Deck 11: Writing for Public Relations

Question 1

The key to getting news releases noticed and used in the mix of regular news stories is to use public relations values different from the traditional news values of most stories that will be carried in the newspaper.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

News releases are not simply aimed at informing; they are targeted messages aimed at getting
across some particular message

Answer 2

True

Question 3

A business letter might have the purpose of

A) giving information
B) explaining a policy
C) selling a product
D) all of the above

Answer 3

all of the above

Question 4

Writers of speeches and statements should follow the rules of writing for broadcasting.

Question 5

Part of the job of the public relations specialist is to help corporate officers understand what will be appropriate messages for the audiences intended and what will not.

Question 6

Company publications come in a wide range of sizes and shapes and are aimed at a wide variety of different types of audiences.

Question 7

Part of the job of the public relations specialist is

A) to help corporate officers understand what will be appropriate messages for the audiences intended and what will not
B) build an image of integrity for the company or organization by dispensing reliable, relevant and timely information to the news media
C) convincing other employees that they are a vital part of the organization's public relations effort
D) all of the above

Question 8

What is the most important ability a public relations practitioner should have?

A) the ability to get people to talk
B) the ability to understand people
C) the ability to write clearly and understandably
D) the ability to meet people

Question 9

Companies that sell stock to the public are required by law to produce

A) an annual report
B) at least ten news releases a year
C) a list of employees

Question 10

The four steps of the public relations process are

A) planning, research, communication, evaluation
B) positioning, segmentation, signatures, planning
C) planning, posting, progression, partying
D) advertising, news, speeches, letters

Question 11

An agreement between public relations practitioners and news media people not to run a story before a certain time is called a(n) __________.

A) deadline deal
B) time deal
C) embargo
D) blockade

Question 12

Probably the most important principle of writing for mass communication is

A) adherence to all rules of style
B) accurate presentation of information
C) the single-sentence lead paragraph
D) emphasis of entertainment over information

Question 13

Generally, a news release should be written

A) like a news story in the dramatic unity style for broadcast
B) in the form of a speech or statement
C) like a news story in the inverted pyramid style for print

Question 14

The language of a business letter

A) should be as casual as possible
B) should always contain some humor
C) needs to observe certain formalities
D) should always conform to broadcast writing style

Question 15

In writing speeches or statements, one good technique for keeping the audience interested is to

A) build in some long pauses in the speech
B) use a foreign phrase
C) tip the audience off to something that will come later in the speech
D) tell a joke

Question 16

The writer of a speech should use the techniques that we learned in

A) advertising copywriting
B) broadcast writing
C) newswriting for print

Question 17

For the most part, what style should be observed in letter writing?

A) Chicago style
B) AP style
C) broadcast news style
D) Alton's letter-writing style

Question 18

One of the traps that a letter writer should avoid is

A) using the passive voice
B) using active, descriptive verbs
C) stating the purpose of the letter in the first paragraph
D) assuming that the reader will read the entire letter

Question 19

The production of newsletters, in addition to writing skills, requires

A) some knowledge of computer programming
B) the use of a video camera
C) some editing skills
D) a complete understanding of the internal organization of the company