Communicate with Confidence/Project Report

              who is their audience?
the policies for submitting information how
often they will use your material,
what the deadlines are, whether information
should be phoned in or be in writing and what are
the chances of a media contact ( reporter) coming
out to do an occasional feature story
- Give the following information:
your name, phone, address
organization name
information package ( outline of objectives,
projects, etc )
NOTE: This background information lets them know what
your organization is all about If a news story breaks that
relates to or affects your objectives , they may contact you
for an interview.
Announcements of upcoming events are usually
published without charge in the coming events section of
the newspaper, or as a public service announcement on radio
& TV. The announcement should be kept short ( 40 to 50
words), be typewritten and double spaced. The name of your
organization and the contact person ( you), name, phone
number & address, should be in the top left corner ( Don't
use letterhead.) All material should be dated, and sent in
advance of deadline
News release: If you have an upcoming event that you
feel is newsworthy enough to warrant more extensive
coverage ( ie; involves a large number of the community
and/ or has a lot of community interest.) then you need a
press release
When planning, ask yourself " Will anyone care about
this information?" If the answer is negative, you don't have
a news story. If it is newsworthy, then ask yourself, " What
does the public want or need to know about this? Then
answer the 5 W's ( Who, What Where. When, Why, and
sometimes How?)
Use standard, 81 2 X 11 inch w h i t e bond paper.
Leave wide ( I") margins; sides, top and bottom.
HEADING:
- your organization name and contact name & number
- release time, ie FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE or, if an
awards ceremony is set for 8 pm, " FOR RELEASE
AT 8 P. M. MST. MONDAY, DEC 13" .
- transmittal date: ( When it was delivered to their
office)
- if a picture is enclosed, wnte " WITH ART"
- leave a two inch space under the heading
NEWS:
The release should be kept to one page of double
spaced typing, but if you need more ( briefness is a virtue),
number the pages and staple together
Never carry a paragraph over to the next page
At the end of a page, write " MORF" ( if there is another
page)
At the end of the news, wnte - 30-. This is a recognized
symbol indicating that anything above it is for
publication.
• Rules' on writing a release
- Double space typing.
- Try not to hyphenate words at end of lines.
- Use short sentences
- Indent paragraphs 10 spaces rather than five.
- Avoid flowery adjectives, in fact keep all
adjectives to a minimum.
- Use plain, familiar words ie;
begin' rather than ' inaugurate'.,
meet' rather than'forgatner'
Call it a ' spade', not a manual earth-moving
device' 1
- Avoid abbreviations, slang and acronyms
- If you must use technical terms or titles,
explain them
To answer the 5 W's, ask yourself such questions
as. What is happening? Who says?, or Who is involved?
When and where will it happen? How or why is it
happening?
Releases should be brief, with the important
information at the beginning and the least important at the
end, but don't try to answer all 5 of the W's in one sentence!
How much detail9 Consider the importance of it
( ie: If it is a special anniversary, you need the age, but you
don't need a list of everyone who attended).
Give the source of your news. Use direct quotes. If
the news is about your club, have a quote from someone in
authority ( ie; the president) and be sure to give his name and
title. A community event story might benefit from a quote
from ' a citizen' who attended. ( Evaluations of event are a
good source.)
Use headlines if you wish Put headline in bold
face. Some editors want to use their own, ask what they
prefer. Remember that a headline should indicate content in
a short, attention- grabbing way. ( present tense)
Pictures? They will be used if space permits, and if
they are good quality & content. They should be new, and in
some way unusual or relate to the news topic Avoid group
pictures of the membership A good news photo is a tight
closeup of the subject. The photo must have sharp,
sparkling quality, and most media prefer 8 X 10 inch prints
Black & white is usually preferred by newspapers Ask their
preference.
What makes a happy editor?
Does it look like news9 The bulk of the material
the editor receives looks the same. This is not the time to be
different Anything that is sloppy, handwritten or printed
on gaudy paper will stand out, and most likely be thrown
out... unread.
If it passes the first stage, they will read the first
paragraph. Many are eliminated at this point The media