This is a power point on covering a news conference. This was something developed for a class entitled News Gathering at Bloomfield College.

1. When someone with something to say calls reporters together
at one time to announce something they believe is newsworthy.
What Are Media Conferences?

2. Advantages
✴ Person who called the news
conference doesn’t have to do
separate interviews with
media agencies.
✴ Reduces chance that one
news agency misses the
information.
✴ News agencies share the
questioning so there’s less
likelihood that a question will
be overlooked.

3. Disadvantages
✴ Difficult to get an exclusive
✴ Those calling the news
conference sometimes uses
this as a way to get publicity
for a topic that isn’t
“newsworthy”.

4. When covering
✴Prepare ahead of time
Get background material
Prepare questions ahead
Figure out your angle
Questions may not relate to
the news conference topic
✴Arrive early
✴Ask the name & title of person
speaking and get correct
spelling at the beginning.

5. When questioning
✴Ask clarifying questions
✴Ask questions to get new
information
✴If an announcement you
expect isn’t made, ask
about it.
✴Don’t be in a hurry to leave unless
on a deadline. Sometimes sticking
around can get you another good
story or better information.

6. When writing
✴Be sure to include names and titles.
✴ Understand main points raised
during the news conference
✴ Use strong sound bites or strong
quotes.
Make sure spellings are correct.
And know how to pronounce the names.

7. When writing
✴Don’t include the fact that you attended a
news conference unless there was
something significant about the news
conference itself.
✴ Time and place of the news
conference can often be left out.
Ex) Someone gets shot at the
news conference.
Ex) An earthquake happens
during the news conference.
Ex) The news conference is
cancelled due to a reason.

8. When writing
✴ Focus on newsworthy items.
WRONG:
!
A police chief today told a Press
conference about the theft of a
light aircraft from Jacksons
Airport.
The news isn’t the press conference.

9. When writing
✴ Focus on newsworthy items.
WRONG:
!
A police chief today told a Press
conference about the theft of a
light aircraft from Jacksons
Airport.
The news isn’t the press conference.
The news is the theft of the aircraft.

10. When writing
✴ Focus on newsworthy items.
RIGHT:
!
The Foreign Minister today cancelled a
Press conference at which he was
expected to announce new sanctions
against South Africa.
!
It is understood that the last-minute
cancellation was due to a disagreement
in Cabinet over the sanctions.
Here you mention the news
conference because the news is that
it was cancelled because of an event.
The cancellation is the news.

11. If several topics are covered
✴ Three basic ways to write the story
Write separate stories on each
topic
Write one story with an intro that
includes all the topics but one
angle.
Write one story with several
smaller sub-stories

12. News conferences
News events
Sometimes include:
and
then…
Mock simulations
Purpose is to demonstrate