press release assignment

• Use the same topic you chose for the Print Media Worksheet: the feminist movement and women’s liberation, public education, antiwar protestors, fur and leather products, pollution, or wildlife and environment conservation. That topic is antiwar protestors.

• Locate a press release addressing a scandal or other setback related to your chosen topic. This press release may address individuals involved in the field or movement or an issue that affects the field or movement itself.

• First, explain the nature of the scandal or setback, how this scandal affected an individual’s career or the field or movement as a whole, and what details of the scandal that the press release addressed or ignored.

• Next, discuss the role of the mass media in reporting this scandal and why it was newsworthy. Discuss the journalistic, political, and societal purpose of reporting it, and how the press release was written to mitigate the public response to the scandal. Also, discuss why a press release was preferable—for the client or the public—to the alternatives, such as tabloids, blogs, and rumors.

Format your responses consistent with APA guidelines.