How to reach out to The Crimson WhiteTips on the best policies and practices for getting your

organization’s news in the CW

Who do I talk to?

The CW has various editorial “desks”. If you want to increase the chance your news or event will be published, make sure you send it to the right “desk.” A desk, in newspaper jargon, means the group that handles a specific segment of news. The CW has the following desks:

News: This is a large desk that incorporates most student news on- and off-campus. • Email:news@cw.ua.edu;• Editor:WillTucker;AssistantEditors:PattyVaughn, Hannah Mask

Lifestyles: This includes arts, entertainment, nightlife, music and cultural news.

• Email:lifestyles@cw.ua.edu• Editor:KelseyStein(kmstein@crimson.ua.edu)

Sports:Anything sports related. This includes intramural, club, and varsity sports.• Email:crimsonwhitesports@gmail.com• Editor:JasonGalloway

Many times individual reporters will have their email addresses listed with their articles in the CW. If you’ve noticed that a specific reporter has written articles similar to your organization’s news, you may consider emailing them personally. But remember, CW reporters are students too. They get several emails every day, so directing your news to the correct place will increase your chances of getting a reply.

Not everything your organization does will be “newsworthy”

•Isyournewsweird or interesting? Doing something new and unique to campus?

•Isittimely?Areyouholdinganevent? Is it time-sensitive? Is it relevant to things going on around campus, the state or the country?

•Isitrelevant to a lot of people, or just a few? Does it hit home?

Types of coverage you can get in the CW:

•Article: This is a full-fledged article. It will generally be 500-800 words and include quotes from 3 different sources

•NewsBrief: This is shorter than an article and requires fewer sources. If you don’t think you have enough information for a full article, this may be a better option.

•Calendarevent/Announcement: The CW regularly runs tidbits about organization’s upcoming or ongoing events. We can also add it to one of our online or print calendars.

Deadlines and contact info:

Let us know about your story at least 1-2 weeks in advance.

Emailtheappropriateeditor,andfollowupacoupleof days later.

Remember to provide all of the basic details about your event, as well as the name, emails, and phone numbers for anyone else involved.

What we need from you:

•Yourfullname,yearinschoolandmajor

•Atleast1workingcellphonenumber

•Anemailaddress—Thatyoucheckregularly!

•Optional,buthelpful:Namesandcontactinforma-tion of other people that might be useful sources for the reporter

Important info about availability:

We regularly receive emails from student organiza-tions about upcoming events. Many times when we do attempt to cover them, we can’t get in touch with anyone in the organization. When you send an email to the CW, include the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How of your story or event. If you don’t include this info, an editor or reporter is unlikely to follow up with you.

Onlinearticles

The Crimson White also runs online-exclusive stories, especially if the article has pictures or video.

We have a limited amount of space we can fill with articles, and online articles are just as helpful as print ones. We have several thousand unique visitors to the CW website daily. Don’t feel turned off or cheated if this is the case with your news, and be sure to send the link out to your friends and mem-bers of your organization.

Otherpublicityoptions:

UANews:UANewsissentoutweeklytostudents.ItisrunthroughtheOfficeofUniversityRelations.TosubmityourinformationtoUAStudentNews,usethislink:

http://uanews.ua.edu/submit-student/

CrimsonCalendar:YoucansubmityourowneventstotheCrimsonCalendar(http://events.ua.edu).Click the link and follow the instructions on the site for submitting an event to the calendar.

LotsofreporterscheckthestudentnewsandCrimsonCalendarfornewsideas/stories.

TheSOURCECalendar:ContactAlexKaragasatTheSOURCEtolearnhowtoaddyoureventtoTheSOURCEcalendar.