Acclaimed author Naomi Wolf stopped by Zuccotti Park to give the protesters a lesson on liaising with the press.
“Don’t be reactive and don’t be silent,” Wolf said to the crowd of a dozen or so soggy protesters that gathered to hear her speak.
“You are a powerful movement,” she said. “That’s why there is so much of an effort to discredit you.”
Wolf was already arrested once for her efforts to help Occupy Wall Street. On October 20th, she left an event in honor of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo to address protesters and was promptly arrested.
Today, she explained the difference between on the record and off the record, the importance of thorough press releases, and even did training interviews with the audience.
“All they want is ordinary people who can show up and say ‘I’m a member of this movement, here’s who I am,’” she told the crowd. “The media beast is hungry.”
The most important lesson, Wolf said, was something called “Hit, Bridge, Sparkle.”
Complete with corresponding hand signals, Wolf’s method involves acknowledging a reporter’s question, redirecting discussion, and then saying what you really want to say.
It’s that simple!
