Tell the Good News About Schools
"Don’t ask the press to cover you. Give them reasons why they should."
—Edward Segal
"Unless it’s bad news, sex, celebrities or politicians, copycat stories don’t sell. If you want a feature placement, it doesn’t matter if you’re best. What you have to be is first."
—Joanie Flatt
Mark Twain once said that everyone complains about the weather, but no one ever does anything about it. So it is with news coverage of schools. If you feel aggrieved by media coverage of education, remember that it doesn't have to be that way. You can do something about it.
Why You Should Share Good News
- People want to know. On any media readership survey or public opinion poll, education is among the top three issues that the American public wants to know more about.
- People have a right to know. Public school systems are paid for by public funds.
- Not all our patrons are our parents. 72 percent of taxpayers have no children in schools, so they won’t be getting school newsletters or going to open houses.
- Balance. Bad news gets out, critics get heard. Good news should be seen and heard, too.
- Education works better with informed, involved, supportive parents and patrons. A steady stream of positive news builds a bank of goodwill in the community. Schools are more effective and can more easily do the right things for students if parents and the community support them.
- It's a reward to students. Generally, students are very excited about being on TV or in the newspaper.
What is News?
Almost everything that happens in schools is good for students. However, not everything is considered news. For news media, news usually has some or all of these characteristics:
- Visually interesting. Television news must have interesting or exciting video, or at least video which shows people moving. Newspapers also prefer stories accompanied by visually interesting photos. Students out of their seats doing something is always better than students in their seats.
- Drama. Does it have human interest? Are the events colorful? Has someone overcome barriers to succeed? Is someone or a group of people being extraordinarily generous with their time, energy or money?
- Timeliness. Does it pertain to the season, time of year or current events?
- Rarity. Is there something unexpected happening? Is there something uncommon, unusual or unique going on?
- Immediacy. Is it happening tomorrow? Is it happening now, or did it happen very recently?
How to Get Your News Out
There's not much you'll have to do other than share a bit of information. Everything else -- writing a press release, contacting the media, making arrangements for media to come -- will be handled for you. If there is something newsworthy going on in your classroom or at your school, send an e-mail to slindley@putnamcityschools.org at least three or four days before the event. Your e-mail should answer these questions:
- Who is involved? (Example: First-grade students at John Doe Elementary.)
- What is happening? (Two sentences to four paragraphs describing the class or school activity.)
- When is it happening? (List day, date and starting and ending time of the activity.)
- Where is it happening? (List the school and room, or if it’s happening away from school, the name of the facility and the street address.)
- What is the educational value of this event? (Why is it good for students or teachers to be involved in this activity? How will it improve learning or strengthen the district?)
- What is your name and number? There may be follow up questions.