Missouri trying to take advantage of Cumberland situation

[Tim_T]

A press release is 100% advertising. This is what I do for a living, we pay PR firms to create stories and get them published. It's a form of advertising that most readers don't realize is advertising. Most think a reporter beat the street and found a juicy story. When in fact most articles you see in the paper and on the internet not dealing with murders or acts of god, are in fact paid advertisements through Press Releases professionally prepared to bring attention to something a company is doing to create business. Oh yes, it's advertising.Matt

Matt, if you are paying people to put out press releases and they are printing them as is, then your PR firm deserves a raise and the publication's editors deserve to be unemployed.

I have been a member of the media for over 20 years. I have done "hard news," sports and now outdoors. If you sent me a press release, chances are, nothing would be done about it, but if it was it would not be published "as is."

I get press releases nearly every day from outdoor companies as well as state agencies such as KDFWR. I rarely do anything with them, unless it is a good story line. When I do, I normally take some of the information and the contact name and number, and call and get real information for the story I am about to write. This helps weed out the unpaid advertisement.

Here is a good example. Back in December, I got a press release from KDFWR concerning the opening of the Knobs State Forest and WMA in Bullitt County. I called the wildlife biologist who was in charge of managing it, and wrote a story. It was completely different from what was in the press release, but had a lot to do with what would be allowed (not mentioned in the press release) and what would not, management goals etc. That story ran in the March issue of Midwest Outdoors magazine.


Not trying to argue this point, but any editor that is printing press releases as is, is asleep at the wheel, and I can not imagine this happening at a major publication.

[mattplapp]

I'm not sure what market you work in, but I've been involved in the media for about 12 years and what you are saying versus what happens is completely opposite. I can show you on any given day news articles in the paper, on tv and on the internet that were 100% started from a press release. Example, well I've got 6 articles framed in our hallway of our store that were on the FRONT page of the Cincinnati Newpaper, all 6 came from a Press Release, I should know I'm the one who did it. The public may believe what they see in the media, but I've been on the inside for many years, and if you are as well then your either in a REALLY small market or you've got the blinders on. I can look through todays Cincinnati Newspaper and show you at least 20 articles that are all generated because of a press release.

Todays media companies do not have enough employees to drum up stories anymore, they take what's given to them.

That facts still remain, someone from a non-profit government oriented agency spent money to release this "Press Release" AKA advertising to try and put a false image of one of our state's largest tourist attractions, one that was false.

Matt

[Tim_T]

Matt, I think what you said and what I am saying are the same thing. Stories are GENERATED by press releases, but are not published as is. They are rewritten by a reporter who has the responsibility to check facts before they go to print.

Another difference between a press release and an advertisement is money. You stated you paid a PR firm to get the press releases out to the media, but did you buy advertising space from the newspaper or were the articles written as a feature?

As an example, if the press release above was published in a newspaper and nobody checked the facts in the press release, the company putting out the press release would not be in trouble, but the newspaper has the responsibilty to call the appropriate people in KY to verify that the facts are correct (which in this case they were not).

I currently am a freelance outdoor writer with credits in major national magazines, as well as smaller markets, but I have worked for major market newspapers including a few years in the sports department at the Louisville Courier-Journal. I never witnessed or even heard about anybody printing a press release as is, unless it was paid for as an advertisement which leaves the newspaper off the hook for false claims.

I think we actually agree on this, but we are having a hard time communicating through are words on the computer.

I do know we agree on the main point of why I started this thread, there was too much false information in the press release.

[geobass]

Matt, I think what you said and what I am saying are the same thing. Stories are GENERATED by press releases, but are not published as is. They are rewritten by a reporter who has the responsibility to check facts before they go to print.

Another difference between a press release and an advertisement is money. You stated you paid a PR firm to get the press releases out to the media, but did you buy advertising space from the newspaper or were the articles written as a feature?

As an example, if the press release above was published in a newspaper and nobody checked the facts in the press release, the company putting out the press release would not be in trouble, but the newspaper has the responsibilty to call the appropriate people in KY to verify that the facts are correct (which in this case they were not).

I currently am a freelance outdoor writer with credits in major national magazines, as well as smaller markets, but I have worked for major market newspapers including a few years in the sports department at the Louisville Courier-Journal. I never witnessed or even heard about anybody printing a press release as is, unless it was paid for as an advertisement which leaves the newspaper off the hook for false claims.

I think we actually agree on this, but we are having a hard time communicating through are words on the computer.

I do know we agree on the main point of why I started this thread, there was too much false information in the press release.

If you are a writer.. You should know that the statement "we are having a hard time communicating through are words on the computer." Should have been "our" words, not "are" words.
I guess that is what spell check and grammer check are for! lol

[mattplapp]

I agree with you, but what you missing is that this press release was released on their own website as a press release which is deceptive because most of the public will view a website like theirs to report like a newspaper, the truth. It just amazes me to see stuff like that.

But, our Cumberland store has been selling boats like wild fire so there must be some great things at Cumberland still

Matt