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July 1943
him by name, introducing yourself, and state that you are going to submit to him occasional news stories con cerning your church. Talk frankly with him, and ask him for some point ers regarding the style of his paper. In this way you place him in the at titude of a tutor, and he will give your news stories more than a casual glance. The newspaper admires 'the coura geous clergyman or worker who faces the consequences of his public utter ances and who does not resent seeing in type what he has spoken openly. It appreciates a preacher who does not demand microscopic accuracy in all quotations, but is satisfied if the es sential thought is conveyed in minia ture for the sake of brevity.-- It pub licizes the man whose sermons are not of the canned-goods variety. In other words, the newspaper enjoys the “quotable-quote” preacher, though not the sensationalist, j : . When the church editor is on friend ly terms with a news-minded pastor, he does not hesitate when important current news arises to call him on the telephone for intelligent comment. Re quests of this kind open the way for far-reaching;Christian testimony. The alert preacher is .posted^on the day’s news and stands ready to express an opinion on it. If he prefers to word his statement carefully, because the situation seems to demand it, the newspaper will gladly call him back. No newspaper, however, can compel a minister or Christian worker to im part information he cannot or does not care to reveal. What Is Considered “News”? In requesting publicity for his church, a pastor needs to understand clearly what Constitutes news. Deter minants of news value on any city desk are: uniqueness, prominence, timeliness, proximity, human interest. What is unique finds ready access most frequently, but the more con servative pastor or Christian worker will hesitate, and wisely so, before undertaking the unique, however much it might appeal to the newspa pers, until he determines whether it is the thing for one in hjs position to do. Prominence or importance of the story is a main test. No matter how- well written or interesting an item may be, it will be sacrificed to more important news if space is lacking. Much of the copy written around ser mons is waste-basketed because it is too inclusive. Had the writer chosen one outstanding point on which to base a few hundred words, the article would probably have a p p e a r e d. Changes in the pastorate must be written from a news standpoint; dedi cations, corner-stone layings, anniver saries of pastorates and churches, gifts of money, all furnish opportunity
Nobody will argue that Chris tianity will make its way simply by publicity; the printed page, however, can arrest attention and provide new hearers for the mes senger of God. ing is.done deftly. It is not necessary to burn down a,church to get a good human interest story on the front page; the erection of one often makes an equally interesting article. Photographs and stories have ap peared for such events as, for instance, four octogenarian ministers singing as a- quartet at an evening service; a twills’ night at a church, bringing out twenty-two pairs; the installation of a pulpit microphone so shut-ins could hear the sermon and choif music. Such stories* have a universal appeal, and it is in this field particularly that the alert pastor watches for opportunity to get his message into the newspa pers. The value of pictures cannot be overemphasized, and if the congrega tion includes a good photographer, he will sometimes cooperate with the pas tor in furnishing human interest pic tures for the press. From the stand point of the attention they enlist, a two-column picture with a four-inch story is far preferable to a full-column Write-up. [Continued on Page 278]
for interesting copy in the newspaper. Timeliness is -an important factor from two standpoints: recency of the event, and prompt notification; of the newspaper. ;When copy is mailed to . the newspaper, it.is often two days old when received and is scarcely news. News should be taken directly to the office^ or if it happens too late for this, should be telephoned or tele graphed, unless it is of insufficient interest. Proximity is another determinant of news value. If the pastor speaks in an out-of-town pulpit, and directs his message against vice and corruption in that city, this is not of as much interest to his home town paper as would be an assault on wickedness in the local community. Human interest furnishes one of the most ready fields for church' publicity. From a straight news standpoint, an automobile gift to a pastor may have become so common that the present of an airplane is almost necessary for good newspaper space—except-in these war days—yet human interest permits opportunity to weave into the story much desirable material, if the writ-:
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