What is a press release?

A press release is basically information released to the press for use in the media. News on a plate if you like but trust me, I’ve seen zillions of them and they range from being good, not bad to downright ugly!

You’ll often hear a press release referred to as a ‘tool’ used by members of the public or those working in public relations (PR) to alert the press of something newsworthy that is planned or has happened.

Problem is, not everything you read in a press release is newsworthy or timely and you’ll find that many have no bearing to your news patch at all.

That said, a good press release can make useful fodder for those back of the book news pages or even further up the news agenda, especially if you can find a new twist on the tale considering you’ll probably not be the only reporter to receive the original version.

In my day most press releases (or news releases) came through the mail but these days the bulk are sent on email either direct to news desk or to an individual reporter.

Whatever the media, most get umpteen press releases every day, so expect to handle plenty of them as a source for a news story or feature article.

Like I’ve said, decent press releases can make good ‘bread and butter’ news but it’s good practice to try and put a new spin on it when possible, especially if you’re a weekly news journalist and the press release has been delivered after your deadline but in time for the rival daily news channels to report.

If you report the same news a week later it will probably be too dated, so finding a new angle or contacting the sender to see if there’s anything else you can use as a follow-up, is usually the best course of action if it’s still on the news schedule.

When you’re a trainee or new reporter, your editor or news editor should advise you on how to tackle a press release but don’t be shy to offer up your own ideas as showing initiative is something very sought after by editors and likely to win you brownie points. 
 
I’ll be writing more posts about press releases as they are something that you will come across daily if you want to be a journalist, are training to be a journalist or new to journalism. So do watch this space!