Tools for Preparing News Releases

The reputation of WSU can be significantly influenced by the news media coverage afforded the university. For that reason, the WSU News Service is constantly seeking newsworthy stories and story ideas from campus communicators, faculty members and students and making efforts to bring those stories to the attention of reporters and editors. These efforts and others often lead to important interactions between representatives of the media and WSU faculty members and administrators. The following links provide information intended to assist those who may be unaccustomed to dealing with such requests by providing tips that help ensure such interactions prove worthwhile for all.

• Working with Media  
  Working with the media provides information on contacts with the media, what to do when a reporter calls, tips for a successful interview and tips for a successful television interview.
• News Release Format Guide  
  This guide provides information on how to format a news release.
• News Release Style Guide  
  The news release style guide provides information on A/P style, acronyms, academic degrees, direct quotes, event times, how to format phone numbers, hyperlinks and URLs, italics, advisories and notes to editors, photo formats quotations, release distribution, subject matter, superscripts, and track changes.
• Other Resources
  This area provides links for:
  • WSU News & Periodicals
  • WSU Faculty Resources
  • Various information for WSU
  • Other Information Resources outside of WSU
  • Other Media Resources
  • Writing Resources

We're Here to Help

The WSU News Service keeps in touch with as many potential news sources – faculty, students and administrators – as possible, but we are a small department. We appreciate tips from the university community when newsworthy events are happening. If you think something you are doing professionally or personally is newsworthy, call us to discuss it. This could include attending an important conference, developing a new teaching method, presenting a paper on a newsworthy issue, discovering a research breakthrough, hosting a meeting where action on a timely topic may be taken, or sponsoring an event at the university that merits news coverage. To determine news value, consider whether you've seen similar stories on the topic in the past. Is your idea likely to be among the most important or interesting things happening that day? Is there a reporter who covers this topic regularly? Does your idea have broad appeal, or is it more suited to a smaller, more focused audience? The News Service can help you make these determinations. Give us a call at 335-3081.

WSU News Service Staff
James Tinney
Director
335-8055
jltinney@wsu.edu