|
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE |
FOR
MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Angelica
Dudenhoefer
222-333-4444
angelica.dudenhoefer@email.com
|
|
January 21,
2012 |
Joe
Paterno died Sunday at age 85
STATE
COLLEGE, Pa.- Former Penn. State coach Joe Paterno died Jan. 22, of
lung cancer at the age of 85. He
died surrounded by his family who announced his death and issued this
statement Sunday morning:
"He
died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive,
thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how
blessed his life had been. His ambitions were far reaching, but he
never believed he had to leave this
Happy Valley to
achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his
players and his community."
False
reports of Paterno's death were issued prematurely Saturday morning.
Paterno's family issued a statement indicating that Paterno was still
alive. Paterno was in poor condition at this time and unfortunately
did not make it. He died Sunday at 9:25 a.m. According to Mount
Nittany Medical Center, Paterno died of "metastatic small cell
carcinoma of the lung" indicating that the lung cancer had
spread to an unrelated part of his body. Paterno had been
hospitalized since Jan. 13. His family indicated that he was admitted
due to complications associated with his cancer treatments.
Paterno
was known for being a winning coach but was fired due to involvement
in a
child sex abuse scandal. This did not stop hundreds of people from
establishing a vigil for him at his statue at Penn. State.
###
Facebook
Post:
Legendary
Penn. State coach Joe Paterno died Jan. 22, of lung cancer at the age
of 85. He died surrounded by his family. Paterno was known for being
a winning coach but was fired due to involvement in a child sex abuse
scandal. This did not stop hundreds of people from establishing a
vigil for him at his statue at Penn. State.
Resources:
Carey,
J. (2012, January 23). Penn State coaching legend Joe Paterno dies at
85. Retrieved May 17, 2014, from
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/story/2012-01-21/former- penn-state-coach-joe-paterno-dead/52737230/1
ESPN.com
News Services. (2012, January 23). Joe Paterno, 85, dies in
State College. Retrieved May 17, 2014, from
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7489238/joe-paterno-ex-penn- state-nittany-lions-coach-dies-85- 2-month-cancer-fightv
Society of Professional Journalists Improving and protecting journalism since 1909. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp
Thamel, P., & Viera, M. (2012, January 18). Penn State’s trustees recount painful decision to fire Paterno. Retrieved May 1, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/19/sports/ncaafootball/penn-state-trustees-recall- decision-to-fire-paterno.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Good release, however I don't think there is quite enough information in the lead and some information could be omitted. Your dateline says Jan. 21, but the lead says Jan. 22. Also there is no mention of where he passed, except State College, Pa., outside the lead. The medical center is not mentioned until further down. Perhaps use the statement from the family as part of the bridge and build the lead with only the most important information. For a person of this significance and influence, I think a longer release is appropriate - not 1,000 words long - but 400-450 words to give him due justice. I like that you did not mention the scandal until the end. For the Facebook post, consider using details that are not in your story to avoid repeating information and perhaps keep it to one sentence so it would be slightly more eye-catching. Also providing a link directing your readers to your original story on the news organization's main website is helpful as well.
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