News releases can achieve a variety of objectives, such as publicizing a new company, explaining a new company policy or pointing out the effects a company has on a community. The most common types of news releases are advance stories, event stories, features and discoveries.
Advance Stories: Practitioners write announcements whenever their company or client will sponsor an activity such as a speech or seminar: The Marist University English Department will present “Well, I’ll Be Banned: A Reading of Censored Children’s Books” at 7 p.m. Thursday in Mildred M. Pierson Hall at McDonnell Library.
The hour-long reading is free and refreshments will be served. For further information or to register, call 1-800-000-0000.
Event Stories: When practitioners write a story prior to an event, they write it as though the event already has happened and the news organization is reporting on it. A release written in this manner serves two main purposes: First, it lets reporters know what will occur at the event, in case they want to cover it; second, it frees reporters from writing the story.
Reporters rarely publish such a story verbatim, however. They may attend the event, perhaps simply to verify the story’s accuracy. Reporters often rewrite the stories so identical accounts do not appear in other publications.
Practitioners also give reporters copies of speeches before they are delivered. This practice enables reporters to quote the speakers accurately. However, reporters usually attend the speeches because speakers may change some of their comments at the last moment.
The following story was written about a forthcoming presentation at a chemical society’s convention. The headline, “Leaves Found to Be Rich Source of Protein for Humans,” indicates that the story concerns a topic health trend-that interests many readers. However, this advance could be improved:
Tobacco and soybean leaves are a better source of protein for human consumption than egg whites, cheese and milk, scientists said today. Tobacco protein, particularly, has a more complete complement of essential amino acids, they said.
The researchers have been experimenting with tobacco protein for several years, and have demonstrated that it can be whipped into meringue toppings or added to any foods that are whipped or jellied.
Now they say edible proteins can be extracted as well from the leaves of alfalfa, soybean and sugar beets. Unlike traditional protein sources like meats, eggs and milk, the plant leaves contain no fat or cholesterol, said Austin Black of the University of Iowa today. He spoke here at the 99th national meeting of the Midwestern Chemical Society.
With world population increasing and a shortage of protein for human nutrition imminent, Dr. Black said leaf protein, being the most abundant protein on earth, can alleviate the supply- and-demand problem. He also said that after extracting the protein and removing undesirable leaf constituents, the fiber and juice from the leaf could be processed into smoking materials that are less harmful than those on the market now.
“This is especially important for developing countries where the smoking population is increasing and human malnutrition is overwhelming,” Dr. Black said.
He described two forms of leaf protein, fraction-l- protein (F-1- p) and fraction-2- protein (F- 2- p). F-1-p accumulates inside chloroplasts-where the green pigment chlorophyll occurs-and is the enzyme responsible for fixation of carbon dioxide in photosynthesis. F-2-p represents the remaining protein that surrounds the nuclei of the leaf cells.
The tobacco F-I-p has a protein content of 99.5%; F-1-p’s from soybean, sugar beet and alfalfa range between 97.3%-98.4% in protein. All F-I-p’s are odorless and tasteless, as are all F-2-p’s, but they are beige to yellow in color.
In food applications, plant leaf protein can be added to any food that will be whipped or jellied. Dr. Black said these proteins could serve the same function as egg white and the protein casein in the new commercial fat substitutes. The result would be an even lower fat content and nearly equal or better protein level, he said.
Dr. Black noted that tobacco F-I-p may have pharmaceutical uses, particularly for renal and post-surgical patients. For patients undergoing dialysis, tobacco F-l-p provides a near ideal combination of protein and amino acids and it would be nutritious for post-surgical patients also, he said.
This story has several problems. One problem is that the story deviates from Associated Press news style-for example, the use of “%” rather than spelling out “percent.” Another problem is that the story contains too much jargon, words and phrases that experts might understand but the audience may not. And although the first paragraph notes “scientists,” only one is named and quoted throughout the news release. Dr. Black or the event-the chemical society’s meeting-needs to be mentioned sooner in the story. In addition, the news release should be simplified by eliminating much of the information in the last four paragraphs.
Features: Practitioners often write feature stories as press releases. Many features can interest a national audience. Such features can provide interesting and important information and deal with subjects ranging from health, medicine and science to home and auto care. Well-written features should appear to be an information piece rather than a blatant publicity piece for a client or organization. Sometimes features mention the client or organization as the sponsor of an event; at other times, they quote the client or organization as an authority or source for the article.
The following feature describes homebuilders using the Internet for information. The feature, prepared for Jackson Windows of Jackson, Mich., includes quotes from the manufacturer, as well as mentioning a specific distributor, Stevens Construction Inc. in St. Louis:
Nearly 80 percent of homeowners now consider themselves buy-it-yourselfers. Yet, only one in five say they rely on the advice of professionals to assist in their product buying decisions, according to a survey by Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications
Instead, that advice could be coming from one of the fastest- growing sources of information for homeowners-the Internet’s World Wide Web-say building product manufacturers. The Web grew by 360 percent in just the last quarter, according to Open Markets Inc.
“Buy-it-yourselfers demand information about home products where they can reach it, when they want it,” said Daniel Hobbs of Stevens Construction Inc., the local distributor of Jackson Windows and Doors. He said area homeowners are seeking product information once requested only by builders and contractors. “They demand competitive comparisons, details of product features and examples of what the product will look like installed.”
Right now, more homeowners are looking for this kind of information on the Internet. “If it’s not there, that product may not be considered when it’s time to buy,” said Marvin Espinoza, vice president of marketing for Jackson Windows, which recently established a site on the Web to provide on- demand information about windows and doors.
With a home computer, modem and browser software, homeowners have everything from product photographs to technical information at their fingertips. And, while only 2 percent of building materials manufacturers have World Wide Web sites now, according to Web Track’s Inter Ad Database, Espinoza expects that number to rise quickly.
Like Jackson Windows, Frigidaire, Electrolux, Master Lock and Grohe Faucets have anticipated this demand and established sites on the Web.
Upon accessing Jackson’s home page (http://www.jack.com) through an online service, users may choose informational paths including “Windows aping,” which provides photography and descriptions of design ideas; “Crash Course,” including a glossary of window and door terms and energy efficiency ratings terminology; “Jamb
Session,” which highlights product line options and benefits; and “Windows of Opportunity,” where users can request free information about making window decisions by entering their name and mailing address.
“We expect the Web to support our sales personnel,” said Hobbs. “Buy-it-your- sellers now have the window and door information they demand-at their fingertips when and where they demand it.” For free literature about making window decisions, call 1-800- 000-0000, or visit Jackson Windows on the World Wide Web at http://www.jack.com.
Most news organizations would eliminate the feature’s last sentence and both mentions of the company’s online home page to keep it from sounding too much like an advertisement. They might also rewrite parts of the release, condensing and simplifying it.
Discoveries and Results: Universities, hospitals, corporations and research institutions want the public to know about their discoveries and the results of their work. Announcements of discoveries highlight and enhance the organization’s reputation, as well as keeping the public aware of new advances in science and technology.
A news release from a research university began with the following paragraphs. The rest of the release further explained the significance of the discovery:
An international team of scientists has discovered a methane eating bacteria that can play a major role in the battle against global warming. Scientists from the United States, Germany and Russia report in the latest issue of Science that they have isolated a newly discovered microorganism that literally feasts on methane, one of the major gases that contributes to global warming.
It’s estimated that these organisms, known as methanotrophs, reduce the amount of methane released into the atmosphere by as much as 90 percent in some areas of the world, said professor Robert Johnson, who has a doctorate in microbiology.
The overall percentage of methane in the atmosphere has tripled in the last 100 years, causing significant temperature increases at the Earth’s polar regions Methanotrophs may hold the key to understanding global methane production in nature, Johnson’s team believes.
