They’ve cracked it at last! The chicken DID come before the egg (are you serious?). This was actually reported in noted newspaper The Daily Mail. It's actually quite funny what makes the news today; especially since we as PRs are constantly being reminded that half our press releases end up in the bins (or deleted-if you use email) of bitter, ol' journalists who've had (or seem to have) a long bad day. I am puzzled as to why an old riddle solved would make the daily news. Is it that our ideas of what's 'newsworthy' are changing? or is it just a 'spur' of the moment thing? Either way, I had a bit of a laugh when I read this story. Not to add insult to injury, just a week after the Daily Mail's tribute to 'riddle lovers' the Guardian reported Ice-T arrested for driving without a seatbelt. On top of all his raving and ranting when he was arrested, there's one thing I agree with 'Some punk bitch rookie cop named Fisher #10026 made the arrest of his bullshit career today," oh well...he said it...not me. Prominence is something that is bound to get some airtime or a slot in the papers. If I fell and broke my arm, no one cares...but on the contrary if this were to happen to lets say..David Cameron (God forbid..;-) ), that's something you will find all over the news, possibly for days.
So, what makes a story newsworthy? According to Media.com(http://www.mediacollege.com/journalism/news/newsworthy.html), there are five things that actually make a story newsworthy.
Timing
Significance
Proximity
Prominence
Human Interest
They are pretty much self-explanatory, but I'm thinking that with the exception of Timing and Prominence, the others are left up to opinion and judgement. This I believe, is left up to none other than our good ol' friends...journalists. Lets face it, PRs dont write headlines, we only write press releases and hope that the journalist will make it into a headline.
So, what are they looking for?
Remember the four 'w's' - who, what, where, when (and an 'h' - how), they are indeed very handy...use them! Journalists like being able to tell what is going on by just looking at the first line or paragraph of the press release. It is therefore, important to get the most relevant details in the first paragraph. Other things that may annoy a journalist, especially if press releases are emailed, is low-res versus hi-res images. I have learnt the hard way during my internship (phew). It is better to get in touch with the journalist to find out their preference. Otherwise you'll be wasting time sending out all those beautifully written press releases. A little sucking up will help too, invite them for a cuppa or a drink, sneak in a story while you're at it - get to know them!
So, what makes a story newsworthy? According to Media.com(http://www.mediacollege.com/journalism/news/newsworthy.html), there are five things that actually make a story newsworthy.
Timing
Significance
Proximity
Prominence
Human Interest
They are pretty much self-explanatory, but I'm thinking that with the exception of Timing and Prominence, the others are left up to opinion and judgement. This I believe, is left up to none other than our good ol' friends...journalists. Lets face it, PRs dont write headlines, we only write press releases and hope that the journalist will make it into a headline.
So, what are they looking for?
Remember the four 'w's' - who, what, where, when (and an 'h' - how), they are indeed very handy...use them! Journalists like being able to tell what is going on by just looking at the first line or paragraph of the press release. It is therefore, important to get the most relevant details in the first paragraph. Other things that may annoy a journalist, especially if press releases are emailed, is low-res versus hi-res images. I have learnt the hard way during my internship (phew). It is better to get in touch with the journalist to find out their preference. Otherwise you'll be wasting time sending out all those beautifully written press releases. A little sucking up will help too, invite them for a cuppa or a drink, sneak in a story while you're at it - get to know them!
And just for your entertainment..enjoy these news stories!
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