Press release

    Play the role of a PR specialist for an organization to which you belong or an organization for which you volunteer (the organization must be local). Write a standard press release about a local event or major announcement, which should be something happening any time March 14– May 9, 2021. Do not write about previous events or select a student organization (ex: fraternity, sorority or a political organization on campus). Your press release topic idea must be approved by Monday, March 8 at 11:59 p.m. EST before you start the assignment. Failure to do so will result in a 10% deduction to your grade. Please pitch your press release idea to the professor via Slack in the “press release pitch” channel. You will need to submit a screenshot of your approved pitch along with your assignment. You cannot write about a topic/event that has been chosen by another classmate. Remember to choose topics/events that have strong news value. The purpose of the release is to generate news coverage in the Columbus Dispatch and/or The Lantern for the respective organization/company’s event. Remember the event needs to be appropriate for a press release response (ex: story should have strong news value, impact and/or interest to the publication’s readers). The event could be: • A new organization introducing itself to the public (ex: new start-up, small business or store location). • An established organization launching a new product, service, etc. • A grand opening or an announcement that an organization is moving to a new location, or making a significant change of some kind (ex: change in leadership) • Promotion of an event such as an annual convention