Any information that appears in the media that increases people’s
awareness and understanding of the profession of family and consumer
sciences is beneficial. While a national television news feature
on the benefits of high school classes on family and consumer
sciences might represent a major success in efforts to educate
the public, smaller stories that appear in local media also influence
public perceptions.
For example, placing an announcement about a community service
award you received can contribute to increased awareness of types
of activities in which members of AAFCS are involved. If hundreds
place similar items in their local papers, these cumulative efforts
will have a much larger impact.
Following are criteria that can help you determine whether information
has news value:
Usefulness – Is the information in the
news item educational and useful to the public?
Magnitude – How many people are affected
and how intensely are they affected?
Timeliness – This tends to separate
hard news from soft news. Timely items (hard news) are immediate
and must run today. Items that have no time sensitivity (soft
news) could run tomorrow, next week, or at the medium’s
discretion. Both are valued.
Proximity – Does it or can it happen
here?
Prominence – How important is the “big
shot” involved? Be honest, is the person really important
or well known to the general public?
Human Interest – Does this news story
trigger human emotion? Does it involve such things as families,
children, pets, romance, tragedy, or intrigue?
Flexible Format – Is this information
sufficiently flexible to allow any medium to choose its own
method of producing it, such as with audio tape, videotape,
photo story, or an interview?
Visual – Without it, a medium other
than television should be considered. Remember, most TV stations
feel the worst possible news story visually is a “talking
head shot.”
Frosting on the Cake – Does the story
have action? Can the whole news item be somewhat entertaining?
These qualities create high interest in the story.
Next, learn how to get
your story to media.
Communicate with Congress
How
to Communicate with Congress
Best
Timing
Fact
Sheets
Sample
Letter
Appointment
Worksheet
Communicate with the Media
Media
Relations
Craft
Your Story
Get
Your Story to the Media
Prepare
for a Media Interview
Monitor
Media Results
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