Serge DARRINÉ INSEE, Cooperation with Europe and Asia 17/02/2015 Press releases The experience of INSEE, France

17/02/2015 Press releases: the experience of INSEE, France 2 Outline of the presentation 1 – Is there any standard press release template form / structure? 2 – What is the standard volume of a press release? 3 – Press release design: colors, fonts, spaces 4 – Press release content ratio: text, graphs, tables 5 – Should any additional information be introduced? If yes, how? (as annexes or links?) 6 – Contact information in press releases 7 – Methodological explanations / guidelines 8 – What is the procedure of approving press releases? Should there be a director’s signature on a press release? 9 – What are the best formats to present information on the official website? 10 – Is there any document (rules / requirements) regulating the content and design of a press release?

17/02/2015 Press releases: the experience of INSEE, France 3 1 – Is there any standard press release template form / structure? – On the form / structure, yes  INSEE has a graphic charter defining the compulsory elements of the press release: Title Summary Information / results ordered by decreasing importance – On the substance, no  It depends on the subject

17/02/2015 Press releases: the experience of INSEE, France 4 2 – What is the standard volume of a press release? – There is no standard volume  A press release on Insee Première has 1 or 2 pages The Insee Première collection offers four-page summaries of initial results of surveys and studies conducted by INSEE A 4-page study: Its press release: pdf pdf  A press release on Insee Références has 4 to 6 pages The Insee Références collection offers a periodic overview of the big social and economic issues. The data and commentaries are based on public statistical sources and analysis methods. Each book has between 200 and 300 pages. A press release:

17/02/2015 Press releases: the experience of INSEE, France 5 3 – Press release design: colors, fonts, spaces – The press release design is always the same  see colors, fonts, spaces on this example

17/02/2015 Press releases: the experience of INSEE, France 6 4 – Press release content ratio: text, graphs, tables – There is no rule about a content ratio  It depends on the subject and the results of the study There can be a lot of text and almost no graphs and tables, or the opposite – However, we try to use graphs and maps more often than tables  For readability reasons – And we add methodological boxes when a zoom is necessary on a technical point

17/02/2015 Press releases: the experience of INSEE, France 7 5 – Should any additional information be introduced? If yes, how? (as annexes or links?) – In INSEE press kits, there is some additional information  Topic sheets are proposed at the end – But not in our press releases  As they should be much shorter than press kits – Our press releases don’t have annexes neither  We consider annexes are not in the spirit of press documents – We put links of press releases  In the online versions  for the reader to find easily the national study and possible regional variations

17/02/2015 Press releases: the experience of INSEE, France 8 6 – Contact information in press releases – At the very end of press releases, you can find a contact box  with contact information on INSEE Press Office - telephone number and address

17/02/2015 Press releases: the experience of INSEE, France 9 7 – Methodological explanations / guidelines – INSEE press releases have methodological explanations in some cases  when it is necessary for understanding  when technical terms or expressions can not be avoided  and of course when the aim of the press release is to warn about an important methodological change - on the population census or the calculation of unemployment rate for instance

17/02/2015 Press releases: the experience of INSEE, France 10 8 – What is the procedure of approving press releases? Should there be a director’s signature on a press release? – The information circuit is simple 1. The first draft of the press release is written by the Press Department 2. It is reviewed and validated by experts concerned by the topic - There can be a lot of back and forth between these experts and the Press Department 3. The Head of the Press Department sends the press release to the Cabinet Director for validation – There is no formal / visible signature on the press release  Because it is not an official administrative note

17/02/2015 Press releases: the experience of INSEE, France 11 9 – What are the best formats to present information on the official website? – There is a dedicated area on INSEE website – All the press kits and releases are listed in reverse chronological order – INSEE doesn’t make web versions of these documents: they are proposed in PDF format - The online version is the same as the one sent by to journalists – See the next 3 slides

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17/02/2015 Press releases: the experience of INSEE, France – Is there any document (rules / requirements) regulating the content and design of a press release? – There are rules on relations between INSEE and the press  The principles  The rules for making information available  The rules of media communications ions-presse.htm - But nothing about what press releases should look like  except the graphic charter (seen before)

Thank you for your attention! Contact: Mr. Serge DARRINÉ Tel Insee 18 bd Adolphe-Pinard Paris Cedex 14, FRANCE Informations statistiques : / Contacter l’Insee (coût d’un appel local) du lundi au vendredi de 9h à 17h Press releases – The experience of INSEE