Question 1

According to Professor Craig Carroll, a _________ is "a widely circulated, oft-repeated message… revealing something about the organization's nature." While an organization's actions contribute, what people write about an organization is also important.

Accepted Answer

Professor Craig Carroll defines a "corporate reputation" as a widely circulated, oft-repeated message that reveals something about the organization's nature, emphasizing the importance of both an organization's actions and what is written about it.

Question 2

__________ involves presenting yourself in ways that help you achieve your goals and aspirations in social interactions, while always being mindful of keeping a balance between being authentic and being professional.

Accepted Answer

Impression management is the process of controlling the impressions others form of you, especially in social interactions, with the aim of achieving personal or professional goals. It involves a balance between authenticity and professionalism.

Question 3

When the World Bicycle Relief Organization chose to feature the story of Esawo, a 59-year-old Malawian dairy farmer, they did so with ________. The non-profit organization's goal was to gain the attention of readers and keep them engaged, ultimately encouraging them to donate.

Accepted Answer

The correct choice is "C) A purpose" because the World Bicycle Relief Organization's intention behind featuring Esawo's story was to engage readers and motivate them to donate, indicating a deliberate and purposeful action.

Question 4

Writing trainer Ann Wylie advises public relations professionals to drop the _________ and write with more _____________. Writers should tell readers what's in it for them.

Accepted Answer

Ann Wylie advises using more direct language that focuses on the reader, hence the shift from "we's" to "you's" to make the writing more reader-centric.

Question 5

Public relations professionals can facilitate great writing simply by providing ________, as in the case of The Kelly Slater Wave Company. The resulting 10,000-word feature story in the New Yorker helped the company gain awareness for a new business venture.

Accepted Answer

Access to a unique experience can significantly enhance the appeal of a story to both writers and readers, as demonstrated by the extensive coverage The Kelly Slater Wave Company received.

Question 6

Julian adds shared/social media to the storytelling mix for a PR campaign for Dollywood in Tennessee. The story features a one-minute video of a bear that wanders into the park and starts dancing to the music. Stories like this have more of a chance of going viral because readers and users have the opportunity to become part of the storytelling process. This is an example of __________.

Accepted Answer

Transmedia storytelling involves telling a story across multiple platforms and formats using current digital technologies, which allows the audience to engage and interact with the content in various ways, such as through social media. The example given, where a story is shared across social media and involves audience interaction, fits the definition of transmedia storytelling.

Question 7

Gregory is working on a variety of _________ for his clients, including a personal profile of a CEO, a historical perspective on telephone technology, and a first-person account from a client's customer.

Accepted Answer

Feature stories often include personal profiles, historical perspectives, and first-person accounts, which align with the types of projects Gregory is working on.

Question 8

To give herself some flexibility, Carol is writing a number of stories that are ______. This way, she can pitch them whenever she has a lull in other news because they will maintain their relevance and value throughout the year ahead.

Accepted Answer

Timeless stories maintain their relevance and value over time, making them suitable for pitching during lulls in other news.

Question 9

When writing a _________, the writer does not include the "why" of the story in the first few sentences. Instead, the job of the first sentence is to make the reader want to read more, and keep the reader hooked through the body of the story.

Accepted Answer

A delayed lead, often used in feature writing, intentionally withholds the main point or the "why" of the story at the beginning to pique the reader's curiosity and encourage them to read further. This approach contrasts with a direct lead, which typically presents the most crucial information upfront.

Question 10

Elizabeth is a staff writer and media relations specialist for USA Today. She is assigned the task of reporting on disastrous flooding in Louisiana. Instead of employing the delayed-lead style of features stories, she uses the direct-lead format, knowing that even if readers never read past the first paragraph, they will get the gist of the story. This news style of writing is often called the __________.

Accepted Answer

The inverted pyramid style is characterized by presenting the most important information at the beginning of the article, ensuring that readers get the gist of the story even if they don't read past the first paragraph. This is a common approach in news writing to quickly convey the essential facts.

Question 11

Online news feeds, blog rolls, email preview panes and search engine results all favor writers who know how to write ___________.

Accepted Answer

A good lead captures attention and provides a concise summary, making it effective for online formats where quick engagement is crucial.

Question 12

Irenka is the editor in chief of the online news website The Woodstock Post. She receives hundreds of news items from her staff as well as independent reporters. She must select 12 to 14 of those to post on the day's website based on what she determines to be newsworthy. From a PR writer's perspective, in which model does she belong?

Accepted Answer

Irenka's role as an editor who selects and filters news items to determine what gets published aligns with the gatekeeping model. This model involves decision-makers who control the flow of information to the public, deciding what news is published or broadcasted.

Question 13

Hunter is working on a ________ for his company's new product. He is developing a pre-produced news package for broadcast journalists that includes visual and audio content.

Accepted Answer

A Video News Release (VNR) is a pre-produced package made for broadcast journalists that includes both visual and audio content, fitting the description given.

Question 14

A news release always starts with a good headline and a ________ so the news media will know when and where a story occurred.

Accepted Answer

A dateline in a news release indicates when and where the story occurred, providing essential context for the news media.

Question 15

Cydney, a reporter for a major-metro daily newspaper, depends on public relations practitioners to provide additional information she may need to write a story. Without their help, Cydney would have to search the internet or the __________ to find any archival information.

Accepted Answer

The term "morgue" in journalism refers to the archive or library where past articles, images, and information are stored. Reporters often use it to find historical data or background information for their stories.

Question 16

When the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issues a news release, it often includes an accompanying _____________. Delivered in a narrative form, NOAA can provide context and useful information to make it easy for reporters to understand a cover the news.

Accepted Answer

A backgrounder is a detailed piece of writing provided to reporters to give them more context about the news release, helping them understand and cover the news more effectively.

Question 17

Tristan has been an avid social media consumer for many years, but the first few Facebook posts he wrote for his client did not result in any interactions. Tristan's mistake was a common one, and he likely ___________.

Accepted Answer

Tristan failed to engage before observing and understanding the Facebook group. This is a common mistake that can lead to ineffective social media marketing.

Question 18

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and Weibo are all considered _______ because these social media sites allow users to make short, frequent posts.

Accepted Answer

These platforms are considered microblogs because they enable users to make short, frequent posts, which is the defining characteristic of microblogging.

Question 19

Weibo and Twitter differ in how they present content, follow different business models, attract different demographics. In addition, because Chinese characters convey much more information than Roman characters, the _________ is less of a constraint on Weibo than Twitter.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is "Character limit" because Chinese characters can convey more information in fewer characters compared to Roman characters, making the character limit less of a constraint on Weibo than on Twitter.

Question 20

While integrated keywords on a web page will help people searching for those keywords to find that page, there's a point of _______. Keyword stuffing will actually harm a site's ranking.

Accepted Answer

Keyword stuffing can lead to a point of diminishing returns, where the excessive use of keywords can harm a site's SEO rather than help it, as search engines may penalize the site for attempting to manipulate search rankings.

Quiz 9: Writing