Sample News Releases

The three sample news releases available on pages 136-139 of “Becoming a Public Relations Writer” by Ronald D. Smith have a few common elements.

First, all three releases use the inverted pyramid of writing. Which means all three releases start with the most important information and work down to the not so important facts. In all three releases you leave the first couple sentences knowing the 5 W’s and H, who, what, where, when, why, and how. This is a good writing skill because then you know your reader will be informed even if they only read the first part of your story.

            A second common element in these three releases is that they are written from an unbiased journalistic point of view. They simply put the facts out there for the public, they do not tell anyone how to feel. The only point of views put into the releases are through quotes.

            These releases also include a good amount of background information about the organization or client they are representing. Exhibit 8.4 does this by including a boilerplate at the end of the release. A boilerplate is a paragraph, which gives the reader a general summary about the cause, or organization they have just read about. Exhibit 8.5 provides background information by giving facts about the art instructor whom is described in that release.

            Exhibit 8.4 and 8.5 have both included contact information at the end of the release. While exhibit 8.3 included its clients contact in the midst of the text of the release. Including the contact information in the middle of the release can be a bad idea because some people might miss it.

            Overall, although these three news releases might not be structured the same they give good examples as to three good ways they can be. 

Fact Sheet

Elizabeth Kavanagh

Communication Department

83 Windham Street

Willimantic, CT 06226

860-465-0122

Elizabeth Kavanagh

Fact Sheet

• ·      Born: Hartford, CT, 5/24/1990
• ·      Raised in West Cornwall, CT
• ·      Goes by the nickname Liz
• ·      Graduated Housatonic Valley Regional High School in 2008
• ·      Worked as a lifeguard for five years
• ·      Attended Whittier College in Los Angeles for one year
• ·      Was a member of the Spring 2009 women’s lacrosse team at Whittier College
• ·      Transferred to Eastern Connecticut State University in the Fall of 2009
• ·      Currently a senior at ECSU
• ·      Pursuing a Bachelors Degree in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Sociology
• ·      Deans list Fall 2011
• ·      Interned in the University Relations Department at ECSU in the Fall of 2012
• ·      Student worker in ECSU’s Student Health Services office May 2012 to present
• ·      Has one sister named Erica (18)
• ·      Loves Reading, Movies, Soccer, and Lacrosse
• ·      Interested in Media and History

Whats the Difference?

When it comes to journalism and PR writing I immediately think of opposing sides. I picture a press conference with a PR representative releasing information about an incident and nagging journalists attacking the story. I know this is a very stereotypical way to view both these fields but this is the picture the media has painted for me.

But once I think a step back here are my thoughts…

Journalism is supposed to be about getting the facts across in an unbiased way. Journalists job is to research events and happenings that we as a society will feel are news worthy and then report the facts to us, either in print or on TV. They are supposed to inform us, not tell us what we are supposed to think.

On the other hand, PR writing is all about making their client (whether it’s a corporation or an individual) look good. In public relations our goal is to keep our clients happy by making the rest of the world like them. PR writers and personnel are obviously very bias towards their clients and have a great ability when it comes to spinning stories about these clients into a good light.

Of course these two types of writing have similarities as well. They are both forms of media writing. They are both something society is very interested in. Whether it is a PR person trying to explain why their celebrity client passed out in a bar again or it’s the journalist whose on scene that night and covers the story; we all tune in. 

Ethics and PR writing

I view global warming the same way many of the people interviewed in A Burning Question do, uncertain. I know that our planet is changing but I have to admit I have not taken much time to look into why. I unfortunately at least used to have the mentality that too many of us do.

“It wont effect my lifetime so why should I care?”

Watching this documentary made me realize that it is important to be critical when fact checking and to not let the media influence your feelings on the matter. I realized that the reason many people are so confused on this environmental issue is a result of the use of research methods of persuasive public relations tactics by many, if not all, companies that have been detrimental to humanities planetary sustainability. These companies have put a definitive spin on global warming, forcing us to think that there is nothing to worry about. Coming to this realization brought a fear I have always had about public relations to the forefront of my mind.

“Will I act this way if I go into the field of public relations after college?”

It is really disturbing to see that the public relations departments of corporations like Exxon or BP seem to not follow any sort of moral code. I, like most people, am interested in making a lot of money and living a comfortable life with a lot of vacations and an early retirement. However, I hope that I would not throw away my morals and personal code of ethics to create a public image that ignores the responsibility of these guilty corporations to enhance my personal ambitions and dreams.