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Public relations newspaper press releases are, by definition, propaganda. This is one-sided information, information from the point of view of the organization on whose behalf the release was written. Defining [...]

This study tracks the placement in the daily newspapers of the press releases produced by the public information office of a major state agency. The office's efforts resulted in a significantly higher placement rate than that revealed in previous research, indicating that the staff had created an environment of confidence around its relationship with the media. Among the factors associated with successful placement were the timeliness of the material, targeted distribution of releases and wire service pick-up. Lynne Masel Walters is an Associate Professor in the Department of Journalism at Texas A&M University. Timothy N. Walters is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Stephen F. Austin State University., This study tracks the placement in the daily newspapers of the press releases produced by the public information office of a major state agency. The office's efforts resulted in a significantly higher placement rate than that revealed in previous research, indicating that the staff had created an environment of confidence around its relationship with the media. Among the factors associated with successful placement were the timeliness of the material, targeted distribution of releases and wire service pick-up. Lynne Masel Walters is an Associate Professor in the Department of Journalism at Texas A&M University. Timothy N. Walters is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Stephen F. Austin State University. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

The value of an internship program is realized by a public relations professor, who felt she had been in front of the blackboard too long. Through a summer internship program, she was able to make some valuable discoveries about public relations. Timing, pace, routine work, the need to be flexible, the importance of money and the need to be organized were just some of the revelations she experienced in the practicing world of public relations.