The document contains samples of press releases created by a student for a class assignment. The press releases summarize: 1) An airline CEO announcing operational and personnel changes and discussing the company's financial performance. 2) A consumer advocacy group expressing support for strategies by the National Academy of Sciences to reduce teenage smoking. 3) A study finding that the beer industry contributes nearly $190 billion annually to the US economy through wages, taxes, and agricultural sector spending.

1. Strategic
Writing
and
Media
Relations
Class
writing
samples
Spring
2010
Lauren
Short

2. I
was
given
a
sheet
of
facts
and
asked
to
create
a
five
graf
press
release
in
15
minutes.
Pioneer
Airlines
2343
Airport
Road
Chicago,
IL
60016
FOR
IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Contact:
Director
of
Communications
Lauren
Short
(312)
887-­‐5410
Pioneer
Airlines
CEO
to
speak
on
company
changes
and
third-­‐quarter
performance
CHICAGO
-­‐-­‐
Pioneer
Airlines
Chief
Executive
Officer
Terry
Mullin
will
speak
at
a
conference
tomorrow
at
10
a.m.
to
review
financial
results
from
the
third
quarter
of
operations
and
to
announce
some
operational
and
personnel
changes.
The
conference
will
be
held
in
the
35th
floor
auditorium
of
the
235
West
Wacker
Pioneer
Building.
Mullin
announced
that
Pioneer’s
domestic
miles
for
January-­‐March
was
up
by
15%
from
last
year.
He
stated
that
performance
has
been
better
than
thought
by
First
Call,
the
nations
largest
financial
analysis
company.
Mullin
plans
to
“create
a
more
stable
environment
for
Pioneer,”
as
the
airline
has
yet
to
file
for
bankruptcy
protection.
Video
conference
hookups
can
be
arranged
by
calling
Media
Services
at
(312)
887-­‐
5234.
A
PDF
of
the
full
third-­‐quarter
report
will
be
available
9
a.m.
Tuesday
at
http://www.PioneerAir.com.

3.
For
this
assignment
I
was
given
a
sheet
of
facts
and
asked
to
create
a
press
release
that
was
180
words
or
less.
Consumer
Reports
“Always
saving
the
world.”
7800
Best
Street
Yonkers,
N.Y.
12345
(800)
555-­8888
FOR
IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Contact:
Lauren
Short
Director
of
Media
Relations
(541)
513-­‐2139
lshort@uoregon.edu
Consumer
Reports
supports
the
National
Academy
of
Sciences
pursuit
to
combat
teenage
smoking
Yonkers—During
a
press
conference
today,
Consumer
Reports
(CR)
announced
its
support
to
stop
teenage
smoking
through
strategies
proposed
by
the
National
Academy
of
Sciences
(NAS).
NAS
urges
that
banning
all
cigarette
advertising,
raising
cigarette
taxes,
and
enforcing
all
laws
against
selling
tobacco
to
minors
will
help
combat
teenage
smoking.
At
the
press
conference,
Child
Psychologist
Dr.
Samuel
Chase
discussed
how
high
self-­‐esteem,
good
academic
achievement,
developed
skills
for
handling
peer
influence,
and
close
parent-­‐child
relationships
help
adolescents
avoid
tobacco
use.

4. “These
factors
need
to
be
built
up
from
toddlerhood
on.
They
cannot
be
provided
overnight
when
a
child
reaches
the
high-­‐risk
age
of
12
or
13,”
Chase
said.
CR
Spokesperson,
Harriet
Smith
said
teenage
smoking
is
“a
lethal
public
epidemic”
and
that
research
indicates
over
3,000
teenagers
smoke
daily,
consuming
roughly
17
billion
of
the
500
billion
cigarettes
sold
in
the
U.S.
every
year.
Smith
suggests
that
parents
should
emphasize
health
and
addiction
risks,
decode
cigarette
ads,
and
impose
consequences
for
smoking.
A
complete
transcript
of
this
morning’s
press
conference
and
more
prevention
tips
can
be
found
at
www.consumersunion.org.
180
words

5.
I
was
asked
to
condense
a
five
page
press
release
into
a
five
graf
story.
BEER
INSTITUTE
122
C
Street
NW,
Suite
350
Washington,
DC
20001
FOR
IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Contact:
Director
of
Communications
Lauren
Short
(202)
737-­‐2337
Study
shows
that
beer
largely
supports
U.S.
economy
WASHINGTON
–
A
2009
study
commissioned
by
the
Beer
Institute
and
National
Beer
Wholesalers
Association
states
that
America’s
beer
industry
contributes
nearly
$190
billion
annually
to
the
U.S.
economy,
paying
almost
$55
billion
in
wages
and
$36
billion
in
federal,
state,
and
local
taxes.
“This
study
shows
that
more
than
ever,
America’s
brewers
play
a
pivotal
role
in
promoting
strong
and
robust
economic
growth
throughout
our
country,”
said
August
A.
Busch
IV,
president
and
chief
executive
officer
of
Anheuser-­‐Busch
Companies,
Inc.
The
promotion
of
beer
helps
support
other
segments
of
the
economy
by
contributing
more
than
$4
billion
for
the
agricultural
sector,
including
malting
barley,
hops,
brewers
rice
and
corn.
“As
the
single
largest
purchaser
of
rice
in
the
country
and
one
of
the
leading
purchasers
of
other
agricultural
goods,
the
beer
industry’s
contributions
to
America’s
farm
economy
are
helping
support
rural
families
and
small
businesses
coast
to
coast,”
said
Jeff
Becker,
president
of
Beer
Institute.
The
complete
Beer
Serves
America
Economic
Impact
study
and
breakdown
of
economic
contributions
is
available
at
http://www.beerservesamerica.org.

6.
I
was
given
a
sheet
of
facts
and
asked
to
create
a
press
invite
in
15
minutes.
San
Jose
Wendy’s
FOR
IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
April
28,
2010
Contact:
Lauren
Short
(541)
513-­‐2139
Lshort@uoregon.edu
Wendy’s
president
will
visit
San
Jose
franchise
to
distribute
food
certificates
What:
Wendy’s
President
Tom
Mueller
will
visit
San
Jose,
CA
on
Thursday
with
Mayor
Ron
Gonzales,
to
thank
investigators
from
the
police
department,
the
staff
of
the
local
Wendy’s
for
working
together
to
solve
the
case
of
the
severed
finger
hoax
in
a
bowl
of
the
franchise’s
chili.
Wendy’s
customers
will
also
be
thanked
by
having
a
chance
to
receive
one
of
3,000
free
$5
food
certificates.
When:
Thursday,
April
29,
2010
• 6
a.m.
Mueller
opens
Wendy’s
for
business
and
works
order
line
for
one-­‐hour
photo
op.
• 7:15
a.m.
Meeting
with
mayor
and
police
representatives.
Announcement
of
special
college
scholarship
photo
op.
• 8
a.m.
Certificate
giveaway
(30
minutes)
photo
op.
• 9
a.m.
Private
meeting
for
store
staff
and
group
photo
op.
• 9:30
a.m.
Press
conference
highlighting
Ayala
case
and
Wendy’s
Annual
Stockholder
Meeting
held
on
April
28
photo
op.
• 10:15
a.m.-­‐
1p.m
20-­‐minute
scheduled
individual
interviews
with
Mueller
for
reporters
and
producers
photo
op.
Who:
Tom
Mueller,
President,
Wendy’s
Ron
Gonzales,
Mayor,
San
Jose,
CA
Where:
San
Jose
Wendy’s
Additional
information:
To
schedule
an
interview,
please
call
800-­‐454-­‐1900
or
email
sanjose@wendys.com.
Time
slots
are
available
on
a
first
come,
first
served
basis.
Reporters,
editors,
and
producers
are
encouraged
to
get
PDF
materials
from
Friday’s
meeting
and
press
conference
at
http://www.nomorefingersinfood.wendys.com.

7. I
was
asked
to
create
a
press
release
covering
an
important
event.
Committee
to
Protect
Journalists
333
Seventh
Ave.,
New
York,
NY
10001
FOR
IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Contact:
Director
of
Communications
Lauren
Short
(212)
465-­‐1004
info@cpj.org
Om
Sharma
of
Nepal
to
be
featured
guest
speaker
at
Press
Freedom
Facts
2009
MANHATTAN
–
On
Tuesday,
May
4
at
noon,
Om
Sharma
of
Nepal
will
be
the
featured
guest
speaker
at
“Press
Freedom
Facts
2009,”
an
annual
event
intended
to
report
on
the
deaths,
physical
attacks,
illegal
detentions
and
threats
suffered
by
journalists,
in
the
grand
ballroom
of
the
Mandarin
Oriental
Hotel
on
Columbus
Circle
in
midtown
Manhattan.
Sharma
was
recently
released
from
prison
after
being
illegally
jailed
and
tortured
for
three
years
after
Nepalese
government
officials
charged
him
with
treason
and
terrorism
for
publishing
“seditious
materials.”
Gwen
Ifil
of
the
Public
Broadcasting
System
and
CPJ
board
member,
and
CPJ
Executive
Director
Ann
Cooper
will
co-­‐host
the
event
as
well.
Sharma
will
review
three
cases
of
imprisonment
and
torture
from
the
76
reported
worldwide
in
2009.
An
annual
publication,
Attacks
on
the
Press
in
2009,
will
be
discussed
and
the
Wall
of
Honor
listing
for
the
71
journalists
killed
on
assignment
this
year
will
be
released.
A
recipient
of
the
Burton
Benjamin
Memorial
Award,
for
distinguished
achievement
in
preserving
press
freedom
around
with
world
will
be
named
at
the
event.
Reservations
will
no
longer
be
accepted
after
6
p.m.
EST
on
Monday,
May
3.
Please
visit
www.cpj.org
for
more
information.

8.
Facts
were
disclosed
to
me
sporadically
over
45
minutes.
This
was
updated
as
more
information
was
released.
Highway
crews
at
the
scene
of
two-­‐car
collision
on
Highway
99
MONROE,
Ore
-­‐-­‐
Oregon
Department
of
Transportation
Emergency
Response
Team
set
up
detours
on
U.S.
Highway
99
after
both
lanes
of
traffic
were
blocked
due
to
a
two-­‐car
collision
that
occurred
one
mile
south
of
Monroe.
It
is
believed
that
the
accident
was
caused
after
the
Toyota
Tundra,
reported
stolen
yesterday
afternoon
from
the
long-­‐term
parking
lot
of
the
Portland
International
Airport,
veered
into
the
northbound
lane
at
speeds
of
100
mph
in
heavy
rain
at
6:45
p.m.
yesterday.
A
preliminary
report
from
Benton
County
Sheriff’s
office
states
that
Howard
Martin,
78,
of
Salem
was
the
only
passenger
in
the
Volkswagen
Golf
and
was
reported
dead
at
the
scene
of
the
accident.
The
driver,
no
identification
at
this
time,
sustained
minor
injuries.
Benton
County
spokesperson
Lieutenant
Helen
Daniels
said
that
Billy
Lynn,
19,
of
Harrisburg
was
driving
the
pickup
truck
with
a
suspended
license
when
he
struck
the
compact
car.
Deputy
Tony
Daniels,
47,
of
Corvallis
sustained
minor
injuries
after
a
southbound
vehicle
was
coming
to
a
stop
and
struck
him
while
outside
of
his
vehicle
at
the
scene.
Lynn,
uninjured
in
the
accident,
has
been
arrested
on
the
charge
of
vehicular
homicide.

9. A
note
from
my
professor:
October
10,
2010
To
whom
it
may
concern
at
Jess3:
This
is
a
letter
of
reference
for
Lauren
Short,
who
is
interviewing
soon
with
a
representative
of
your
agency.
I
am
providing
this
letter
electronically
to
Lauren,
and
I
would
be
happy
to
send
you
a
printed
copy
later.
I
am
delighted
to
recommend
her.
Lauren
is
an
energetic
and
creative
student
who
nicely
balances
clear
communication
and
complex
technology
–
a
great
combination,
as
we
speed
into
a
new
world
of
outreach
and
connections.
She
already
exhibits
strong
organizational
and
leadership
skills,
which
she
put
to
good
use
this
past
summer
in
an
internship
with
NextStep
Recycling.
I
understand
she
is
continuing
work
with
this
group
now,
helping
it
expand
its
social
networking
connections.
You’ll
find
in
Lauren
strategic
thinking
and
thorough
followthrough.
You’ll
be
pleased,
I
am
sure,
with
her
writing
and
speaking
skills
–
she
is
clear,
concise
and
correct
(which
won’t
stop
her
from
heading
down
more
creative
and
even
edgy
paths
when
it’s
needed).
I’d
be
happy
to
provide
more
information
if
needed;
I
wanted
to
be
sure
now
that
you
heard
from
an
“old
professor”
that
you
have
a
real
talent
in
Lauren.
Sincerely,
Duncan
McDonald
Professor
of
Journalism
University
of
Oregon
duncanm@uoregon.edu