Download FINAL Media Alert

MEDIA ALERT
What is it?
A media alert is a brief document sent out to members of the media to alert them to an upcoming
event, such as a flu clinic, press conference, or meet-and-greet.
The purpose of the alert is to let the media know something is going to be happening so that they
will attend and, with any luck, report on what happens.
Don’t confuse a media alert with a press release. A press release is written in the form of the
story you want them to write or publish, and the alert is simply to inform them of the event
which you would like reported.
Send out the media alert several days before the event so editors have time to assign reporters
and reporters can schedule it on their calendars.
Following is an example of a media alert from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases:
Put your media alerts on letterhead.
MEDIA ALERT:
Put “Media Alert” on here, so they know it’s a notice for an event.
NATION’S TOP MEDICAL EXPERTS URGE VACCINATION FOR MORE ADULTS
SURVEY SHOWS DISTURBING TREND: DECREASED KNOWLEDGE AND
AWARENESS IN YOUNGER ADULTS COULD PORTEND
GRIM FUTURE FOR PREVENTIVE CARE
July 18, 2009
Provide a headline and date it.
For Immediate Release
If it’s acceptable for the media to put an immediate blurb out, indicate that by stating: For
Immediate Release. Otherwise, state: Embargoed Until (Date) (Time)
News Conference to be sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
Leading infectious disease experts will address the gravity and implications of low immunization
rates among American adults and call for increased awareness and uptake of vaccines at a
national news conference.
State what the event’s about
Vaccine-preventable diseases kill more adults in the U.S. each year than breast cancer, AIDS or
traffic accidents. The U.S. Adult Immunization Schedule calls for vaccination of adults against
more than a dozen infectious diseases. Yet, vaccination rates among adults are markedly below
Healthy People 2010 goals. Despite longstanding recommendations, too few American men and
women are protected against such diseases as shingles (herpes zoster), pneumococcal
disease, influenza, whooping cough (pertussis), human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis B.
Contributing to the problem is lack of knowledge and awareness about these diseases. A new
national survey finds that knowledge and awareness are dramatically lower in younger adults (18
to 26 years), likely because this age group has had little or no personal experience with these
diseases. Older adults can recall the very real impact of polio or measles or mumps. Many
younger adults have never seen these diseases manifested, and therefore, have less of a sense of
urgency about protection through vaccination. Experts contend this lack of awareness among
younger adults may further decrease vaccine uptake, making outbreaks and endemic
transmission of many diseases possible again.
State why the event is important.
A panel including experts from academia, government, health professional societies and the
public health field will address the need to make adult vaccinations part of routine care.
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William Schaffner, MD, President-Elect, NFID, Program Moderator, Vanderbilt
University School of Medicine
Anne Schuchat, MD, Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory
Diseases, CDC
Stanley A. Gall, MD, Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health,
University of Louisville
Robert H. Hopkins, MD, Associate Professor, University of Arkansas for Medical
Sciences
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Cora L. Christian, MD, AARP Board of Directors
Susan J. Rehm, MD, Medical Director, NFID, Cleveland Clinic Department of
Infectious Diseases
State who will be at the event, who is leading it, and the primary spokesperson(s).
Following the panel discussion, NFID will host its 14th Richard J. Duma Annual News
Conference and Symposium, providing updates on the control and prevention of infectious
disease threats, including sexually transmitted diseases; infection risks at home, in the locker
room and from pets; seasonal and H1N1 influenza; and food-borne disease.
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, July 22, 2009
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time – adult immunization news conference (continental
breakfast)
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – lunch provided
12:30 p.m. – Duma news conference and symposium
State when the event will be held.
WHERE: The National Press Club, 14th and F Streets, NW, 13th Floor, First Amendment
Room, Washington D.C. 20045. (Press outside of Washington, D.C., are encouraged to attend
via webcast or telephone and should call Jennifer Corrigan for log-in and dial-in details.)
State where the event will be held.
CONTACT: Jennifer Corrigan, 732-382-8898, 732-742-7148 (cell phone),
[email protected]
Contact information should be handy.
Pre-registration for attendance is preferred. Journalists must present media identification or a
business card issued by a recognized news organization. Freelance journalists must present a
letter of assignment on letterhead from a recognized news organization and a business card.
This news conference is sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and
supported by unrestricted educational grants from GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co., Inc., sanofi
pasteur and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
Include any special information/instructions that you feel will be helpful.
Although NFID did not choose to do so, many groups write a boilerplate paragraph about their
organization and insert it at the end.
That’s it!