Part II: Tools for an effective follow-up and implementation The French NPM dedicates specific resources for public relations work and has a media officer who works half-time as an inspector and can thus also directly report from her work. It also increasingly uses social media channels to create visibility for its work, e.g. Twitter. Moreover, for some time it employed a photographer to join the visits, and was thereby able to provide journalists with picture material, which it said helped in increasing media interest. Nevertheless, the French NPM noted that it adopted a cautious approach towards the media, not trying to be in the media all the time but strategically deciding which topics should be publicised. The NPM tries to avoid any emotional reaction but rather to maintain a reputation as a factual, objective observer. Another way to facilitate proactive interaction with the media is to maintain a databank of relevant and interested journalists including their topics of interests as well as their written articles as done by the German NPM, in order to be able to contact the right person if needed. This can also help to keep track of journalists who are favourable to the work of the NPM and perceived as partners. œœ Proactive and strategic interaction with the media Most NPMs consulted agreed that occasional ad hoc publicity activities are not sufficient to generate the interest of the media and promote the implementation of recommendations. Instead of merely reacting to the issues that come up, an NPM needs to engage proactively with the media. However, a general concern voiced at the workshops and in the consultations is that public opinion is often unfavourable to rights of criminal detainees and that publicising certain findings may even create a backlash. Another challenge is that the media are often rather focused on individual cases and scandals. Media reports will rarely be able to represent the detailed analysis contained in the NPM’s reports but tend to address issues selectively according to what appears most interesting to the public. Thus, it was mentioned by several NPMs that publicity not only has potential for strengthening the NPM’s work but can also misrepresent the NPM, damaging its reputation as a neutral and objective actor. For this reason, our research found that it is important that NPMs thoroughly reflect on publicity and how to deal strategically with the media, specifically with respect to follow-up on recommendations. Any publicity and communication strategies and policies should also consider how they extend to any external experts and other persons who participate in the mandate of the NPM and what their role should be. This may require the support by media or public relation experts. While several Ombuds institutions have reported having a general media strategy, the research was not able to identify a specific NPM publicity strategy or a particular focus on how to use publicity to follow-up recommendations and promote their implementation. Many consulted NPMs however acknowledged that further reflections in that regard and the development of a specific strategy would be highly useful. - 84 -