Media Etiquette

A failure to observe the following points often leads to poor media relations

In addition to the foregoing guidelines, there are several matters of media etiqueti that should be observed. A failure to observe the following points often leads to poor media relations.

Irritating Phone Calls Don’t call a reporter or an editor to ask if your news release was received. Simply assume that it was if you used a regular channel of distribution such as first-class mail, a courier service, or fax.

Unfortunately, the practice of phoning reporters with such an inane question is widely done as a pretext for calling attention to the news release or making a pitch for its use.

Although the approach seems logical, it is better to call a reporter to offer some new piece of information or a story angle that may not be explicit in the news release. The telephone call then becomes an information call instead of a plea to read the news release and use it.

Inappropriate Requests It is not appropriate to ask a publication or broadcast station to send you a clipping of the story or news segment. If you want such materials, you should make arrangements with a clipping service or a broadcast monitoring firm.

It also is not a good idea to ask if you can check a story before it runs. Publications rarely give such permission and consider the request an infringement on their First Amendment Rights. From a practical standpoint, news is timely, and there often isn’t time for outside sources to check stories. It is permissible to ask a reporter if you can’t check any quotes attributed to you. In many cases, however, you will still get a frosty по.

Notes:

First Amendment — Первая поправка. Поправка в Конституции США, гарантирую-1 щая гражданские свободы. Является частью Билля о правах.

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Vocabulary

assume	предположить, допустить
attributed to smb.	приписываемый к.-л.
call attention to smth.	привлечь внимание к ч.-л.
channel of distribution	канал распространения
courier service	курьерская служба
explicit	ясный, четкий, точный
fax	факс
foregoing	вышеупомянутый
inane	бессмысленный, пустой
inappropriate	неуместный
infringement	нарушение
irritating	раздражающий
make a pitch	пытаться протолкнуть информацию и т. д.; совершить сделку
observe	соблюдать
permissible	позволительно
permission	позволение
plea	просьба
pretext	предлог
quote	цитата

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Exercises

1)    Find the English equivalents in the text. Use them in sentences of your own

1. в добавление к ч.-л.
2. привести к ч.-л.
3. обычный канал
4. подход (к проблеме)
5. ас¬пект сообщения, радиостанция, фирма звукозаписи, проверить сообщение, точка зрения
6. внешние источники
7. газетные вырезки.

2)    Find the words in the text which describe or mean the following

1. a request that is urgent or full of emotion
2. to try to make a business agreement, or to sell smth. by saying how good it is
3. a reason given for an action, used in order to hide your own intentions —

3)    Translate the following words and word-combinations into Russian. Use them in sentences of your own

1. to permit smb.to do smth
2. to give/ask a travel/work/export etc. permit
3. to give a permission
4. permissible
5. permissive
6. permissiveness

4)    Translate the following sentences into Russian

1. He was glad to have a pretext to leave the party early.
2. The movie is inappropriate for children.
3. A health inspector gave explicit instructions on how to correct the problem.
4. It is assumed that they will eventually join the EU.
5. Doctors attributed his quick recovery to his physical fitness.

5) Match the words which are close in their meaning

inane	violation
infringement	above-mentioned
explicit	abide by
foregoing	stupid
observe	unambiguous

6) Match the words which are opposite in their meaning

utside	forbidden
receive	internal
appropriate	turn down
failure	improper
permissible	success

7)    Write down 5 questions to the text beginning with «Why…?»

8)    Can you explain the following?

Publications rarely give such permission and consider the request an infringement on their First Amendment rights.

9)    Agree or disagree:

It is inappropriate to ask media outlets for clips of news articles or to see the story before it is published or broadcast.

10)    What are the main points of media etiquette? Do you agree with all of them?

Can you add anything of your own?

11) Render the following item in English

В настоящее время в прессе, в основном, публикуются статьи и очерки, которые дают фоновую информацию к новостям или же статьи и очерки конъюктурного или общего характера. Как раз здесь и существуют превосходные возможности сотрудничества с журналистами в выдвижении на первый план каких-либо особых интересов.