During my time as a journalist, there was only one rule when it came to news releases: only run them when you positively, absolutely can’t do any reporting on the topic whatsoever. Otherwise, go out to the source of the news and write an original article. In my experience as a sports journalist, however, I didn’t really run into many news releases that we had to run. In a town (Tuscaloosa) with an SEC school (Alabama), we were close enough to get the actual story from the athletic department because we were literally only 5-8 minutes (depending on traffic) from the athletic department’s building on campus. As for the numerous high schools that were in our coverage area, they weren’t really in the business of news releases. We usually had to generate any stories that were not straight reports from a game.
Because of all this, I don’t really know what I can contribute to the discussion about social news media releases. What I can do, however, is give it the old College try.
A helpful template for what a social news media release can look like can be found here. From an aesthetic perspective, it is a really sharp-looking document. I would love to have this come across my desk if I were still working for a news organization. Not only would I be drawn to it because of it being in a non-black-and-white format, but also because it provides me with options, and as a journalist I always liked having options so that I wouldn’t feel pigeonholed into doing something I didn’t want to. By options, I mean that when I get a social news media release, I can put it on my organization’s Facebook page (if we have one), link it on my website via RSS, post an audio clip to my website, or post a video to my website, as opposed to only having the option to run it in the newspaper and take up valuable space.
In education, I think I can use these as well, though it may be a stretch. I really can’t see a use for these in an English classroom (though I am open to suggestions), but I do think I could use them in a high school Journalism class. I think it would serve as a great way to teach students about news values and the decisions they may have to make if they were to become editors. I think that this form may be a little bit easier to relate it to students. I also think it would be valuable to introduce these things early on in a student’s journalism career because the industry is moving more and more towards these forms of communication, and if they are comfortable with them, then they won’t be intimidated at a job.
As always, I really enjoyed your graphics and your sharing of personal experience! For me, things are always easier to understand when I have a real-life story to compare it to, especially when discussing such technological advancements.
I also love how you apply it to education. It’s great to see everything we study in class being used in the real world! Keep up the good posts!
xoxo, Nikki May
Thank you so much! It is easier for me, too, if I have a real-life experience to relate things to so that it isn’t as abstract to others.
I like how you noted the fact that journalists expect more options from SMPRs now — nearly every website worth its salt now has links to all the social media outlets available. Not being able to share a story seems unusual, actually; part of being social in 2010 includes posting links and videos to friends’ sites, which works to spread the news and create community between those who have shared it.
Oh and I totally heard Seinfeld’s voice on the title. Nicely done.
SL