Besides doing a good job in your area of expertise, the success of your program depends to a great extent on how successful you are in letting people know who you serve, how you can help, and where to find you. And you may deal with a dual audience -- your clientele as well as your funder. Here are some tips on communicating your accomplishments so they can be understood. If you've learned something you'd like to share with others, email us - information@peakstoprairies.org.  

Tips for sharper news writing

What's news? 
News is an event, a happening, a change, a piece of new or revised information. A good guide to newsworthiness is the question "Would I care to read it?"

How to start: 
Start your story by summarizing your key point in the first sentence. Capture the reader's attention with an interesting lead paragraph.

The basics: W, W, W, W, W, H: 
Include the most important of the five W's and the H (who, what, when, where, why, and how it will affect me or how it was done). Eventually, the story should contain all of these elements, but the most common mistake a beginning journalist makes is to try to get them all in the first sentence or paragraph.

Elements of a good news story - A good story should:

1. Follow the inverted pyramid style--most important facts first. 
2. Keep your sentences short.
3. Use short, well-known words (avoid jargon)
4. Don't assume anyone knows anything about your subject, but don't insult anyone's intelligence.
5. Use active words to add zest to your writing (avoid, for example, it was said, or it is thought).
6. Use specific, concrete - non abstract - words and terms.
7. Do not editorialize by injecting your own preferences or even preferences of the subject you are writing about without attributing them.
8. Keep paragraphs short. Usually two or three sentences are enough.
9. Make easy-to-read paragraphs that amplify the lead or preceding paragraphs.
10. Know when to quit writing.
11. Avoid floating pronouns (instead, use nouns to avoid ambiguity).
12. Avoid introducing sentences with dates of prepositional phrases (and avoid overuse of prepositions inside the sentence).
13. Write copy in third person (he, she, it or they, or John said). Modern writing, however, more and more seems to be accepting second person (you).
14. Proof-read copy and edit out unnecessary words; eliminate errors of grammar and spelling.
15. For good measure, have someone else read the copy and have them tell you what they think it says.

The nitty-gritty:

1. Type all copies double spaced on 8 1/2" X 11" paper, using only one side (avoid onion skin or colored paper).
2. Set typewriter for 62 characters to a line.
3. Somewhere on the page (not on an enclosure shoot) give your full name, affiliation, address and phone number, preferably in the upper left corner.
4. Put release date (For Immediate Release or For (date) Release) in upper right corner.
5. Begin story one-third of the way down the first page to allow for directions by editors (headlines etc.)
6. If the release is longer than one page, write "more" at the bottom of each page.
7. Type only on one side.
8. Have a clean copy (no marks or other signs of sloppiness).
9. If at all possible, hand deliver the copy to the editor or news writer who will be handling the story on its way into print.
10. Indicate the end of the release by typing -30- (journalese for "end") at the center of the page below the final line of story.

To keep your credibility: Before copying or mailing any release:

1. Correct grammar, punctuation, spelling (especially names).
2. Check facts such as titles, dated, figures twice--once when you are writing the story and then when you have it written.
3. Have someone else read your story to check for typing errors and clarity.
4. Rewrite awkward sentences-eliminate extra words.
5. Re-read the story one last time to see if thought and fact follow logically.

These news tips have been complied from various writings tips sheets, including the Marketing Division of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture, as well as from first-hand experience on the other side of the editing desk.

Life in the newsroom
...and how it affects you

Generally speaking...

Don't ask for publicity: 
The quickest way to "turn off"  news staff is to call and say you want publicity on something. (They'll probably turn you over to the advertising people.) If you're interested in getting news coverage, explain the topic in terms of how new, interesting, important, unusual it is and why it would be of interest to the paper's readers.

Most releases go in the trash: 
Most news releases from non-news organizations are regarded as "public relations" material and wind up in the trashcan. Some news releases are passed on to staff writers for re-writing or as a story idea.

When they get it wrong: 
Was the story actually in error, or did you not like the presentation? Demanding a correction if the latter is the case may not get you anywhere. If it's a serious problem, call the reporter, but don't overreact. 

Tips on getting newspaper coverage

If it's a local story: 
Contact the editor or the particular reporter assigned to the "county" beat or other relevant beat. Find out what reporters cover what beat.

When to call on the phone: 
Reporters for evening papers are facing a noon deadline. At morning papers, the deadline is in the late afternoon. These are not good times to try and contact a reporter.

Pitch the story's news value: 
Pitch the story in terms of its significance and news value. (Why is this mousetrap so much better? The fact that the local water supply is safe is not news unless there was some doubt about its safety, or unless a report has just been released proclaiming the water safety.)

Use an angle a reporter can live with: 
Present the idea in a way that makes the reporter what to write about it. If the reporter isn't interested, see if you can come up with a different angle and explain how it would meet the publication's needs. Quickly follow up with additional information the reporter would need to do the story.

Be selective: 
Don't call a reporter for every thing. Get to know when the media will be interested.

If a reporter calls you... 
...don't freak out. Just provide the facts as you know them. It's okay to say you don't know something - perhaps you can suggest someone who can answer the question or you can find the answer and call back. Be sure to find out what the reporter's deadline is.

Provide background: 
Provide a press release of background information sheet that summarizes the key information you want to present. Put the most important facts. Put your name and phone number, and the phone number of others who the reporter could get information. Providing a backgrounder is especially important if the information is complicated. Having written information will help the reporter who is often writing against the clock --be more accurate.

Provide photos: 
Provide black and white photos if you have them, or suggest shots that the newspaper photographer could take. Some Montana dailies will use color slides to accompany feature stories.

Develop a rapport: 
Develop a rapport with key reporters/editors, so that they'll call you when they have a question in your field.

Tips for giving a good interview

Today it's a story... 
Be aware that if a reporter calls you, s/he may need the interview right away. This is especially true for broadcast. Ask what his/her timeframe is and do your best to schedule the interview before deadline.

"Hold my calls" 
Schedule enough time, about 1 hour, for the interview, so you won't be rushed. You might want to take the phone off the hook and close the door, so that you're not interrupted.

This isn't "War and Peace" 
Remember the reporter has only 15-20 paragraphs (or 1 to 2 minutes for broadcast media) to convey your story to the public. Summarize your main points. The media will beat a path to your door if you can summarize important facts in a 10-20 second clip.

Everyone's not an unclear physicist: 
Find out how much background the reporter has on the topic. Take five minutes at the beginning of the interview to fill her/him in.

Get the scoop: 
Before the interview, find out as much as you can about what the reporter is looking for. It helps to know what approach the reporter is talking and whether s/he is after news, a feature, human interest...

Bring it home: 
Pretend you're explaining to your mother what your work is all about. This is not so much for the reporter's benefit as it is for the public. If you think about how your story relates to the "average Joe", it will be better. It helps to use analogies or metaphors - e.g. an acre is about the size of a football field.

A Picture's worth a thousand words: 
Think of ways to visually portray your story. This is especially important for television, but newspapers need photos too. This makes the story easier to understand and tends to get better placement on the newscast.

Put it in writing: 
Give the reporter a written background sheet (NOT a technical document). This lets the reporter double check his/her notes.

Just a phone call away: 
Let the reporter know you are available to verify facts before deadline, and then make sure you can be reached. Don't demand to see the story before it is printed. There's an unwritten rule in journalism that sources do no check stories.

Beautiful brevity: 
Keep your sentences brief, especially if you're talking to a TV reporter. If you know ahead of time the main points you want to emphasize, think them through until you can say them in short, clear sentences.

Off the record: 
If you don't want something to be printed, don't say it. If you want the reporter to know something, but you don't want it attributed to you, make sure you clarify that before you say it.

Beware of manipulation: 
Sometimes reporters might ask you something like "Would you say..." and then offer an idea for your agreement or disagreement. Make your own statement instead of letting the reporter put words in your mouth.

When they get it wrong: 
Don't over-react. Gauge how wrong the story was and whether the mistake will negatively influence how the public will perceive it - or whether it really matters. If the mistake really matters, you might contact the reporter and clarify the mistake. Only in extreme circumstances ask for a correction, or write a letter to the editor clarifying the mistake. Don't sling arrows, you may need to work with that reporter again.

Speak your mind, but... 
Always emphasize where scientific evidence ends and personal speculation begins.

Tips for Writing Annual Reports

Note: Much of this information applies to newsletters as well.

1. Know your audience. Ask yourself what your advisory council, county commissioners and state legislators would want to know. What will impress them? Ask yourself what it is that most concerns them. (Probably your area decision-makers want to know if the money the county and state puts into your program is cost-effective, is it helping the people it's supposed to help?) The answers to these questions should help you write your program summaries.
     
   
2. Communicate results. Legislators and county commissioners are less interested in the hours you put into a program or that you continue to work on a specific program. They want to know the results you achieved.   (This is why program evaluations are important -- to determine if your educational clients are making behavioral changes as a result of participating in your program.)
   
   For example, don't say:
   IRM continues to be alive and well in Shooster County. The IRM Committee continues to work with the demonstration ranch to make the most profitable decisions for their ranch. The committee is planning.
   
   Instead, say:
   Four Shooster County ranchers are adopting improved range management techniques as a result of visiting the demonstration ranch organized by the county's IRM Committee. The goal of these techniques - - which include weed management, rotational grazing and determining optimum livestock numbers -- will help these ranchers improve their range productivity and increase long-term profitability.
   
   
3. If not results, then at least a goal. You may not always have specific results. In that case, say what you hope to accomplish with a program. Again, quantity (time spent) is less important than quality (results achieved or hoped for, and an indication that you're moving in the right direction.)  
   
   For example, don't say:
   The agent held five planning meetings for the November 12, 1991 garlic seminar. (That's all this agent wrote for this topic in the quarterly accomplishment report.)
   
   The legislators and county commissioners might want to know why you're spending time planning a garlic seminar. 
   
   You may need to address:
   why garlic has potential as a money maker in your area?
   how many people have called your office expressing interest in growing garlic?
   what you would like to accomplish as a result of your seminar?
   
   
4. Testimonials. Let your clients and participants do your talking for you. They will speak volumes about whether your programs are effective.
   
   Remember, you don't need comments such as: That Extension class was the best I've ever taken. Or: Agent Brown is great to work with.
   
   Get a photo of Susan Jones working on a project she learned through Extension. Run a quote about what she learned and how she's applying it in her life. Then you can explain the program and the results you're seeing. That way you don't run the risk of your audience thinking you're always out to get "pats on the back."
   
   
5. Be conscious of the tone of your reports. Some reports seem to assume that the reader is an "insider,1' that s/he knows why you're involved in certain activities. Some reports also sound like the agent is not enthusiastic about what s/he is doing. Taken to its extreme, this tone can almost be interpreted as though the agent resents having to be accountable.
   
   For example, one agent wrote:
   Assisted two 4-H members with completing Montana Jr. Ag Loans for Colleen Branstetter from the Montana Dept. of Agriculture to purchase a dairy calf and 2 lambs.
   
   Legislators and County Commissioners may wonder why helping these two 4-H'ers is important.  How does it relate to your 4-H program's goals? Be explicit about the life skills the 4-H'er is learning as a result of working with the animals.
   
   Another example:
   Chaired the Hokum Area Chamber of Commerce Ag-Business Committee. We redirected the entire committee direction to get away from the "traditional rut" we were in.
   
   Do the county commissioners and local legislators know what the "traditional rut" is? How did the agent help accomplish a change (of attitude or procedure)? How does this effort fit in with the agent's program goals?
   
   
6. Use headlines. (Some counties don't) An effective headline should excite. Headlines should convey action, and have a verb in them. Headlines also help break up copy on the page, presenting the information in short, digestible blocks.
   
   
7. Lead sentences. Ask yourself what is the most important point about this project? Then try to reflect that in your lead. Remember, legislators and county commissioners are busy people. You need to let them know right away why they should be reading this particular report.
   
   Example of a bad lead sentence:
   A major effort during this period of time was crop evaluations including farm visits and office conferences.
   
   Weaknesses of this sentence:
   Doesn't portray any results or goals.
   Doesn't portray enthusiasm about agent's efforts and goals.
   Uses passive voice rather than active. Passive voice (a major effort was....) makes sentences sound sterile.
   
   A better approach:
   Dakota County producers faced an unusual situation last year: higher than normal moisture in the spring and lower than normal moisture last fall. (Then a sentence explaining how the agent handled the requests for information on how to deal with the situation.)
   
   This approach:
   Explains who has the problem and how the agent is dealing with it. Puts the agent's effort in perspective.  Lets the legislators, county commissioners know about a situation they should know about.
   
   
8. What to call your reports. Don't call them accomplishment reports. Annual Report is better. However, you may be able to come up with something more enthusiastic:
   
   How about:
   1992: A Year of Progress for Ford County Extension
   (MSU Extension logo and slogan at bottom)
   (Cover could include a collage of action photos. showing community activities the agent was involved with.)
   
   Or:
   Workable Solutions
   MSU Extension: Working to Make a Difference in Ford County
   (You could follow through with this theme by discussing your issues in terms of Problems and Solutions.)
   
   When deciding on your title, you want to be enthusiastic without overselling yourself or Extension.  Let your facts and actions speak for themselves.
   
   
9. Justified type is hard to read, especially when you're using a non-proportional space type.
   
   
10. Photos. You'll need to start thinking about getting photos well before you start putting your annual report together. This is usually the hardest part of putting together a publication, because good quality black and white photos are not easy to get. (Color photos will probably be too expensive because you'll need to get color separations and pay for a four-color printing job.)
    
    Strive to get good action shots, or close-ups of people with interesting expressions or reactions. Don't use photos of a group of people sitting around a table -- instead get a facial expression from one of the participants. If you're using testimonials, go to that person's home and. photograph them working on their financial planning materials or handling their farm's record-keeping. Or go with the farmer into his field and get a photo of him pointing out a weed he's trying to get rid of.

Prepared by Tana Kappel
MSU Division of Communications Services
February 1992

Contact Us

P2 Network / Web Library / Directory / Topic Hubs™ / Search
Operated by MSU Extension Service / Funded by EPA Region 8 / Member P2Rx™