OPPORTUNITIES

Media Opportunities via IDMU

Do you want to be interviewed on the Telly?

Several times a year, IDMU receives requests from TV/Radio researchers and Journalists seeking to interview UK drug users on or off the record.

We are however bound by our duties of confidentiality not to disclose names or details from individual cases we deal with in the courts, and our surveys are, by their very nature, anonymous. Therefore, we have previously been obliged to decline such requests. Now we seek to be able to offer to put users and the media in contact with one another.

If you are a drug user, or a family member of a user, and would like to be interviewed on Radio, Television, or by journalists about how drug use, or the drug laws, have affected you or your family, please e-mail us tv@idmu.co.uk with your email address. We will contact you via email only, passing on any information that the Media send us.

Latest request 2-8-06 - their text below

Thanks a lot for briefing me earlier. I am writing a feature for a new magazine which will be launched in a few weeks about the use of cannabis among the elderly generation. The piece stems from the case of Pat Tabram who is up in court for possessing and selling cannabis. I am extremely interested in the way that cannabis can be used as a pain relief for
chronic arthritis and MS and from the charts on your website it would seem that the use among the elderly generation has risen in recent years. For the piece to work I desperately need some case studies of older people who take cannabis for pain relief. Obviously the people involved would be able to remain anonymous if they so wished. If they is anybody you know who would be happy to speak to me I would be very grateful.
Yours, Sophie Borland - 0207 424 7108

Previous request 8-4-05- their text below:

BBC 2's Newsnight is making a film about links between cannabis use and mental health. We are keen to talk to young adolescent users and their families about their experiences, and views on research findings.

There is a short deadline on this project and we would like to talk to people as soon as possible and no later than 15 April 2005.

Please contact: Siobhan.Hockton@BBC.co.uk or Susan.Watts@BBC.co.uk or call on 0208 624 9820.

Previous request 21-3-05 - their text below:

ITV are making a documentary about cocaine use in London and the South East. In order to provide an honest examination of cocaine use in the capital, they are looking for dealers and users who would be willing to talk to them and provide them with an insight into cocaine use across the city.

They are specifically interested in the growing middle class cocaine market and would welcome views on legislation and legalisation.

Interviews would be treated in the strictest of confidence and anonymity would be guaranteed by ITV, if requested.

If you would like to talk to ITV or think you might be able to provide ITV with any useful information please contact Steven Fullagar on 0207 7378952 or email him at: steven.fullagar@itv.com

Previous Request 1-3-05 text below:

Can you help?
A major UK television network is putting together a documentary about female baby boomers who use cannabis. This is not going to be a documentary that is hysterical about drugs but simply wants to talk to people who recreationally use cannabis the way others may use alcohol, caffeine or tobacco.

They are interested in talking to anyone who is willing to answer a few questions and, if preferred, can be done so completely anonymously. If you are able to help please contact Erina Johnson on 0207 258 6850 or ejohnson@mentorn.tv They can call anyone straight back anyone who does contact them via the phone

Disclaimer: IDMU accepts no responsibility for any consequences which may arise out of disclosures made to journalists or broadcast media.

While it is unusual for individual users to be 'busted' after appearing on television, bear in mind that admissions of drug dealing may be more likely to attract police attention. Different UK police forces, and police officers, adopt different attitudes and policies towards users of different drugs.

Potential TV interviewees should also consider of the possible consequences or reactions should employers, relatives, neighbours or other persons recognise them on screen.

Advice on Fees: Individual interviewees are responsible for negotiating their own fees or expenses for broadcast appearances with the producers, researchers or journalists involved. Whether such fees are payable will depend on the circumstances in each case, and whether fees are agreed in advance. As a rough guide, fees of £25 or £50 upwards and/or reasonable expenses would normally be paid for broadcast interviews taking place at a studio, depending on the programme budget and audience coverage. Fees for telephone interviews are negotiable in advance, and are not always payable. If a TV company wishes to film you at home, you can usually charge them a 'facility fee' for any disruption caused.

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