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Instructor Resources
ASSIGNMENT 1
Pages 63-64 discuss the importance of newsworthy information in public relations news releases.
Go to a local newspaper, television station or your college's PR office. Ask for three news releases that you can use for an assignment. Write a few paragraphs about each news release. Where is the "news?" Is it at the beginning of the release? Is it at the end? What is the best audience (and most appropriate news outlet) for each particular news release? Is the writing clear, concise and free of errors?
Note to instructors: The suggestions below further connect this assignment to concepts from other "Writing Across the Media" chapters.
1. Chapter 1: "Writing with Clarity and Coherence" talks about clear and coherent writing. Refer to principles in this chapter when guiding students on how to critique the news release. Discuss word choice, active verbs and short sentences.
2. The "Writing Tips" box on page 22 suggests that writers avoid cliches. Ask students if the news releases they have collected contain any cliches.
3. Chapter 5: "Writing the Opening" advises students to write an opening that will capture the audience's attention. Ask students to describe the audience for a news release, and to assess whether the opening paragraph of each news release accomplishes this goal.
4. Chapter 6: "Writing Basic Stories" suggests that good stories have a strong focus, or theme. Does each news release have a strong focus, or does the writing wander from topic to topic?
ASSIGNMENT 2
Find full-page advertisements from three different magazines. Photocopy the ads (if the magazines are not yours). Use the factors described below (and in Chapter 3, page 69) to analyze the advertisement.
b. Next, describe the key message in the advertisement. Is the advertisement rich in information, and therefore directed at an involved audience, or does it feature peripheral qualities, such as graphics or pictures, and therefore targeted at a less-involved audience?
c. Is there a source in the advertisement? A source might be a celebrity or person likely to persuade the target audience. Why do you think the source might be able to persuade the target audience?
b. Review all the commercials in your notes. How would you describe the target audience in general? Did you know that particular television show was being targeted toward the audience you described?
Additional note to instructors: The suggestions below further connect this assignment to concepts from other "Writing Across the Media" chapters.
1. Chapter 4: "Writing and Gathering Information" reviews many ways to gather information, one of which is observation. Remind students that this is primarily an information-gathering assignment that requires keen observation.
2. Chapter 7: "Writing with Video and Audio Images" (p. 178) suggests that good advertisements often create a psychological benefit for the product, or they connect the product to a trend in society. Ask students if the advertisements they have collected function in either of these ways.
3. Chapter 7 also discusses copy dominant and visually dominant advertisements. Which advertisements collected by the students are copy dominant and which are visually dominant?
4. How does audience involvement, as discussed in Chapter 3, ("Writing for Audiences") relate to whether an ad is likely to be copy or visually dominant? Recall that actively involved audiences are more likely to seek information.
a. First, study the ad and try to describe the intended recipient, or target audience. Try to describe the demographics of the audience: age, gender, occupation, education, income, residence and marital status. Use the ad to describe the possible lifestyle choices, attitudes and values of the audience.
Watch a television program you have never seen before. By analyzing the commercials, try to describe the target audience for the show.
a. Take notes on each commercial. Describe the possible demographics of the target audience based on the commercial.
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