1. “The News Media and PR Practitioners” Chapter 19

2. Defining Public Relations  “Public relations helps an organization and its publics mutually adapt to each other.” (PRSA)  Public relations is planned and continuous communication designed to project a positive image about an organization, an issue or a product to the public  Unlike advertising, which is paid promotion, PR often uses the news media as a means to promote an organization or product

3. PR versus Journalism  PR practitioners and reporters cross paths almost daily  PR people want to get their client’s name in the news without having to pay for the publicity, so the practitioners allegiance is to the client  The reporter’s objective is to inform readers or viewers, so the reporter judges a news release on its value to the public  So it is important that PR pros think and write like reporters: to write news releases that are both newsworthy and conform to news style  News releases should look and sound as though they were written by reporters

4. Rejected News Releases  Too long  Not newsworthy  Poorly written  Fail to provide important information  Have not been localized  Arrive too late  Are sent (mail, email or fax) to the wrong person  They are written more for PR clients than for the public

5. Successful News Releases  Are timely in content and are sent to the media on time  Cover journalism’s five Ws  Are well written  Have localized information  Provide visuals  Include a link to a website  List a contact person

6. News Release Format  Releases should follow a standard format so an editor can quickly determine who sent it and what it is about  Include the complete address of the organization sending the release in the upper left corner of the page  Provide the name, phone numbers and email address of a contact person the editor or reporter can contact in case of questions  A release date should appear just below the address block  There should be a headline that concisely sums up newsworthiness and/or timeliness  Body of release should be written in short paragraphs– two or three sentences per graf– think inverted pyramid  If the release runs more than one page, put –more– at bottom of page  At the end of the release, type –end– or –30– or ###  Include “For more information, contact…” with phone number and email address at end of text or in space after your end sign

7. The Journalist’s Perspective on News Releases  Newspapers and TV stations are besieged by individuals and organizations seeking publicity  For most news organizations, releases are an important and convenient source of information and story ideas  Reporters handle news releases as they would any other type of story  They seek to identify a central point  They then critically examine the information in the release for clarity, conciseness and objectivity  Some releases may not have any news in them, or may be excessive with clichés, jargon, hype, and puffery  Editors may discard as many as 100 news releases for every three or four they accept  Editors usually do not use news releases as submitted  Instead they have reporters rewrite them, confirming the information and possibly adding to them with fresh quotes and additional facts. Editors also use releases as a source of ideas.

8. Problems with News Releases  Lack of newsworthiness; limited interest; contrived events  Lack of objectivity– more an advertisement; hype, exaggeration and puffery; telling the public what to do  Other problems: stating the obvious; absence of solid facts; one-sided stories (reporters need to get other side); using the media  See Checklist for PR Practitioners and Checklist for Handling News Releases on pages 523-4