On Media Mores

Regarding the role of bloggers in the community, let me explain that my blog is only about six years old and most others are newer. Each has its own raison d'etre - mine is mainly to cover aspects of development and municipal government. Bloggers don't get paid and pick their own topics. For example, Dr. Yood often draws on his extensive historical knowledge of Plainfield and is an advocate for better government. Dan publishes a community calendar and rounds up items of interest for the readers. I hope to furnish information that encourages civic engagement, among other things.

So when bloggers get a scolding over low turnout at a play, I just don't follow the logic.

Let me offer some advice based on my past experience as a reporter and also for five years after retirement as publicity chair at my church.

Reporters do cover breaking news, but an event that has long been planned is not in that category. Reporters also do feature stories, initiated either by knowledge of what's going on in the community or through a press release. Given the constraints of newsrooms in recent years, as publicity chair I knew it was important to meet the reporter more than halfway to get coverage for our holiday dinners for those in need, our theater group's productions and other events.

I knew that newspapers require at least two weeks' advance notice of an event. I sent press releases that had all the five W's - who, what, where, when, why - along with my contact information and contacts for those involved in the event, perhaps the director of the play or the organizer of the dinner. In the case of a play, I included something about the plot, any awards the playwright may have garnered and any "news hooks" such as a lawyer-turned-actor or an octogenarian making a splash in community theater.

Rehearsal photos can be requested, or furnished by e-mail along with a cleanly-written press release directed both to the news desk and to the Features editor.

If this sounds like a lot of work, consider how much effort goes into stage design, lighting, costumes and rehearsing before the curtain goes up. Publicity should be a parallel activity to a play or any event where the community is invited. Certainly it is a valuable skill for students to learn, as it involves language and communication.

Nonetheless, I used to tell my church "clients" that PR alone is no guarantee of coverage or high attendance, as on any given day reporters are pulled in many directions. To an editor, breaking news will always take precedence over features.

Still, I would venture a guess that someone like Stefanie Minatee has quite a pile of clippings from knowing how to work PR. We certainly got our fair share at the church as well.

After 16 years I hung up my reporter's hat, never realizing there would be such a thing as blogs or that I would become a blogger myself. But it was my newsroom experience that served me well as a volunteer doing publicity for my church and a few other organizations. When I turned over the PR task to someone else, I passed along the guidelines noted above as well as a list of media contacts. I also suggested use of the Courier News self-publishing feature, which is currently being used to good advantage by some people on Plainfield InJersey.

As for my blog, I make no apologies for its content. A lot of it comes from sitting through long meetings or doing research at City Hall, in addition to those hours at the keyboard in the wee hours. I have featured local businesses and the Shakespeare Garden on my blog, among other items, as I felt inclined.

Bloggers are sort of like cats. They can't be herded. Nor can they be successfully scolded. Take my word for it.

--Bernice