If you have news or an event to publicize . . .

The Stanford News Service, part of the Office of University Communications, is the place to begin when you have a Stanford-related news story or event that you would like to publicize. Contact the News Service as soon as you know you have some news or the date of an event. (See Contact the appropriate news office below for details.)

The News Service is staffed by professional journalists with extensive experience in dealing with the media on a daily basis. The News Service works with all media, from on-campus to international, in all formats — print, broadcast and electronic.

The News Service issues press releases, organizes press conferences and handles the university’s overall media relations. The News Service also publishes the daily Stanford Report Online, the weekly print edition of Stanford Report and @stanford, a monthly electronic newsletter for alumni and other interested subscribers. News Service and University Communications staff also manage the content of the university’s primary web pages. (See http://www.stanford.edu/dept/ucomm/ for more information about University Communications.)

The News Service will assist in publicizing news that has a university connection through faculty, staff or other officials. Events must be sponsored by a university department or unit. The News Service will not attempt to obtain publicity for events that its professional staff does not consider newsworthy. The News Service does not attempt to prevent publication of negative news.

When you are ready to seek media coverage, the following guidelines should help you get started. Further information is available by calling the News Service at (650) 723-2558 and asking for the reporter on duty.

What is newsworthy?

A story or event may be very important to its sponsors, but whether it will receive press coverage depends on many factors, including the nature and significance of the news or event, the timing, and even what other news is happening that day.

Every media outlet, including Stanford Report and the Stanford Daily, which is an independent student publication, makes its own decision about coverage on a daily basis. In many cases, though not all, the News Service will be able to advise you whether to expect coverage.

Generally, a story must have some unusual aspect to warrant wide attention — a scientific breakthrough, an exceptionally large donation, appointment of a well-known scholar, a timely event or development, etc. Media coverage of any story or event never can be guaranteed.

However, news of a less spectacular nature frequently will receive local coverage and often will be covered in the campus press. Please bear in mind that items that appear in Stanford Report, Stanford Report Online and @stanford are read by a wide audience that includes faculty, staff, students, alumni, trustees, parents, donors, community leaders, friends of the university and others who have an interest in Stanford.

Stories generally run only once in any newspaper.

Timing and deadlines

Media outlets rarely use stories about events that they learn about after the fact. It is imperative that the story be released in a timely manner.

It is never too early to begin preparing to publicize a story. As soon as you have a firm date for an event, or a release date for a news story, get in touch with the News Service through one of the means listed below. Two weeks’ notice is a good start. For a major event, it is best to begin early preparation.

Even if the date is not fixed, it is advisable to make the News Service aware of upcoming major events.

For items to appear in the print edition of Stanford Report, they must be submitted by 5 p.m. the previous Wednesday. (See below for how to submit news stories, people items, awards, In Print items, etc.)

See the separate section below for information on how to list events in the university calendar that appears in Stanford Report. Calendar items must be submitted separately from items for the newspaper.

Gather the basics . . .

The following basic information is essential for the news staff to make a determination on how to work with you to pursue coverage. If possible, have all this information ready before your initial contact with the News Service. To get started, for both news stories and events it is advisable to follow the classic journalism rule of answering the questions: who, what, where, when, why and how.

 

For a News Story

  • Who is involved. Who won the award, gave the donation, will make the speech, is organizing the rally, etc. Noteworthy information about the main participants should be included. For major events, brief biographies of key participants are useful — accomplishments, positions held, publications, etc.

  • What is the nature of the news story or event. Concert, newly appointed professor, award, donation, etc.

  • Where the news or event is taking place (a rally in the Quad; a talk in Kresge; an award in Stockholm). Give specific addresses when possible.

  • When will the news/event take place — time, day, date, year

  • Why the story/event is newsworthy. What is the purpose of the donation, the nature of the award, the reason for the rally. What distinguishes the story/event from others like it, or makes it unique.

  • How was the decision made, the candidate chosen, the work of art completed, etc.

In addition, it is necessary to know:

Whether any illustrative items are available, such as a book cover, poster, promotional materials, photographs, etc. and day and night contact phone numbers and e-mail addresses for sponsors.

For Events

If your story involves an event, some additional information is required:

  • Title of event, if there is one.

  • Sponsoring group(s) or individual(s).
  • Whether event is open to the public. Stanford Report generally features events only if they are open to the campuswide community.
  • Whether tickets are required; where and when available, and prices.
  • Any other charges.
  • Whether it is necessary to register — if so, how, where and deadlines.
  • Whether publicity photos are available.
  • How to obtain more information.

For Obituaries

To report the death of a faculty member, staff member, student, emeritus individual or other Stanford official, please call the News Service immediately. If possible, provide the information listed below.

The News Service will send the obituary out as a press release to local, national and international press as warranted. Newspapers make their own decisions on whether to print obituaries, but the News Service will assist in bringing obituaries to the attention of the appropriate editors.

 
  • Full name
  • Date of birth and age (make sure they agree)
  • Birthplace: city, state, country
  • Date of death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
  • Current place of residence
  • Education — where, what degrees

  • Employment history

  • Connection to Stanford

  • Special contributions, activities, particularly related to Stanford

  • Contact names and numbers for individuals who may comment or provide information, especially about exceptional contributions.

  • Survivors and their cities of residence (spouse, partner, children, sisters, brothers, parents, number of grandchildren)

  • Services: time, date, place — if public

  • Burial site, if any (graveside services, if any)

  • Future memorial plans

  • Where to make contributions — include address. Flowers or not?

  • Photograph, or information on how to obtain one

  • Special newspapers/publications to which the obituary should be mailed

To submit events for the calendar

EVENTS at STANFORD, a comprehensive calendar of campus activities, is online at http://events.stanford.edu.

EVENTS at STANFORD replaces the PRISM system for submitting events. Calendar administrators can submit events for the EVENTS at STANFORD system and for the Stanford Report calendar at http://events.stanford.edu/eventadmin. Contact calendareditor@stanford.edu for information about becoming a calendar administrator.

The deadline to be considered for the Stanford Report calendar is 5 p.m. Wednesday, a week prior to publication. The Stanford Report calendar normally covers an 8-day period, beginning the Wednesday of publication. Do not submit Ph.D. oral exam announcements to EVENTS at STANFORD. All events submitted for the calendar must be open to the public.

For the Medical Center calendar, items must be received by the Medical Center's Office of News & Public Affairs by noon Thursday prior to the Stanford Report issue in which the item is to appear. Submissions can be sent by fax to (650) 723-7172, by e-mail to medical-news@lists.stanford.edu, or by mail to Calendar Editor, 701 Welch Road, Suite 2207, MC 5753. Items from the medical school, hospitals and clinics are welcome. Information on rounds and continuing medical education courses can be found on the web site of the Office of Postgraduate Medical Education.

Contact the appropriate news office

Once you have the required basic information, contact the appropriate news office on campus. For most news and events, you should forward the information to the Stanford News Service through one of the following means:

  • E-mail to Editor, Stanford Report at news-service@lists.stanford.edu
  • Fax to Editor, Stanford Report at (650) 725-0247
  • Bring or send a computer disc to Stanford News Service, 425 Santa Teresa St., Stanford, CA 94035-2245. Documents in Microsoft Word are preferred.
  • Mail to the Editor, Stanford Report, at Stanford News Service, 425 Santa Teresa St., Stanford, CA 94035-2245.
  • Telephone (650) 723-2558 and ask for the reporter on duty.

For a story or event that involves the Medical School, Law School, Graduate School of Business, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, the Hoover Institution or the Department of Athletics, you may wish to contact these offices directly. They all are staffed by experienced public relations professionals. If you are uncertain, contact the Stanford News Service and we will direct the information to the appropriate office.

Press offices at Stanford:

*Stanford News Service (650) 723-2558

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/

* Office of University Communications (650) 725-8396.

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/ucomm/

* Medical School Office of News and Public Affairs: (650) 723-6911.

http://www.med.stanford.edu/center/communications/

* Law School Communications -- 723-9302

* Graduate School of Business, News Service: (650) 723-3157

http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/

* Hoover Institution: (650) 725-7293

http://www-hoover.stanford.edu/pubaffairs/

* Stanford Linear Accelerator Center: 650/926-2204.

http://www.slac.stanford.edu/slac/media-info/

* Stanford magazine

http://www.stanfordalumni.org/jg/mig/news_magazine/magazine/home/home.html

* Department of Athletics: (650) 725-2958.

http://gostanford.fansonly.com/school-bio/stan-athdept.html

 

The news office will draft a release for you. . .

In most cases, the News Service or other campus news offices will craft the press release and handle distribution to the press — print, broadcast and web — including the Stanford Daily. As noted, the news offices can not guarantee that any other media outlets will cover the story. However, the News Service generally will post the press release on the Stanford News web site, on the Stanford Report daily online edition, and in the print version of Stanford Report.

Release distribution: Press releases generally are distributed through a variety of means to all media that cover Stanford on a routine basis — campus press, local and regional newspapers and broadcast outlets and the wire services. In addition, each press release is targeted specifically to media members who have expressed interest in particular topics, e.g., science stories go to science writers. The news office will work with you to select the appropriate media outlets for your particular story or event. You, of course, may send the same information on your own letterhead, but generally that is not necessary.

The campus news office also will fact check your release to the extent possible. However, it is important for you to check and double-check all the facts in your submission. News Service also will copy edit the release to be sure it is written in the appropriate style to generate maximum coverage.

News Service staff will work closely with you to produce a mutually agreeable release, but the News Service staff retains final right of approval.

If you draft your own release . . .

Be sure to include all the information listed in "Gathering the Basics"

  • Keep the release short and to the point
An initial news release should consist of just a few short paragraphs so editors can spot the news quickly. The information listed above must be included. You may include a headline, but it is unlikely that it will be used. (Background information can help the publications do a better job. A brief speaker’s bio, for example, can help promote an event.)
  • Use the active voice.

    A good way to test for passive voice is to see if any form of the verb "to be" is in your copy (e.g., "the speaker is going to"). Instead, use "the speaker will."

  • Avoid acronyms and jargon.

    Almost every campus office uses acronyms and jargon that outsiders do not recognize. Check your press release for such words and replace them with more universal terms (e.g., the institute, rather than IIS).
  • Avoid use of adjectives and adverbs.

    News articles generally are fact-based - a "Grammy-winning" performer rather than a "stellar" performer, for example.
  • Attribute opinion.

    If you want to include an opinion, you must attribute it. Give the speaker’s name and relationship to the story. Example: "This exhibit is the most spectacular we've ever mounted at the museum," said curator Jane Doe.
  • Don’t manufacture quotes.

    If you plan to include quotes from anyone, it is essential that the individual read and approve the quote. It is not acceptable to include remarks you feel that a person would or should say.

If you want assistance in distributing your release, submit it to the appropriate campus news office. Please note that the release will be edited prior to distribution. You may wish to send out the release on your own, but releases on News Service letterhead generally receive more attention because of our ongoing relationship with the various news outlets.

News style

The campus news offices follow the style of the Associated Press, which also is used by many media outlets. Print copies may be purchased at bookstores or through

http://www.ap.org/index.html

 

 
If you have news or an event to publicize..
What is newsworthy?
Gather the basics
To submit events for the calendar
News style