Winter 1986

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My good friend-a local pastor-arrived in the newsroom at presstime, the height of chaos at any newspaper. Reporters rushed to complete stories, phones rang, and I, as editor, was trying to extract a quote from the district attorney, quell the noise, and get my paper out on time.

The pastor held out a handwritten page and said, "I can see you're busy, but would you mind . . .?"

I had to tell him, "I'm sorry; there's nothing I can do. The paper's been put to bed." I shared his disappointment; my readers would miss his interesting news that week.

None of us likes to have our news stories relegated to the press room floor. It is not only frustrating; it can mean the difference between success and failure for an event. Good press builds the image of a congregation and informs the community of worthwhile events. Pastors and church publicity chairpersons want the best coverage possible, but often don't know the proper procedures. Actually, they aren't all that difficult.

What's news?

First, let's take a look at that handwritten page the pastor is proffering. Is it news?

Briefly, news is information with immediate value to the community. The more informative, interesting, and important, and the broader the audience, the better news it is. For a local paper, newsworthy church events include:

-A controversial sermon or stand taken on a current issue.

-Members involved in civic, local, national, or world affairs.

-New projects, exhibits, displays.

-Competitions entered, awards won or given.

-Placement of officers on church or denominational boards.

-Resolutions on matters of wide public interest.

-Educational, cultural, or artistic programs.

-Outstanding guest speakers or performers.

-Benefit functions deserving of public support.

-Athletic, fund-raising, ...

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