Press previews and Parties

Press previews are often scheduled for events to which the general public is invited. Usually a preview is held a day or two ahead of the event so that reporters can write stories that appear on the day that the event actually occurs.

Press previews are almost routine for events such as the opening of new facilities -corporate headquarters, a hospital’s new wing, a shopping mall, a department store, a restaurant, even a new toxic waste dump. In most cases, the press gets a background briefing and a tour of the new facilities.

Demonstrations of new products also lend themselves to press previews. This is particularly true in the area of high technology, where sophisticated products can be put through their paces by the engineers who developed them. Many companies have a press preview of their products just before a major trade show. The advantage is that reporters from all over the country are already gathered in one place.

Planning a press preview is like planning any other event. Great attention must be paid to detail and logistics to ensure that the guests have a positive experience.

Previews may also include such things as a cocktail party or dinner. This kind of event is in the category of relationship building and networking. It allows company executives to mingle and socialize with reporters in a casual atmosphere. Ultimately, this helps executives feel more relaxed when a reporter they already know wants to interview them for a story. Unlike news conferences, press previews are often held after «working hours» when treporters are not on deadline.

Junkets

A variation on the press party is the junket. Although the use of junkets has declined in recent years, they are still part of the travel and entertainment industry. Junkets usually involve invitations to reporters for an expense-paid trip to witness an event or see a facility.

An example of a large-scale junket: Disney World in Florida invited 10,000 writers, publishers, and broadcasters to a three-day celebration of the park’s fifteenth anniversary. Although large numbers of media representatives took advantage of what was said to be the largest «freebie» in U.S. journalistic history, a number or prominent newspapers blasted the event. The New York Times editorialized that the press was debasing itself by accepting Disney’s hospitality and questioned whether reporters could be objective about Disney operations after accepting an all-expense-paid trip.

Junkets, particularly when there is little newsworthy information, raise considerable controversy among journalists and public relations professionals. As a consequence, companies must carefully consider all aspects of sponsoring a junket and its possible negative effect on media relations.

Press parties or junkets, to be effective and garner media attendance, must be handled discreetly. It is against the code of ethics to have lavish banquets and expensive souvenirs simply for the sake of impressing the press. Journalists, although they may attend, generally «badmouth» the affair if they think there is an overt attempt to «buy» favorable coverage.

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Vocabulary

blast	резко критиковать
casual	неофициальный
debase	унижать
discreetly	сдержанно осмотрительно
event	мероприятие
freebie (informal)	бесплатная поездка, угощение и пр.
garner (formal)	заручиться
hospitality	гостеприимство
junket	поездка на казенный счет (free trip), вечеринка, пикник
lavish	богатый, роскошный
logistics	материально-техническое обеспечение, логистика
mingle	общаться
networking	коллективная работа, объединение усилий
occur	иметь место, происходить
overt	открытый
preview	предварительный показ
put through its paces	проявить качества чего-либо
raise controversy	вызывать противоречие
for the sake of smth., smb.	ради чего-либо, кого-либо
sophisticated	сложный, изощренный
toxic waste dump	свалка ядовитых отходов

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Exercises

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

1. торговый центр
2. руководство компании
3. в неофициальной обстановке
4. в отличие от ч.-л.
5. не быть ограниченным во времени
6. область высоких технологий
7. сложная современная продукция
8. гарантировать ч.-л.
9. в результате
10. полностью оплаченный.

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

1. the practical arrangements that are needed in order to make a plan or activity successful —
2. well-designed, very advanced, often working in a complicated way —
3. actions or feelings which are done or shown publicly, without trying to hide anything —
4. the practice of meeting other people involved in the same type of work, in order to share information, support each other etc. —
5. o criticize smth. very strongly —

3) Match the words. Translate the word-combinations into Russian

shopping	attendance
corporate	hours
media	industry
entertainment	mall
working	headquarters

4) Translate the following sentences into Russian:

1. Environment groups blasted the plan for more logging in the area.
2. The logistics of educating the state’s 3,6 million pre-school children remain complex.
3. She reluctantly’ agreed to go there for his sake.
4. The explosion occurred at 5.50 a.m.
5. He followed at a discreet distance.

5) Match the words which are close in their meaning

debase	exuberant
overt	mix
discreetly	humiliate
lavish	obvious
mingle	tactfully

6) Match the words having the opposite meaning

overt	economical
sophisticated	honour
discreetly	simple
lavish	recklessly
debase	secret

7)    Complete the following sentences

events; casual; controversy; to mingle; routine; newsworthy

1. It allows company executives_____________and socialize with reporters in a_____________atmosphere.
2. Press previews are almost_____________for_____________such as the opening of new facilities.
3. Junkets, particularly when there is little___________information, raise considerable ____________among journalists and public relations professionals.

8)    Insert prepositions where necessary

on; of; to; as; for

1. ____a consequence
2. a tour____smth.
3. to pay attention____smth.
4. ahead____smth.
5. to involve____smth.
6. to take advantage____smth.
7. to have effect____smb.
8. ____the sake____smb.
9. to impress____smb.

9) Paraphrase the following sentences

1. Journalists, although they may attend, generally «bad-mouth» the affair if they think there is an overt attempt to «buy» favorable coverage
2. Demonstrations of new products also lend themselves to press previews.
3. This kind of event is in the category of relationship building and networking.
4. Although large numbers of media representatives took advantage of what was said to be the largest «freebie» in US journalistic history, a number of prominent newspapers blasted the event.

10)    Answer the following questions

1. When is a preview usually held?
2. For what kind of events are press previews almost routine?
3. Why should great attention be paid to detail and logistics when planning a press preview?
4. Why is a preview included in the category of relationship building and networking?
5. Has the use of junkets declined or increased in recent years?
6. What was one of the largest junkets in U.S. journalistic history and what was the reaction to it?
7. Why do junkets raise considerable controversy?
8. Why is it against the code of ethics to have lavish banquets and expensive souvenirs?

11)    Agree or disagree with the following statements