This week in ISM has consisted primarily of work towards my original work project. As I have progressed in my research, I have found that writing a press release is more similar to writing a journalistic article than I originally thought, which will make the completion of my original work much easier. Over the course of this week, I have searched online for examples of press releases, as well as articles on how they are written, how they are used, and tips on how to write a successful one. I have found that, much like in a journalistic article, a press release aims to tell the who, what, when, where, why, and how of an event, along with a quote or two from a reliable source and a bit of background information about the event at hand. Essentially, it is a more concise article with less detail.
My original work, so far, is allowing me to see for myself how writing skills are applied in public relations, and it is beginning to make more sense than it did when I began my study. The only major roadblock I am facing at the moment is deciding what exactly I want to write my press release about; should I find a real current event, or should I create a hypothetical one for research purposes? I am leaning towards a real life event, however I do not know how what the logistics of that would look like. Where would I get quotes or the inside information that I need? These are questions to consider as I move forward into this coming week.
