly to your campaign pages or direct contact numbers it can be difficult to ensure that information is appropriately responded to and investigated. 
• It is recommended that all information regarding missing persons cases be directed to Crime Stoppers or the officers investigating the case.

Long term commitment

• Starting up a social media campaign is a long term commitment. Consider sharing or passing the responsibility for monitoring social media sites to a friend or relative.
• While it is great to have community support and many people helping you search for your loved one, be aware that people who join your campaign will be eager for news. You may get regular emails from people requesting updates and new information which can be distressing if there is no new information for a long period of time.

• Information shared in the public domain is freely accessible and generally open for public commentary. Because anyone may access public information, be prepared that posts may attract negative attention.
• Public information is also harder to control. Once information is on the internet it can be freely shared and used by others. If and when your loved one returns, it can be difficult to remove information completely from the public domain. 
• Sharing identifying details or updates about the case may also jeopardise the investigation or alert perpetrators to potential police activity or enquiries.

• The first step when deciding whether to make a public appeal is to talk to the police or search agencies involved in your missing persons case. Police will need to seek your consent for publicity prior to involving media.
• When considering whether a case is appropriate for media, risk factors such as a missing person’s medical needs, grave concerns for their safety or welfare, age or other vulnerabilities are taken into account. Where these risk factors are present, case officers will often encourage the use of media to obtain valuable information from the public and, hopefully, quickly locate the missing person.
• Police agencies have communications professionals who will be able to help coordinate publicity and offer you practical advice and support. This will help you make sure that any activity you carry out has the greatest chance of success and fits in with the police investigation.
• Be aware that if the media do become interested in the case, they may approach others for information on the missing person. They may also run the story in a different way than you expect.

• The media will require basic information about the missing person including their name, age, a physical description, photograph/s and their last known whereabouts. Authority from the next of kin is required for this information to be published or broadcast in the media.
• Dealing with the media for the first time can be confronting. Handing over photos or other personal items for publicity purposes may also be an emotionally difficult decision.
• Information about the missing person is often supplied to the media via a press release. This is usually prepared by police or search agencies and can be distributed to television, radio and newspaper outlets.
• You might find it helpful to prepare a media pack which includes information such as when and where the person went missing, their description, photographs and telephone numbers for people to call with information. You can then give this pack to interested media organisations. This will mean that you do not have to personally recount all of this information every time you speak to someone.
• For more comprehensive media such as television stories or magazine articles, the media outlet may ask human interest type questions such as:
  • How does it feel to have the person missing?
  • When was the last time you saw him/her?
  • Can you describe the missing person’s state of mind the day they went missing?
  • What would you say to the missing person if they were watching/reading?

• If you do not feel comfortable talking to the media about your loved one, a relative or close friend may act as a spokesperson. The family of the missing person can sometimes be too overwhelmed with emotion to answer questions from the media. Alternatively, the case officer may also provide someone to speak with the media.
• When being interviewed by the media, it is often useful to have a police officer attend. They may be able to provide additional information on the investigation or step in where appropriate.

• Preparation prior to a media interview should be thorough. You should discuss with your case officer the type of information that can be mentioned about the missing person. In some situations, police may wish to keep particular details out of the public arena, as certain information could inadvertently hinder an investigation. Some families and friends decide to read a prepared statement and not answer questions rather than be interviewed.
• Be conscious of the missing person and their privacy if they were to return. You may not want to provide information about their place of work, health status, relationships or financial situation.

• There is no guarantee that the media will run any story. It is important for families and friends to understand that their story may be one of many competing news items.

• There may be occasions when the media directly approaches the family or friends of the missing person at home to request an interview or ask for photographs. There is no obligation to invite media into your home. It is often best to direct media to the police or search agency investigating your missing person as they will already have photographs, video and other items
• Your case officer should be contacted for advice before families and friends participate in an interview.

• If media are being overly intrusive or disruptive, ask them to respect your privacy at this time. If this fails, any problems should be discussed with your case officer. They may be able to liaise with journalists, editors or chiefs-of-staff about maintaining privacy wishes.