Press Release (7-2)

Image courtesy of Michele M.
CC BY-SA 2.0

Create a press release for Joe Paterno’s death (review the Media Dead Wrong to Repeat False Report of Paterno's Death article discussed in the 5-1 Discussion). Craft an accompanying Facebook post. Hint: Consider ways to make this story meaningful to a wide audience and not just an announcement of a potential tragic loss.

This week, I am creating a hypothetical press release and Facebook post announcing the death of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, written from the standpoint of a university sports information department. Skerik (2012) offers several press release pointers gleaned from exchanges with professionals in several PR discussion groups, including the importance of newsworthiness, editing/proofreading, images, and keeping “key messages of the press release front and center” (para. 12). She also notes the importance of brevity: “From a user (and search engine) standpoint, a 400 word release is more effective than an 1800 word tome” (para. 10).

To brush up on the conventions and expectations of the press release format, I consulted several web resources for tips and pointers: PR Newswire and wikiHow. These resources provided me with a few additional suggestions beyond Skerik's advice: to begin with a boldfaced headline, include a quote, provide contact information, and signal the conclusion of the release with three hash marks.

Press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Joe Paterno, legendary Penn State coach, succumbs to lung cancer at 85. 

STATE COLLEGE, PA, 23 January 23, 2012—Joe Paterno, the Penn State coach who led his teams to more victories than any other coach in college football history, died yesterday at 9:25 am due to complications from lung cancer. His family has requested privacy but released a statement saying that “His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled” and that he “was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players, and his community.”

Joseph Vincent Paterno was born on December 21, 1926. He grew up in Brooklyn and was a star quarterback and defensive back, sharing the school’s career interception record to this day. He began his career with the Nittany Lions as a 23-year-old assistant in 1950. Paterno became head coach in 1966, leading his teams to 409 wins, 37 bowl games, five undefeated seasons, and two national titles. He is the only coach to have lead teams to victory in the Rose, Cotton, Sugar, and Orange bowls. Challenging his student-athletes to excel in the classroom as well as the gridiron, his “Grand Experiment” produced 47 Academic All-American players over 46 years, and he assisted in a $14-million-dollar fundraising effort to rebuild the PSU library, which was renamed in his honor in 2000.

A memorial service will be held this Thursday at the Bryce Jordan Center near Beaver Stadium. It is open to the public.

Contact information

Team Sports Office
139 White Building
University Park PA 16802

(814) 863-9530

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Note: A press release is not a form of academic writing, and the PSU sports information department would not likely need to turn to outside sources for this kind of information, so no citations appear in my sample. However, I have provided at the bottom of this blog entry the sources that I have used to complete this exercise.

Facebook post:

In the interest of maintaining consistency of message, my hypothetical Facebook post contains the same information that appears in the lede of the press release, as well as a link to the full contents of that statement. It also incorporates the press release language about the memorial service and an eye-catching image—again, consistency would be key in my communications strategy, so I would use the same image as in the press release.

Note: Joe Paterno images courtesy of Frances Sonne (CC BY 2.0) 

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References

How to write a press release. (n.d.). wikihow.com. Retrieved from http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Press-Release

Joe Paterno. (2011, June 30). Penn State Athletics. Retrieved from http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/paterno_joe00.html

Joe Paterno, 85, dies in State College. (2012, January 23). ESPN.com. Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7489238/joe-paterno-ex-penn-state-nittany-lions-coach-dies-85-2-month-cancer-fight

Layden, Tim. (2012, January 30). Joe Paterno 1926 – 2012. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved from http://www.si.com/vault/2012/01/30/106154381/joe-paterno-19262012

Maisel, Ivan. (2011, November 9). Joe Paterno’s Penn State legacy. ESPN.com. Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7212678/penn-state-nittany-lions-coach-joe-paterno-legacy

The official site of Penn State team sports. (2012, July). Penn State University. Retrieved from http://www.athletics.psu.edu/teamsports/

Press release template. (2010, November 24). PR Newswire. Retrieved from http://www.smallbusinesspr.com/pr-learning-center/diagrams-templates/press-release-template.html

Skerik, S. Press release best practices: Accuracy, newsworthiness & illustration. PR Newswire. Retrieved from http://blog.prnewswire.com/2012/04/26/press-release-best-practices-accuracy-newsworthiness-illustration/