Posted by Lisa Hochgraf
As an industry editor, I get a lot of press releases about the good works of credit unions. And one of the things I love about credit unions is that they do so much good for their communities. Unfortunately, "good works press releases" don't always feel like news to industry publications or media outlets local to the credit unions themselves. Suffice it say that we see a lot of releases about scholarships, shredding events, financial education seminars, and membership promotions.
All this begs the question of what can make a good works release more newsy? Join me in taking a look at key factors in news judgment that I learned as a journalism student at Northwestern University (yikes--two decades ago, but I think they're as relevant as ever). Then I'll try to apply these concepts to a recent good works release I got that I think makes neat news.
The Editor's Toolbox by Leland "Buck" Ryan at Medill School of Journalism (circa 1993) says what's news depends on:
Audience: A general idea of what readers will or won't accept: "You can't print that in a family newspaper."
Impact: News affecting many is important.
Timeliness: Don't wait until winter to run your story on the Greenhouse Effect.
Oddity: Man bites dog.
Prominence: Ordinary happenings can take on meaning when very important people are involved. "Reagan: I feel fine."
Proximity: Page 1 story in Chicago may be a brief in Miami.
Magnitude: Sometimes an event attracts so many spectators, it must be covered.
Conflict: It's the key element in any drama.
The "credit union good works" release I got recently that I think has considerable news value is "Pelicans Helping Pelicans" about how $171 million Pelican State Credit Union, Baton Rouge, La., is helping save pelicans affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Let's go through each factor, considering the Pelican State CU release:
Audience: This story seems likely to work for many different readers.
Impact: The tie this story has to the oil spill greatly broadens its impact. People in affected states clearly care. And so do those of us who live in other parts of the country.
Timeliness: Even as BP supposedly gets a lid on the spill, birds are still being saved and Pelican State CU is right in there.
Oddity: You can't save a bird from an oil spill just any day. The CU does a good job of being part of something fairly unusual.
Prominence: The CU doesn't have a presidential connection here; however, it does note the prominence of its partner in saving the pelicans. The release clearly states that Tri-State Bird Rescue is "one of only two organizations in the country that can professionally manage a response to a professional oil spill."
Proximity: This might work as a lead story in Baton Rouge; it might be a paragraph in an industry trade (or a blog post!).
Magnitude: The whole world is watching the unfolding drama of the oil spill. Pelican State CU's release taps into the largeness of that story.
Conflict: The timing and topic of the Pelican State CU release also connects with the widely publicized conflict between BP and the U.S. government and environmental organizations and concerned citizens. It also taps the heartstrings about what has happened to these helpless birds.
Another note that's all my own...Pelican State CU also sent out this cool graphic for editors to use. A lovely finishing touch.
Now, I hope no one is reading this as saying that CUs shouldn't send out releases about their good works. Rather, I hope that knowing and applying the news judgment concepts above will help you get better coverage of the great things that you do.
