National Antivisection Society
Media guidelines and conditions for LDF grant holders
Guidelines:
Lord Dowding Fund (LDF) grantholders are required to respect the policies and aims of the organisation and not to contradict those policies and aims within any media interviews set up by the LDF Public Relations Department, in order to promote an LDF project. Grantholders are not required to comment upon LDF policies and aims; comments should be restricted to their own project.
LDF policies and aims are:
- To support, sponsor and fund better methods of scientific and medical research for testing projects and curing disease which replace the use of animals.
- To promote and assist research for the purpose of showing that work on animals is harmful and unnecessary to humanity.
- Animal-based methods of research are flawed and consequently unreliable. The work of the LDF has shown that due to physiological, structural, and psychological differences between species, animal experiments are unreliable, unethical and unnecessary.
- The LDF is part of an abolitionist organisation, working towards ending the use of all animals in research. We do not in fact promote the ‘3 Rs’ policy of reduction, refinement and replacement, as this does not sit well with the organisation’s wider policies and beliefs. (This does not preclude us from funding projects which might come into the ‘3Rs’ category if we feel such projects are helpful to our ultimate aims). We respect the views of grantholders who may disagree with this, and in return ask that grantholders accord similar respect to the reputation and views of the Fund in public, and do not comment upon policy matters such as this in public fora arranged by us to promote the work and projects of the Lord Dowding Fund.
LDF grantholders are not, therefore, required to speak on behalf of the organisation, indeed, it is undesirable for grantholders to become involved in discussions about our policies and beliefs.
Please refer questions of policy directly to the LDF Public Relations Department.
LDF grantholders are required to ensure that the support of the LDF is acknowledged in any media interviews.
Conditions
Photography: The LDF requires its grantholders to participate in photoshoots to provide material for publicity purposes: for the organisations magazine, leaflets, press and television publicity. The grantholder may recommend which shots they feel most suitable for use but the final choice must remain with the LDF Public Relations Department, who are best placed to understand the needs of different media.
While it is acceptable for a grantholder to recommend which material may be most useful, the final decision remains with the LDF.
Press releases and publicity material: Press releases are written, approved and distributed by the LDF PR Department. Only quotes attributed to grantholders will be subject to approval by the grantholder. Exceptions will be made if the grantholder’s quote is not in line with LDF policies and aims.
The grantholder is invited to provide comments on the content of the press release, if necessary, but final approval rests with the LDF.
The LDF reserves the right to publicise the grantholder’s report, in part or in full, as appropriate.
Third parties: Third parties do not have final approval upon LDF publicity campaigns or material, including the public relations departments of educational establishments.
If requested, the LDF is willing to work with third party public relations teams, and keep them informed of media activity, copying to them press releases as a matter of courtesy. Comments and suggestions will be taken on board. However, final approval upon published material submitted to the media remains with the LDF.
Third parties should request contact with the LDF PR Department at the onset of a project in order for good communications to be established.
