Text в How news is gathered

The methods by which news, features stories, pictures and oth­er editorial materials are gathered may be the following: •Reporters. These are journalists who are directed by the ed­itor to seek information on a topic. Some may specialise in, for example, crime, politics or sports, others will be general reporters.

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• Special correspondents. These are writers who specialise in sub­jects such as industry, science, education and so on. There are also war correspondents and foreign correspondents. These journalists may contribute a regular column or may edit week­ly or monthly magazines on their subject.

• Stringers. Newspapers cannot afford to have their own report­ers in every town, and so they have contacts with local journal­ists to cover stories for them. These stringers often send local stories to the national press.

• Foreign correspondents. Large newspapers usually have foreign correspondents in the main cities of the world. They may work full-time for the paper or work like stringers.

• Feature writers. Usually staff writers, these are journalists who write articles rather than news reports, giving in-depth background to the news or specialising in topics such as politics or fashion.

• Wire services. A wire service is a central news service which receives, edits and transmits news to news rooms. This service is now computerized.

• News agencies. These are also firms which specialise in certain topics and sell news to the media. In addition there are foreign news agencies which gather and distribute news for or about their countries, e.g. the American Associated Press (AP).

• Picture agencies and picture libraries. Important news events are photographed by picture agency photographers who send pictures to editors. Picture agencies, and photographic libraries have pictures on subjects and can sell selections of photos.

• PR sources. Editors rely on PR specialists for news, interviews and ideas for articles or written articles. Journalists will ac­cept invitations to attend press events. They will also contact PR specialists when they want information.

Adapted from F. Jefkins

Pr manager's toolbox

The role of press relations is to achieve maximum publication or broad casting of PR information in order to create knowledge and understanding.

• 'The press' includes all news media — press, radio, television and cinema newsreels. 'News release' is used in preference to 'press release', as it. also recognizes radio and television.

The object of press relations is to 'create knowledge and understanding', not to print what the client or employer wants to see in print or to gain 'favourable mentions'. No one has the right to expect the media to print or broadcast anything, at least not in a democracy.

Vocabulary

news — новости

features stories — статьи

editorial materials — редакционные материалы

to be gathered — собираться

reporters — журналисты

directed by the editor — под руководством редактора

to seek information — искать информацию

crime— криминальная хроника

general reporters — журналисты общего профиля

special correspondents — специальные корреспонденты

industry— производство

science— наука

war correspondent — военный корреспондент

regular column — постоянная рубрика

stringers— стрингеры, внештатные корреспонденты

to afford — позволять

local Journalists — местные (региональные) журналисты

cover stories — зд. освещать события, писать материалы

foreign correspondents — собкоры за рубежом

staff writers — штатные сотрудники редакции

in-depth background — подробная дополнительная информация

fashion — мода

wire services — новостные агентства

picture agencies — фотоагентства

picture libraries — библиотека изображения, фотобанк

selections of photos — подборка фотографий

to rely on — надеяться на

written articles — написанные статьи

accept invitations — принимать приглашения

Exercise A. True or false

1. Reporters are directed by the editor.

2. Some reporters specialise in crime, politics or sports.

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3. Stringers are local journalists who cover stories for the national press.

4. Large newspapers have foreign correspondents in every city of the world.

5. Feature writers are journalists who write articles rather than news reports.

6. Wire service receives news through wires.

7. News agencies are firms who specialise in certain topics and sell news to the media.

8. Foreign news agencies gather news about for or about their coun­tries.

9. Picture libraries sell selections of pictures.

Exercise B. Finish the sentences:

1. Reporters-are journalists who are...

2. Some reporters may specialise in...

3. Special correspondents specialize in subjects such as...

4. Newspapers cannot afford to have their own reporters in every town and so...

5. Large newspapers usually have foreign correspondents in...

6. Feature writers are usually staff writers who write...

7. A wire service is a...

8. Foreign news agencies gather and distribute...

9. Editors rely on PR specialists for...

Exercise C. Translate into English:

1. Репортеры— это журналисты, которые направляются редак­тором для сбора информации по теме.

2. Специальные корреспонденты— это журналисты, которые специализируются по какой-либо теме, например, на произ­водстве, в науке или образовании.

3. Существуют также военные корреспонденты и собственные корреспонденты за рубежом.

4. Эти журналисты публикуют свои материалы в постоянной рубрике.

5. Газеты не могут себе позволить иметь собственных коррес­пондентов в каждом городе, поэтому у них есть контакты с местными журналистами, которые готовы писать для них.

6. Крупные газеты имеют собственных корреспондентов в круп­нейших городах мира.

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7. Обозреватели— это штатные журналисты, которые пишут статьи, а не новостные материалы.

8. Обозреватели пишут статьи, давая подробную дополнитель­ную информацию по теме.

9. Новостные агентства — это фирмы, которые специализиру­ются в определенной теме и продают новостные материалы различным СМИ.

Exercise D. Discussion

1. What is the most reliable source of information for journal­ists?.

2. What is the most prestigious kind of journalism? What is the most prestigious kind of media: one with the largest circulation or one that is the most reliable?

3. Do you think that PR sources can provide more interesting in­formation about the than news agencies and picture agencies? Think of examples.

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6. Зак. 748

Lesson 9. THE NEWS RELEASE (PRESS RELEASE)

Text A The News Release

Text В How News Releases Should be Written

Text A THE NEWS RELEASE

Newsworthiness means that information promises to be of in­terest to readers and is worth publishing. These standards should always be used by the PR specialist to test all news releases, pic­tures and all press events organized. The questions to ask are: is this story worth printing, will this picture improve the page, why should journalists waste their time to attend this press par­ty? The PR practitioner must be his or her own judge of news-worthiness.

A news release creates an image of the organisation in the eyes of the editors. However, all over the world, nothing is done worse in PR than the writing of news releases. Editors everywhere are very disappointed by the quality of the releases they receive. This can be harmful to press relations as well as forming a bad impression of the sender's organisation. This is a pity because it is not difficult to write releases that earn the praise of the editors.

A good news release should tell the story as the journalist would have written it. It should not begin with 'We are proud to announce' nor contain self-praise. A news release must not read like an ad­vertisement. The easiest way to learn how to write a news release is to read a newspaper. Very few of the releases received by edi­tors resemble the reports printed in the media.

Good presentation

Four things make press relations better:

• Releases should be written in the style used by journalists, which is quite different from essay-writing, the writing of an answer to

_ an examination question or the writing of feature articles. Good ones often appear below the by-lines of journalists who are hap­py to accept PR stories as their own.

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• The release must have a professional look and without mis­takes.

• Releases should be appropriate to the journals to which they are sent. There is no point in sending the life story of a business person to newspapers which print only two-line notices of new appointments.

Releases should be sent to selected journals in sufficient time for the story to be printed. The editors will annoyed by receiving a good story too late to print. They will be critical of PR manager who was not paying attention to the deadlines.