Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Could it be a from a press release? NO WAY! Well, maybe...


Logo courtesy of http://bearsbeersandbaseball.mlblogs.com/archives/2008/05/game_53_yanks_orioles.html


As a reporter with a few years under my belt, I have had my share of story ideas presented by an editor based off a press release. While canvassing the BaltimoreSun.com and NewYorkTimes.com, I found two articles which to me, represent a story that could have been written from a press release and another, which could not have been. The first story I would like to share is headlined, “For O’s, prospects brighter down on farm.” This story could have been written after a press release came out because it is not as timely as say an article of major newsworthiness. The article itself is written as most major league teams are coming down to their last games of the season.

The second story I found through NewYorkTimes.com, I feel, could not have been written based off a press release. In “Fed to Loan A.I.G. $85 Billion in Rescue,” reporters simply do not have time to wait for an official press release to announce the deal between the federal government and the insurance company. Further, in order to create this copy, multiple reporters from different cities were used to complete the article.

1 comment:

jenny atwater said...

Hi Amber,
I think it's great that you're using your blog to post articles that interest you (hotel blast in Yemen)! Good job keeping your posts short and concise with compelling headlines.