1. English News Reading and Writing
Chapter Activity 1:
Press Conference

2. Ⅰ What Can A News Conference do ?
1. Definition:
A press conference is a media event in which newsmakers invite journalists to hear them speak and, most often, ask questions.

3. Sometimes only questioning occurs;
Sometimes there is a statement with no questions permitted.

4. 2. Functions
News conferences are often held by
Politicians;
Celebrities;
Commercial organizations;
Other public figures

6. Still, I want to specially introduce the relationship between the president of US and the press conference.

7. Presidents and the Press Conference

8. Theodore Roosevelt was one of the first U. S
Theodore Roosevelt was one of the first U.S. presidents to use the press as a frequent means of communicating with the public.

9. Woodrow Wilson was the first president to hold regular and formal press conferences. he view the press as a means of influencing public opinion, and he also believed that communication by the press was a chief duty of democratic leaders.

10. President Dwight D. Eisenhower regularly used television as a means to address the American electorate

11. John F. Kennedy was the first to utilize television as a direct means of communication with voters. John Kennedy enjoyed press conferences because of his skill in bantering with reporters; his press conferences reinforced the image of a president in command of the issues.”

12. The Carter, Reagan, and Bush administrations held mini-press conferences. President Bush also relied on impromptu, daytime televised press conferences rather than the formal, prime-time gatherings.

13. President Clinton has used a variation of the press conference with his televised “town meetings.” With these conferences Clinton has managed to sidestep the White House press corps and address questions asked by average citizens.

14. Now, let’s watch a video
Obama News Conference

15. Ⅱ How To Hold A Press Conference
1. Define your goals
Before you plan a press conference you should be very clear about your goals.
A. to get publicity about your efforts and problems;
B. to get widespread media coverage;
C. to send a message to a decision maker about what you want;

16. D. to get more people involved in your organization/production;
Whatever your organizational goals are, remember that you have to have something newsworthy to announce, reveal, or talk about at your press conference.

18. 2. Prepare for a press conference
A. Clearly state a good reason for holding a press conference: the news you are going to reveal has not been covered in the press yet, or there is an emergency, or an important new issue

19. B. Decide what message you want to deliver through the media.
Outline your demands to a decision maker. Include information about what people can do to help, and the date, time and place of your next action.

20. Press Conference Advisory
To: News Editors and Assignment Editors.
From: Anytown Citizens Group, tel:
Event: Press Conference for Anytown Citizens’ Group
Petition Drive Kick-Off, 430 pm, Wednesday, Jan.17, City Hall, Room #101.
Subject: Anytown Citizens Group President Mary Smith and Petition Drive Coordinator John Hancock will announce the beginning of a petition drive calling for cleanup of the old Anytown Factory waste site by the Anytown Public Health Department.

21. Qihu CEO 周鸿袆 Tencent CEO 马化腾

22.
War between 360 and QQ

23.
Liu Chang, the public relationship Management of Tencent company
Cried her eyes out?

24. http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzU3NjE1MTY0.html 中文版上
中文版下
英文版
“antenna gate” of Apple company

25. C. Work out the location of the press conference.
Find an appropriate place that is convenient and has the facilities you need.

26. D. Set the date and time of the press conference, taking into account reporters’ deadlines.
Usually the best days of the week to get news coverage are Tuesday through Thursday.
Check to see that there are no competing news events already scheduled at the time of your conference.

27. E. Invite the media.
Send a press conference advisory to local media at least a week before the press conference.
Follow up with a phone call two days before the press conference to make sure that everyone received the advisory.
Call them the day before to remind them about the event.

28. F. Invite guests. Make phone calls and send written invitations to prospective guests you want to have at the press conference, such as other members of your group.

29. 11/15/ shanghai fire

30. chief of the public security bureau
Fire chief
Leader of Jing an district

31. G. Prepare your spokesperson(s) to deliver your message.
make statements brief and clear and usually no longer than ten minutes. The spokesperson should be experienced in the subject so s/he will be able to respond to questions after the statement.

32.
丰田总裁的记者招待会

34. H. Choose a moderator for the press conference.
You will need a person to control the process and keep reporters on the subject. If someone goes off subject, the moderator can return the focus by saying such things as: “That’s an interesting point, but we are here today to discuss...”

35. 温家宝总理2012年中外记者招待会

36. I. Prepare background materials
I. Prepare background materials. Reporters and guests may wish to have a copy of written statements or a press release. You can prepare a packet of fact sheets, charts or graphs.

37. J. Practice roles with the members of your group.
K. Prepare visual aids. Charts, big maps, pictures or other props will help get your message across. However, slide shows are difficult for TV, radio and print reporters to use.

38. 3. Starting the press conference
Be ready to welcome TV reporters at least 15 minutes before the beginning of the conference. They usually need time to set up their equipment.

39. Meet everyone at the door and ask them to sign in a guest book you’ve already prepared (you may need their addresses for the next event).
Give them your background material and a copy of the press statement.

40. Start the press conference as close to on time as possible and certainly not later then ten minutes after the scheduled time, to respect those who came on time.

41. 4. Running the press conference
The moderator welcomes everyone and briefly introduces the speaker(s).
Remember that statements shouldn’t be longer than minutes.
After the speakers are finished, ask for questions. Make your answers simple, brief, and pointed.

42. Thank everyone for coming and offer additional information they can get in your office.

43. Let’s go over these steps

44. Ten Steps For a Successful News Conference
Step 1: Plan ahead. At least two weeks before the event, talk about what you want to do and how you want to do it.
Step 2: Tell your group about your ideas; get your members’ ideas and decide on the message you want to get out.
Step 3: Prepare props, posters, banners and a press kit.
Step 4: Organize a list of reporters you plan to contact about your news conference.

45. Ten Steps Step 5: Write and fax a news advisory.
Step 6: Write the statement you plan to make at the press conference.
Step 7: Finalize all details. Write a news release.
Step 8: Call reporters to remind them about tomorrow’s conference.
Step 9: On the day of the conference, arrive early to situate speakers, organize materials.
Step 10: After the conference is over, hand deliver copies of your news release and statements to any reporters who didn’t show up.

46. Assignment : 1. Divided into 4 groups.
2. Each group should hold a press conference one weeks later.
A. Choose an organization your group is supposed to represent. This organization can be a government organization, a commercial company, a famous star, a public figure, and so on.

47. B. Each group can select one student as the chairman to speak at the press conference, The speech should be focused on one topic, for at least 5 minutes.
C. Others in this group can prepare the materials for the speech, invite media, distribute the documents, and also answer the questions.

48. Assignment :
D. Students in other groups can ask some questions so that they can finish their news conference story.
E. Each student in the other 3 groups must hand in their story at the end of class. The story should be no less than 2 paragraphs, at least 10 sentences.
F. All the students should dress formally, especially it is your group’s turn to give the news conference. And remember to take your camera.

54. Activities 1:
1. Watch the video: Pres. Obama's First Press Conference.
2. Pay attention to the questions the reporters asked
3. Pay attention to the steps of the Press Conference.