This document discusses what constitutes news and how to find and create news stories. It notes that getting media coverage is more difficult now due to factors like gatekeepers, shrinking news space, and information overload. It identifies several news values that can make a story newsworthy such as timeliness, prominence, proximity, significance, conflict, and newness. The document provides tips for finding news internally from sources like company documents and newsletters, and externally from media, blogs, social media, and following what competitors are doing. It also gives examples of ways to create news through planned events, contests, demonstrations, stunts, and awards. The key is following news values and not losing credibility.

1. #ouj3700
What is news?

2. Memo feedback
• Good tone for the most part.
• Context if your friend.
• Ditch has and have. Have learned is
passive. Learned is active.
• Remember what’s next and when. Use
dates when possible.

3. What is news in one word?

4. Why is getting coverage tougher now
than ten years ago?
• Gatekeepers
• Shrinking news hole
• Fragmented mass media
• Information overload

5. WHAT CAN MAKE NEWS:
2310 recap eight themes
• Timeliness.
• Prominence.
• Proximity. Local local local
• Geography. Area of interest….

6. WHAT CAN MAKE NEWS:
2310 recap eight themes
• Significance.
• Unusualness.
• Human interest.
• Conflict
• Newness.
• New products or new uses for old
products draw attention

7. THERE ARE TWO WAYS
NEWS HAPPENS
• FIND IT:
• CREATE IT: Yes you can do
this and be ethical.

8. HOW TO FIND NEWS:
read INTERNAL NEWS SOURCES
• Internal business documents
• White papers
• Annual reports
• Deep dive the website
• Employee newsletters/magazines
• Ask questions. You’re the new kid, and
old people like it when new kids ask
questions.

9. HOW TO FIND NEWS:
six EXTERNAL NEWS SOURCES
• Read, listen to, and watch the news. Link
news events to your organization.
• Polls and surveys.
• Trade publications. Can you take a small
idea and make it larger?
• If you can’t follow current events, you
can’t survive in PR for very long.

10. HOW TO FIND NEWS:
six EXTERNAL NEWS SOURCES
• Blogs. See trade publications.
• Social media, especially Twitter.
• See what other people in the field are
doing. Emulate and improve when
possible.
• If you can’t follow current events, you
can’t survive in PR for very long.

11. HOW DO YOU
CREATE NEWS?
• Pseudo-events:
• If you follow news values, it’s not
Milli Vanilli.
• If you don’t, you lose credibility.
• Credibility is all we have in PR.
• Don’t be dumb.

12. Nine pseudo-events
for the toolbox
• Special events
• Ribbon cuttings, product releases,
milestones
• Contests
• Polls and surveys
• Top 10 lists

13. Nine pseudo-events
for the toolbox
• Product demonstrations
• Stunts: World’s largest, Guinness
Record-breaking
• Rallies and protests
• Personal appearances
• Awards

14. What isn’t news?
• Sales.
• Think about larger consumer value.
• Connect the dots.

15. What isn’t news?
• Nobody cares about your new Vegan Burger.
• Reporters do care when there is a growing
percentage of people seeking healthier protein
options and how restaurants are trying to
meet those needs.