Free The Truth - Past Action to take inspiration from

This Action took place in 2020 - Have a read through - it may inspire you!

Friday 4th - Saturday 5th Sept

Whats going on?

This action follows a national flyposting campaign highlighting the failure of the mainstream media to tell the truth about the climate emergency.

If you are reading this, it also means that, overnight, rebels successfully shut down the factory where various billionaire-owned newspapers (including those of Rupert Murdoch) are printed, meaning The Sun, Mail, Telegraph and The Times will not be distributed today. This means that as well as promoting your flyposting campaigns, local groups now have the opportunity to fill the void left by the much of the mainstream press - we can free the truth about the climate and ecological emergencies!

• What can local groups do?

Your local group may already be taking part in a flyposting campaign… Broadcast your flyposting campaigns on social media and in local press. Share photos on social media accounts to broadcast the campaign as widely as possible!

You can also go to your local newsagent and explain to potential newspaper buyers why their newspaper is not on the shelves.

• You could say something like:

“Extinction Rebellion have disrupted the print factories, exposing the failure of these corporations to accurately report on the climate & ecological emergency, and their consistent manipulation of the truth to suit their own personal and political agendas.”

Details are contained in the original briefing which you can read here.

• Take Action Online!

Let the world know that we have shut down the press to free the truth about the Climate and Ecological Emergency.

FILL THE VOID #1 Take part in a social media campaign:

• Take photos of empty shelves where The Sun, Telegraph and The Times would normally be placed. Print out at home one of these alternative headlines and place them on empty shelves and racks if you can and photograph the results. Send your images here (Verify this is the still the correct place first - contact them before sending imnages)

• Print out and place A4 versions of our posters where The Sun and The Times would be - and takes photos of this.

• Post these images onto your local group social media feeds with the following hashtags:

#FreeTheTruth

#StandTogether

#DontGetDistracted

• You can use or adapt this text for the social content to accompany your images: 5 crooks own the media.

Today, we shut one of them down!

The Sun and The Times will not be on shelves today. Instead, XR will be telling the truth about the climate and ecological emergencies.

#FreeTheTruth

• Throughout the day, you could post content about:
  • The climate and ecological emergency with the messaging:
  • 5 crooks own the media > Free the truth
  • The XR Rebellion using the messaging:
  • They want us divided > Stand together
  • Watch out for content on the Extinction Rebellion UK Facebook and Twitter accounts and share it across your platforms.

FILL THE VOID #2 Write to the editors:

Email your letters to the editors of these papers - our aim is to get as many emails in as possible:

• The Times:

  • feedback@thetimes.co.uk

  • Letters page (must include a name, contact number and postal address)

  • letters@thetimes.co.uk

• Sunday Times:

  • newsdesk@sunday-times.co.uk

• The Sun:

  • letters@the-sun.co.uk

  • exclusive@the-sun.co.uk

  • sunmanchester@the-sun.co.uk

• The Telegraph

  • dtletters@telegraph.co.uk news@telegraph.co.uk

Search and find their twitter handles, Facebook and Instagram accounts and send your message, demanding they #tellthetruth #freethetruth and unshackle the chains of their billionaire, scallywag, media-baron owners and be the journalists they need to be to help save the planet.