News Release
Study the following information from which you will write into a news release, using proper news release formatting and information: contacts, headline, dateline, AP style and other characteristics that we studied in class and from the book. You may use either the inverted pyramid style or feature news release style, depending on what impact you want to have on your target audience. You may need to aID further explanation or details that may be missing that you may need to look up (hint: there is at least one important fact missing that you can find on-line and there may be misspellings in the information you’ve been provided here. Fact-check and do not take anything for granted, especially AP style and spellings.)

Don’t forget to answer your 5 Ws in the first 3 paragraphs – not all in the first paragraph. For the most part these are all answered in this fact sheet. (This is a fake event so don’t call anyone to ask questions about this.) Write a headline, use the formatting and style requirements including contacts.

You will be scored on formatting (20), completeness (25), writing style and readability (20), AP style and spelling (25), and for (overall thoroughness and useability). You should follow the example below, and give your news release ideas for Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Summitt.
What?
Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Summitt
This community event will provide an overview of suicide as a public health concern in Nebraska; present opportunities to discuss local needs related to suicide prevention; and will feature an introduction to proven suicide prevention practices (sometimes referred to as evidence-informed or best practices). Information will also be provided about applying for upcoming seed grants for youth suicide prevention activities.

• Keynote Remarks: Tom Osborn.
• Statewide inventory of suicide prevention practices.
• What will happen: Small-group discussions among participants who will report back period on community suicide prevention activities and needs.
• Introduction to evidence-based, best practices to prevent suicide.
• Technical assistance to apply for forthcoming youth suicide prevention seed grants.
(What’s this? Seed grants of $1,000-$5,000 will be available to local community groups and organizations to develop their own suicide prevention materials and events. The summit will have a session to walk people through how to fill out these applications to get the grants)

The Summitt is part of a larger statewide suicide prevention initiative pursuant to funding from SAMHSA (Substence Abuse Mental Health Services Administration).

Why?
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Nebraska youths ages 15-19. In 2011, Nebraska’s suicide rate for youth ages 10-24 was 11.86 per 100,000 people, exceeding the national rate of 7.14. Every 2 hours and 5 minutes there is a teenager in the United States who loses his or her life to suicide.

When?
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
10 AM – 3 PM (CDT)/9AM – 2 PM (MDT)

Where?
The Summitt will originate in Kearney, NE at Good Samaritan Hospital. It will be streamed via internet to sites across the state via the Nebraska Statewide Telehealth Network, so people who can’t attend should call to find out where the telehealth network will be telecasting the seminar. Participants at the Kearney sight will be provided with lunch.

Who?
The intended audience is community members, professionals, suicide survivors, and/or youths and adults interested in promoting suicide prevention practices in their communities.

The Summitt is co-sponsored by Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Coalition; Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services; University of Nebraska Medical Center; Good Samaritan; Interchurch Ministries of Nebraska; University of Nebraska Public Policy Center. Registration is required and due no later than the day before the event. This is a free event for anyone interested. The food will be good and it’s free.

Impact/Why?
"Enrique" (not his real name) remembers a cold, lonely December night in 2010 when he attempted to take his own life. He was 16, in a foster home and had begun experimenting with drugs to escape from the tragedies from his life: an abusive father, a strung-out mother, both who abandoned him before he was 8. "I just felt so empty and tired and alone," Enrique said. "And I didn’t know where to turn." He said the foster system offered him counseling services, but he didn’t know he really needed them until he was sitting there that night with a razor in his hand, looking at his wrists, wondering, "how did I get here?" "I think my story is pretty common and that scares me," Enrique says. "There has to be a way to reach out to kids like me and help figure out how to find us, how to get through to us, how to save us." Hit with a blast of cold air when he ran from the building where he sat with that razor, Enrique is glad he told his foster mother when he got home what had happened, and she reached out to her pastor to get him the help he needed. "So many kids just don’t have a voice. I’m glad I found mine."

Enrique‘s pastor had attended a workshop through the Interchurch Ministries of Nebraska, working with the Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Coalition.

Tom Osborn quote:
“I can think of few topics that are more important to aIDress right now that affect the future of our young people, their communities, and Nebraska. Suicide is preventable. We have resources and programs to help make a difference in the lives of children and young adults who are suffering. We must reach out to them.”

For more information and registration
http://www.suicideprevention.nebraska.edu/
Contacts:
Don Belau
402-759-0573
donald.belau@doane.edu

Dave Miers
402-481-5165
dave.miers@bryanlgh.org

Denise Bulling
402-472-1509
dbulling@nebraska.edu
A news release is published on an organization’s news site, and is clearly labeled as a news release. Don’t confuse newsy articles published on internet sites and various web pages as news releases. News releases are written by an organization, sent to news media, and published/archived on corporate/organizational websites.