For Employees
News Release Guidelines
NDSU Agriculture Communication – Jan. 25, 2006
NDSU Agriculture Communication prepares and electronically
disseminates news releases to all North Dakota daily and weekly
newspapers, radio stations and TV stations; selected regional
and national media; and staff who request to receive them.
Current and past news releases are at
www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/newsrelease/2005/current/01index.htm
.
The primary goal for Ag Communication’s news and feature
releases is education, but also appropriate for release is
information about faculty, staff and students, as well as
events and activities sponsored or co-sponsored, under the
Vice President for Agriculture and University Extension.
General Guidelines
Check with the appropriate Ag Communication writer/editor
listed below on specific issues.
- Send Ag Comm a draft or provide the information (who,
what, where, when, why, etc.) so a writer/editor can write
the release.
- Timeliness
- Information
about an upcoming event should reach Ag Comm at least
three weeks prior to the event. That gives staff time
to prepare and disseminate the release; news media,
particularly weekly newspapers, time to use it; and
citizens adequate notice to put the event on their calendars.
- Information
on subjects such as awards and competition results should
reach Ag Comm as soon as possible, but no later than
a week after the competition or awards presentation.
Old news is no news.
- Relevance
- Upcoming events should
be of educational nature and open to the public.
- Ag Comm will not prepare
news releases on an event, activity, award, competition,
etc., unrelated to Agriculture and University Extension.
- Ag Comm coordinates with NDSU University Relations
and Research, Creative Activities and Technology Transfer
on release of news and feature stories.
- All news releases going out from Agriculture and University
Extension faculty and staff must receive prior editorial
approval from Ag Comm, University Relations or Research, Creative Activities and Technology Transfer.
- News conference vs. media advisory
- A news conference
brings the news media together so everyone receives
the same message at the same time from the same speaker
or speakers. News conferences are hosted only for truly
big news events.
- A media advisory lets
the news media know when and where something is happening.
The news media then can attend and talk to those involved
in the event.
- Instead of a news release, Ag Comm sometimes sends
out a tip sheet – a page with story ideas, background
information, contact people and other information for reporters
to develop their own stories.
News Release Contacts
Ellen
Crawford, 231-5391
Animal and Range Sciences
Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences
4-H Youth Development
Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences
Entomology
Ag and Biosystems Engineering
Carrington REC
Central Grasslands REC
North Central REC
Rich
Mattern, 231-6136
Plant Sciences
Plant Pathology
Cereal and Food Sciences
Soil Science
Child Development and Family Science
Agribusiness and Applied Economics
Langdon REC
Agronomy Seed Farm
Williston REC
Hettinger REC
Dickinson REC
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