This is Ron Stuart's presentation to the November educational conference of the Florida Court Public Information Officers, Inc., in Clearwater, Florida.

1. How Can a News Release Be Used? Inform the media Your court’s website In-house newsletter Further working relationships Self-education . . .get to know your subject better Polish egos

7. W W W W W H

8. W W W W W H Who What When Where Why How

9. I keep six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who. – Rudyard Kipling

11. Who?

12. What?

13. When?

14. Where?

15. Why?

16. How?

17. Most Important Thing You Have to Say!

18. First paragraph gets the reader’s attention. Then use the rest of your release to develop your message . . . To tell your story.

19. Don’t . . . . . . begin with the announcer . . . make subjective statements without attribution . . . use adjectives and adverbs (unless they are in a quote) . . . lapse into jargon and inside language . . . fill your sentences with improperly referenced acronyms

20. Public Information Officer’s (PIO) Biggest Peeve: Acronyms!!!!! Don’t use them without first using the full title or phrase. The first time you write a title or phrase that you will use often, spell it out and follow it with the parenthesized acronym that will be used in the remainder of that section of your report, such as violation of parole (VOP), domestic violence (DV), Information Technology (IT) Office. 2006 Objective: No WTHDTM calls by the PIO. * * No what-the-heck-does-this-mean? calls from the Public Information Officer.

21. Do . . . . . . provide as much contact information as possible: name, phone, cell phone, e-mail, etc. . . . remember who your audience is . . . ask yourself: Will that audience understand everything I have written? . . . deal with facts . . . make sure someone other than you has read the release before it is released . . . distribute your release by e-mail (with photos, word- processing & pdf files attached) . . . make it as easy as possible for the media people to do their jobs

22. Stu’s Suggestions: No. 1

23. Stu’s Suggestions: No. 2 ATTENTION EDITORS & ASSIGNMENT MANAGERS: Judge Sullivan can be made available for interviews about the Blueprint Commission and issues and trends within the juvenile justice system. ATTENTION EDITORS & ASSIGNMENT MANAGERS : Here are some additional story ideas that relate to this subject: An interview with Judge Farnell about the growing problem of the misuse of prescription drugs and how she has witnessed the change during her tenure as the presiding judge of Pinellas Drug Court. The Statewide Awareness Day seminar on Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at the St. Petersburg College Epi-Center, 13805 58 th Street North, Largo. The contact for information on that program is Allyson Adolphson of the State Office of Drug Control (850-488-9557). The millions of dollars that have been saved for Pinellas County taxpayers because Drug Court defendants do not spend time in jail, where they would go if the treatment programs didn’t exist. It costs an estimated $93 a day to house an inmate in jail, and non-Drug Court defendants typically face six months in jail if found guilty. In addition to the daily cost, it has in impact on potential overcrowding at the jail. Where are they now? Go back and look at some of the earlier graduates of other Drug Court programs – the first participants graduated in 2002 – and see how the experience changed their lives.

24. Stu’s Suggestions: No. 3 When appropriate, follow up with phone calls.

25. Final Thought Be Accurate! Incorrect Ron Stewart Howard Franklin Bridge Judicial Nominating Committee Or Judicial Nomination Correct Ron Stuart Howard Frankland Bridge Judicial Nominating Commission Judicial Nominating