What is a news conference?

Peter Turkington
www.stratcommsolutions.ca

News conference -- a media event to which newsmakers invite journalists to hear them speak and, afterwards, ask questions.

There are two main reasons for holding a news conference:

1. So a newsmaker who gets many questions from reporters can answer them all at once.
2. So an organization that thinks it has a newsworthy announcement, launch or product can attract wide spread media coverage.

Typically, at a news conference, a spokesperson will make a statement. Once the spokesperson is finished making the statement, he/she may take questions from reporters. Occasionally, there is a statement with no questions permitted.

If there’s no statement made or questions allowed, it’s simply a photo opportunity.

In today’s 24 hour news environment, TV news programs air for hours at a time, and internet outlets around the globe track breaking news instantly. In order to meet this kind of demand, editors have a steadily increasing need for newsworthy footage. News conferences can be a useful way to help satisfy this appetite.

Who holds news conferences? Here are a few examples:

• Politicians (Prime Ministers, Presidents etc.)
• Sports teams
• Celebrities or film studios
• Commercial organizations
• Attorneys

A news conference is often announced by sending an advisory or news release to media outlets in advance. Sometimes an impromptu news conference can occur as several reporters gather around a newsmaker. Such a news conference is called a ‘scrum.’

Where can a news conference be held? Just about anywhere.

• The Press Gallery on Parliament Hill
• The White House Press Room
• The scene of a crime
• Hotel conference rooms
  

What is a media kit?

Peter Turkington
www.stratcommsolutions.ca

Media kit – a pre-packaged set of informational materials about a person, company, or organization. The media kit is distributed to members of the media in order to help provide background or context for a particular launch, release or story.

Some typical examples of when media kits might be used are listed below:

• Product launches
• New company launch
• Mergers and acquisitions
• News conferences
• Large events / Industry trade shows

The components of a media kit include:

• Backgrounder
• Fact Sheet
• Biographies of key people (and sometimes pictures to accompany the bios)
• A press release detailing the current news the media kit is sent in reference to
• Media contact information (usually the company’s public relations agency)
• A CD or DVD with supplementary information or video footage

What is a media/news release?

Peter Turkington
www.stratcommsolutions.ca

Media/news release – a written communication directed at members of the news media.

The purpose of a media/news release is to announce something that’s deemed newsworthy (i.e. new, different, interesting, involves friction or will generally cause an audience to sit up and pay attention).

Media/news releases differ significantly from news articles. News articles are a compilation of facts developed by journalists and published in the news media, while media/news releases are designed to be sent to journalists in order to encourage them to develop articles on a particular subject or on the organization sending the release.

Typically, media/news releases are faxed or e-mailed to assignment editors or reporters at newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television stations, and (increasingly) online publications.

In a nutshell, media/news releases are one of the tools organizations can use get their key messages out to the media.

Public Relations companies such as Strategic Communications Solutions maintain media contact databases in order to distribute and follow up on news releases on behalf of their clients.