Today I received my first assignment for PRL 604: Writing for News and Public Relations with Professor Caroline Reff at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
The major project that we will work on throughout the course will be taking a real non-profit organization and a real corporation and create a fictitious special event which they jointly hold. We’ll be creating a media kit with two bios, a news release, fact sheet, backgrounder, sample blog, pitch letter, and media alert. We’ll be receiving the detailed syllabus shortly but for now I can share with you the generic PRL 604 Writing for News & Public Relations syllabus below. I’m very excited to begin this course, get a good handle on PR writing basics, and improve my writing overall.
In order to succeed in our profession, public relations practitioners must become
good writers and communicators. This includes mastering grammar, punctuation,
form and style, but more importantly, understanding the dynamics of each intended
audience and identifying the key message or messages for every communication
vehicle you compose. PR people must know how to write clearly, concisely,
effectively—and more often than not—under the pressure of deadlines. Becoming a
good writer comes with practice, lots of practice, and in PRL 604, you will begin this
journey by producing writing assignments covering a wide range of communication
forms. Within the context of these writing assignments, we will discuss message
research, development and communications methods; the implications of audience
segmentation, diversity, and the techniques of writing for internal and external
audiences; as well as ethics, credibility and newsworthiness. Students will also learn
about the legal aspects of public relations writing, including defamation, privacy,
copyright and trademarks.In the beginning of class, students will be introduced to the basic fundamentals of
news writing, and will learn about the needs and expectations of the news media that
are part of their communications world. Students will learn to think like journalists,
weighing news values, making decisions on the importance of facts, and asking the
right questions to get the right answers in interview situations.
Next, students will assume the roles of public relations practitioners and will learn
how to research and write various communications forms that are considered “the
tools of the public relations trade”. Highlights of the semester will be the creation of
a complete, portfolio-quality media kit for a fictitious event sponsored by a real
company and a real non-profit organization. The class will vote on the two strongest
media kits and then form teams to prepare and stage a press conference. PRL 604 is
a three-credit academic course and is a mandatory requirement in the public relations
major.Course Goal: To achieve the proficiency in written communication that is expected
of entry-level public relations professionals, along with the basic understanding of
how the media research, write and report the news.Learning Outcomes:
• To understand the needs of the media and various audiences;
• To be able to write clear, concise copy that is logically organized and
accurate;
• To learn how to find and use reliable information;
• To understand the requirements of different forums and formats of writing;5/14/2012
• To explore and gain an understanding of the nuances and requirements of
writing within the realm of diversity and multiculturalism, taking into
consideration gender and ethnicity;
• To learn to understand the needs of the client in preparing written materials
and communications; and
• To develop a sound working knowledge of the rules and guidelines of the AP
Stylebook.…
Required Texts:
Writing and Reporting the News as a Story, by Robert Lloyd and Glenn Guzzo
Public Relations Writing: The Essentials of Style and Format, 7th Edition by Thomas H.
Bivins
The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, 2011 Edition; Christian,
Jacobsen and Minthorn, Editors.Suggested Text:
The Elements of Style, 2009 Edition by William Strunk Jr.