Writing a Press Release Getting your results to the public

Components of a Press Release: Letterhead - Name/Team/Organization at top Labeled “Press Release” Date of Release - “For Immediate Release” Catchy title Body Most important first paragraph - the hook Who, what, when, where, why Follow up with details Back up story with evidence Use quotes later (don’t waste early space) Max about 400 words/1 single-spaced page Use short paragraphs Check grammar & spelling Use an active voice Conclude with: “For Further Information Contact:” (followed by contact information)

BCC student study finds harmful levels of lead in campus soils Press Release November 15, 2006 For immediate Release Bellevue Community College students conducting a study of campus environmental health as part of a class project in November, found that the campus has elevated levels of lead in it’s soils. Because this lead can have adverse health effects on students and staff, students conducting the study concluded that a more detailed analysis of lead concentrations needs to be conducted to determine the extent of the risk. xxxx….. For further information contact: Robert Viens

Reminder - What’s Due for Lab 7 Data (a) Bar graph showing Year v. Impermeable Surface Area (%) Appendix (a) A brief summary of what team each member contributed to the project. (One per group) (b) Raw Data – map tracing showing different types of surfaces.

Reminder - What’s Due for Lab 7 Press Release: (d) Write a one page press release summarizing the basic results of the study to the public. (One per group - typed) This report should include: (i) a catchy title, date of release, etc. (ii) a 1-2 sentence introductory paragraph summarizing the release (write this last) (iii) a summary of your results (what are the trends) (iv) a description of the significance of your results (why should people care) Also: (i)refer to the graph you constructed in your press release (ii)use the format illustrated in “ Communicating in Geography …” and be sure to include all of the components of a press release as discussed in Chapter 4. (iii)length should be 1-1/2 to 2 double-spaced pages.

Questions to Consider When it rains where does the surface water go? Specifically which local streams does it flow into? (Basically you need to find out what watershed we are in.) What effects do changes in permeability have on the amount of water entering (i) local streams and (ii) groundwater systems during a rainstorm? How do these changes effect flooding? How do they affect salmon? How about other species in the stream? Do any areas around BCC draw their drinking water from wells? If so, how would this affect the quantity and quality of their drinking water? Have there been any other studies done in changes in impermeable surface area in the Seattle region? If so, what did they find out?