Might you know of any Press Releases they've issued in conjunction with this open letter, or similar media-friendly materials?
At least where I live, the middle-aged owner of a small-town ice cream parlor is 99% likely to know how to do an effective press release. The "news" can be a new ice cream flavor, with the colors of the local HS sports teams...but you carefully write that press release in such a way that any over-worked bottom-rung reporter can spend 30 seconds adjusting the pronouns & such, then publish it in their paper.
I'm mostly talking larger news orgs, inc wire services. They have resources. However, if manpower is tight, maybe they could redirect some manhours from their sportsball or celeb divisions.
I will agree that local news orgs tend to show ineptitude whenever local LEO issue a PR. They'll just parrot what is said - no analysis at all - not even when a 5 sec search would reveal blatant misinfo (re:kids are at meaningful risk of stranger kidnapping).
At least where I live, the middle-aged owner of a small-town ice cream parlor is 99% likely to know how to do an effective press release. The "news" can be a new ice cream flavor, with the colors of the local HS sports teams...but you carefully write that press release in such a way that any over-worked bottom-rung reporter can spend 30 seconds adjusting the pronouns & such, then publish it in their paper.