Obituaries and Such

By Cooper Jeremiah Ellis

5:31 We started off with the QuizStar Current Events quiz as we do every Monday, it was just as exciting the 8^th time around.

Professor's comment: Anyone interested in any sort of communications work now or in the future needs to know what's going on.

5:39 The class learns of the tragic tale of one Robert Paist and his glued gluteus, we are instructed to put out a press release. Students take up the role of the PR person for Bestmart, the store in which Mr. Paist became glued to his seat.

5:54 The exercise is finished, and students review an article on the process of obituary-writing, and a collection of funny obituaries to get folks in the mood

6:05 The class is introduced to Carole Douglis: she co-owns a herd of camels and is also a Global Communications Consultant. After the students introduced themselves, she stresses the importance of good features in the communications field. She spent 15 years around East Africa supporting charities and institutions of that sort with her writing abilities. This came in the form of features and children’s books.

Here are Carole’s points:

·      Look for the interesting, the unusual in your story that sets it apart.

·      Good feature writing is a skill sought after in most communications fields

6:30 We segue into obituary writing and the students discuss the ways in which life is celebrated through the medium. (That is, the medium of the obituary, not as in they acquired a spiritual Medium in order to speak to the dead.) The students discuss their printed obits and what makes them good.

6:42 The class is instructed that they will partner up and then write their partner’s obituary. They draw up a list of ten questions that they think would be good for their own obits, that they could ask that person.

7:30 The students then begin to work on those obituaries, which are due Friday.

Some good questions to ask a dying person:

·      A personal secret you’ve not yet revealed?

·      How would your friends/teachers/parents describe you?

·      What do you remember about your hometown?

Homework:

-Your obituary is due Friday, 5pm

-Read Chapter 9 “Writing for broadcast” and include three takeaways

Memorable Quotes:

·      “David was an avid smoothie enthusiast and this Monday he took his last sip from the smoothie of life, which probably tasted like mango.” -on good obituaries

·      “His regrets were few but include eating a rotisserie hot dog from a convenience store in the summer of 2002, not training his faithful dog to detect cancer, and that no video evidence exists of his prowess on the soccer field or in the bedroom” -on better obituaries

Communicating in a Crisis - 3/19/18

By Sam Baycer

Communicating in a Crisis – 3/19/18

·       Communication in a crisis requires situational analysis

·       “no comment” is still one of the worst responses to a journalist asking a question

·       Even though you are often on a shorter timeframe than normal PR, AP style is just as important

·       Changing topics, obituaries are supposed to celebrate someone’s life

·       Obits should be thought as a feature story, not a death story

From OWC’s Crisis Communications Checklist

·       Be the first to break your bad news

·       Confirm facts, communicate openly, and accurately articulate the situation

·       Identify key audiences and develop a strategy for each

·       Develop concise, factual messages that can be understood quickly by everyone

·       Craft detailed Q&As, customer letters, vendor letters, etc. that provide the facts needed and reassurance

·       Don’t neglect your own employees

·       If there is a solution to the problem, work toward solving it quickly and as openly as possible

·       Use all tools at your disposal

·       Monitor online and offline conversations to evaluate the strategy of your message

·       Continue to communicate with key audiences even after the crisis is over

·       Learn from the experience and anticipate the next crisis

·       Don’t threaten to throw a reporter off a balcony

Case Studies

1.    Student journalist gets a state congressman to walk out

·       A state congressman wasn’t fully prepared for the tough questions of a student-journalist

·       When the congressman was asked about cutting funding for a program he himself called important, the congressman left the room and never returned

·       This highlights the importance of preparing for an interview and not underestimating any audience that might ask questions

2.    Congressman threatens journalist at State of the Union

·       During the State of the Union, a journalist asked a Congressman about campaign finance allegations against him

·       When the reporter was asked about them, he walked away, came back and threatened the journalist

·       This shows that you should always be aware of what you say and to who

Homework

1.    Bring in an obituary that speaks to you; be prepared to discuss it for class

2.    Read three articles by Carole Douglis, who will be the guest speaker for next class

·       A good starting point for your research will be at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/happy-anniversary-coolest-law-youve-probably-never-douglis-m-a-l-d-/

By Liam Gilpin

Writing for PR- 3/5/18

·      When it comes to specificity in PR, there is more weight if you have good attributions. Example: Attribution from a specialist.

·      Emotion is allowed in PR, but not journalism.

·      Credibility is like the family fortune, once it’s gone, it’s difficult to get back.

·      For PR, try to imagine the audience. Ultimately, your audience is the people who sign your checks. Your PR has to cross the first hurdle, your boss, before appeasing your readers.

·      Remember to follow AP-Style for PR releases, or it will end up in the trash.

·      Remember to include a verb in your headline.

·      Your job as a Public Relations consultant is to defend your client and make them look good.

Writing and Grammar

·      Using too many words may result in confusion from the reader and a dilution of your argument.

Subject-Verb Agreement

·      Single Subject- Single Verb

·      Plural Subject- Plural Verb

Active vs. Passive Voice

·      Active Voice- The subject of the sentence performs the action named by the verb.

·       Active Voice must be used for everything in this class, do not used passive voice unless it is in a quote.

Parallel Structure

·      Wrong- He enjoys traveling, cooking and to paint.

·      Right- He enjoys traveling, cooking and painting.

Tips for Proofreading-

·      Take a break and come back.

·      Confirm all facts, figures and proper names.

·      Don’t multitask.

·      Use spellcheck but do not depend on it entirely.

·      Read your writing aloud.

·      Print out and proof a hard copy.

·      Know your weaknesses.

·      Don’t be afraid to get help from others.

Extra Credit due on the 19^th-

·      Create a practice story from any new source from the textbook or a source from the groom death or failed murder-suicide story. Any story worth a B or higher will improve your average.