logo How to ... Issue Media Releases
Presbyterian Church of Australia in the State of New South Wales
  
  The content must be newsworthy.  Make your news match the needs of the medium and the interests of the audience.  

Keep in mind that what the local community newspaper considers to be news is likely to be very different from what a regional or national newspaper will regard as news.  TV will need to present its news visually.
Consider who you are addressing in presenting your story, what you are trying to get across, why this story is important, when the content is at its most topical, how this information is going to be received by the public and where it is going to be received.

  Confine the content to a single newsworthy item.  

  Your introductory statement should define this item and should be about 25 –30 words.

"Media Release Media Release Media Release Media Release

"A meeting of the Presbyterian congregation  at Black Stump expressed outrage at the  news that an application to establish a brothel in Main Street had been received by the Woop Woop Council."
 

Develop the theme with about five or six concise sentences. Do not introduce additional news items.

Confine the whole press release to one typed A4 page of text.

 

Begin each sentence with a fresh paragraph and insert a space between paragraphs.
Keep the message simple and avoid cluttering the text with too many statistics.
Avoid acronyms, jargon, cliches and abbreviations.
Use language which is specific, vivid and strong (e.g senator instead of politician). If an unfamiliar word (e.g Session) has to be used, briefly define it.

"The congregation voted unanimously to register its opposition with the Council and send a delegation to the next  meeting, scheduled for Tuesday 3rd May.

"The Session of the Church, the meeting of elders, later resolved to contact other congregations in the community to alert them to ..."
  Give your organisation a “face” as well as a  “voice” to  reinforce the basic issue.  

This will most likely be the minister but  others may fit the role.

"The Rev. Fred Bloggs, Minister of the congregation, said, 'Our members are appalled at the contempt for accepted standards of human decency …'"
  Insert, if appropriate, some quotations from named people that add argument and feeling.   

These might come from a prominent citizen. Always include honorifics.

"Dr Joan Jones, a local General Practitioner and an elder of the congregation said, 'The proposed site for the brothel is only five doors up from a popular medical centre …'"
  End the media release with an assertive statement, e.g. leaving an expectation that the matter is not over yet.  

A clear expectation of a face-saving result for all parties, an expression of outrage, a suggestion of further action, or a statement of high principle all offer eye-catching ways to end the media release.

"Mr Bloggs said 'We have expectations that the Council will refuse the application  when they see that …'"
                                                    or
"{Mr Bloggs said ' Many of our members have indicated that they intend to take this matter up privately with …'”
  Include name, email address, and the phone number of a contact person.  

     Make sure that your contact person is expecting to be home for most of the time over the following 48 hours.
    Ideally, distribution should be via a network but a subscription is necessary. Alternatively you can selectively fax, mail or email media releases as appropriate
  A few other tips.  

Use your church letter head, first making sure that you have the authority to do so.
Use only one side of the paper.
Always type the text of the release.
Include the words “Media Release ” prominently close to the top of the page.
If you can suggest a good headline, include it at the top of the release, e.g “Presbyterians Express Outrage at Proposed Brothel”
Use separate media releases for separate subjects.
Include a black and white photograph if you have one available.