Advocates are the backbone of social change.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Most people get into trouble not because they’re wrong, but because they don’t understand the rules of engagement. It’s an especially sad fact for new advocates.
Advocacy, especially justice advocacy, isn’t just about being loud, passionate, or morally right. It’s also about being strategic, protected, and aware of the legal landmines scattered across the landscape.
So let’s talk about the mistakes new and seasoned advocates make that blow up in their faces and how to avoid becoming someone else’s cautionary tale.
1. Mistake: Making Accusations Without Documentation
Yes, sometimes misconduct is blatantly obvious. But obvious to you and provable in court are not the same thing.
Many advocates get threatened because:
- They go public too early
- They speak in absolutes instead of facts
- They overstate what they can prove
- They assume “truth is a defense” but forget that you have to prove the truth
What to do instead:
- Keep everything fact-based, document-backed, and source-cited
- Use language like “based on available public records,” “according to court filings,” “per witness statements,” “raises concerns that…”
- Use documentation to make the statements. Say:
“Public records show X was charged with…”
“Court transcripts reflect…”
“This action appears inconsistent with policy…”
When in doubt:
Quote the record.
Don’t be the record.
2. Mistake: Blurring Advocacy With Harassment
Passion is a hell of a drug.
So is adrenaline.
So is trauma.
Many advocates cross lines accidentally when they:
- Flood officials with personal messages
- Tag a ton of individuals repeatedly
- “Expose” people in ways that look retaliatory rather than in the public interest or
- Get emotional and say things that can be interpreted as threats
You never, ever need to threaten people to hold them accountable. You don’t need to rally an angry mob to make change.
What to do instead:
- Direct people to contact agencies for intervention, not individuals
- Focus on conduct, not personal lives
- Keep your tone stern, not aggressive
- Never instruct your audience to harass, dox, or intimidate anyone
- Build campaigns, don’t build angry mobs who want to burn down a village
- Give people something tangible and meaningful to do, like volunteer, provide testimony, or organize a grassroots organization to address the issue.
If your advocacy starts looking like “targeted behavior,” where people are getting hurt based on nothing more than emotional statements, there’s a problem.
3. Mistake: Forgetting That Government Employees Have Protections, Too
Here’s a little-known fact: you can’t defame a government agency, but you can defame a government employee.
And many of them know this.
If your advocacy paints a specific employee as malicious, corrupt, dishonest, “a drunk”, or criminal without frames, specific qualifiers, or factual documentation, that’s a problem.
What to do instead:
- Critique systems, policies, patterns, decisions, outcomes, structures, not personalities
- Say “this policy harms people” not “this person at this agency is a crazy drunk guy who hates families, eats babies, and stomps on Tokyo on the weekends”
- Lean on “public concern” framing because that’s what agencies who can actually help will take seriously
- Put system reform first, never revenge
4. Mistake: Letting Social Media Turn You Into a Liability
Social media is where a ton of advocates get themselves in trouble. Why?
Because:
- Posts are permanent
- Screenshots last forever
- Tone gets lost
- Sarcasm reads like threats
- People assume you’re leading a movement even when you’re not
One unhinged comment at 2AM can undo months of advocacy work.
What to do instead:
- Never post angry
- Never post threats
- Avoid name-calling (even when it’s deserved)
- Use disclaimers: “This is commentary,” “This is opinion,” “According to the record…”
- Screenshot everything and assume others already are
5. Mistake: Forgetting Big Money Comes with Big Attitudes
Without meaningful Anti-SLAPP laws, this is where a lot of advocates run into a brick wall. The people you’re fighting often have:
- Lawyers
- PR teams
- Insider relationships
- Union protections
- Institutional credibility
- Deep pockets
- Time
You have the truth.
They have procedure.
And procedure wins unless you understand it.
What to do instead:
- Keep everything fact-based
- Keep communications professional
- Report misconduct through official channels and publicly
- Understand FOIA, Open Meetings Act, court access, and media rights
- Build coalitions, not crusades
- Document everything
- Never fight alone
6. Mistake: Not Understanding Retaliation Law
Many advocates don’t know:
- What is legally protected speech
- What is whistleblowing
- What counts as retaliation
- What retaliation protections you actually have
- That you can accidentally undermine your own protections by acting outside the scope of advocacy
If an official can say you were “harassing,” or “threatening,” you’re actually weakening your position.
What to do instead:
Stay inside the boundaries of protected activity:
- Public criticism
- Petitioning for change
- Filing complaints
- Commentary on public issues
- Sharing public records
- Educating communities
- Peaceful organizing
- Journalism and watchdog work
Stay inside your First Amendment protections.
7. Mistake: Fighting Emotionally Instead of Strategically
New advocates especially hit this issue. Advocacy fueled by rage is powerful; but advocacy guided by strategy is what is unstoppable.
Most advocates burn out or blow up because they:
- Don’t have boundaries
- Respond to distractors
- Don’t track communications
- Let people bait them
- Get dragged off-message
- Mix personal and public battles
- Forget the long game
What to do instead:
- Protect your peace
- Ignore instigators, because God knows there will be more of them
- Keep your DMs closed
- Have talking points
- Stay mission-aligned
- Treat documentation like armor
So How Do You Fight Smarter, Not Harder?
Here’s the roadmap:
✔ Focus on the issues
✔ Document EVERYTHING
✔ Use public records as your shield
✔ Stay calm and factual
✔ Build coalitions and alliances
✔ Learn the laws that govern advocacy (what’s available and what’s missing)
✔ Regulate your public tone, even if someone triggers your trauma
✔ Never publish anything you can’t defend
✔ Fight smart, not sloppy
Your voice is powerful. But power without discipline is a liability.
Advocacy is a marathon fought with precision, not chaos.
Stay loud.
Stay principled.
Stay protected.
And most importantly, stay un-silenceable.
