GOALS This is a major class assignment that encourages students to examine the facts of a story, analyze the available material, consider what the best options are for the client(s), and write a press release that is ready to be sent to the media with minimal editing. FORMAT This assignment should be: • 250-300 words (250 words minimum) • typed • double-spaced • in 12-point Times New Roman font • with adequate margins for notes (1” is fine) • printed and stapled The cover page must include: • the name of the course • the name of the instructor • your name • the assignment’s title • the date of submission • the number of words in your press release Attention should be paid to: • form (grammar, spelling, punctuation, appearance) • content (accuracy, clarity, organization, critical and creative thinking, relevance, style) • adherence to proper format for a press release DUE DATE & TIME The Press Release is due on Friday, Nov. 9, at the beginning of class. Deadlines are firm and enforced. To get full credit, this is the only time it may be turned in. Stories must be printed and handed in; I will not accept any stories by email. If your story isn’t ready on April 16 and you turn it in at the next class (Nov. 12), you will only earn half-credit (maximum of 25 points instead of 50). Stories turned in late are not eligible for rewrites. GUIDELINES 1) Write a press release from the notes provided. Follow all the rules for writing a press release discussed in class. Remember that a press release closely resembles a hard news story; make sure your press release has a strong headline and a strong lead. Also make sure the press release is focused on: • What the news value of the story is • Answering the 5 Ws 2) Very important: DO NOT COPY AND PASTE FROM THE NOTES. Put the material into your own words. That means you cannot use the source material asis, only changing one or two words per sentence. Also remember that these are rough notes and they contain mistakes. 3) Make sure your press release contains all the needed elements, including contact info, release date, end sign, and some brief (1-2 sentences) boilerplate. Check the textbook or lecture notes to make sure you’re not missing any key parts. • • • • • • • • • Redd Rocket is the largest e-scooter manufacturer in Canada. Company was founded in 2015 by Lawrence Redd, who is the president. Redd Rocket sells 50,000 e-scooters each year and has nearly half a million rentable e-scooters placed in cities throughout Canada. Lawrence Redd wants to start producing, selling, and renting his e-scooters in the United States to compete with companies such as Lime, Bird, and Spin. Redd Rocket just announced that it will open its first US factory in Greenwood, FL, in 2019. Construction on the plant will begin in June and the plant should be up and running by December. Six other cities in Florida wanted to be the location of the factory, but Redd Rocket chose Greenwood because of its desirable location, low interest rates offered by the banks for loans, and willingness of city officials to build new roads, sidewalks, and waste facilities near the factory. Quote from Lawrence Redd: “E-scooters have made a huge splash on the transportation market in recent years, and I want our scooters to be as common in the US as they are in Canada. Greenwood made us a great offer, which we gladly accepted. If our sales and rentals meet expectations, we plan to open more factories in Florida in the near future. Beachfront locations are prime markets for scooter rentals, so this part of the country is a perfect fit for us.” Greenwood has a population of 19,000 people. The Redd Rocket factory will provide 700 new jobs for locals. Once completed, it will be the largest employer in town. Several Greenwood businesses were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Michael in 2018, which resulted in the loss of 500 jobs.
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