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The Acadiana Catholic
is the official newspaper of the Lafayette Diocese. The purpose
of this monthly publication is to report news stories and promote
religious events within the eight civil parishes that make up
the diocese. In helping the limited staff to meet this goal,
submissions from volunteer correspondents are always welcome.
However, if you would like to submit news stories or photographs
to the newspaper, there are a few helpful items the staff would
like you to remember. What
types of stories or photos should I submit? Over 100 individual church parishes fall under the
jurisdiction of the Lafayette Diocese, along with 35 Catholic
schools and a number of diocesan departments that help to support
them all. With this in mind, the staff of the Acadiana Catholic
requests that anyone submitting news items to the paper please
consider its newsworthiness. Examples of newsworthy items include:
Please note that routine and everyday activities of a church parish, school or other organization do not quality as newsworthy. Due to space constraints and a commitment to covering all aspects of the diocese equally, the Acadiana Catholic cannot publish such items. |
What
information do I include with my submission? When writing a news release, remember to be brief
yet thorough. Include the time, date and place of your story.
Identify any church parishes, schools, and organizations involved.
You may also include the appropriate contact information for
readers to follow up if they choose. Avoid excessive descriptions;
the editor and staff of the Acadiana Catholic do reserve
the right to edit and revise all submitted copy if it is too
long. Please refer to the other side of this flyer for examples
of acceptable and unacceptable press releases.What
format should I use to submit my story or photo? News stories should be
sent to the Acadiana Catholic on standard 8 1/2”
x 11” white paper; use 1” margins and double spacing.
On the upper right hand corner of the first page, include the
name, phone number, and/or email address of the contact person
for the story. This is a must in case the editor has any additional
questions about the story. Photographs should be sent in with an attachment that clearly and properly identifies each individual pictured. Be sure to provide the correct spellings and titles for everyone. You may also include a brief description of what is happening in the photo. The same contact information required for a news story is also required for photographs. Please note that submitted photos will not be returned unless it is requested. If you would like your photo returned, include a self-addressed stamped envelope when you send it. Otherwise, all photographs will be kept on file in the Acadiana Catholic offices. |
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Where
should I send my news stories and photos? News stories may be submitted to the Acadiana Catholic
a number of ways. They can be hand delivered to the office, located
in the Immaculata Center at 1408 Carmel Avenue, Lafayette,
LA, 70501; they may also be mailed in to the same address,
with the attention line ATTN: Acadiana Catholic.
News stories may also be faxed to (337) 261-5560. Lastly, they
can be sent by email to tom@dol-louisiana.org or to stephm@dol-louisiana.org.
Remember to appropriately identify your submission in the subject
line of the email.Photographs cannot be faxed, but all other methods of delivery apply. However, if they are sent by email, they must be sent as either a TIFF (*.tif) or JPEG (*.jpg) file When
should I send in my news stories and photos? The deadline for all submissions to the Acadiana Catholic
is the 15th day of the month preceding the desired month of publication.
The date may seem early, but please remember that the staff will
be working on other stories and other submissions will be coming
in. Sending your news story and/or photograph in as soon as possible
helps to ensure that space will be available to print it. Keep
in mind that you can never submit an item too early; it can always
be held on file until it is time to run it.If you have any further questions, please contact any member of the office staff: Tom
Sommers, Editor (337)261-5513 Office hours are 8:30 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. to 12:00
noon Friday.Email: tom@dol-louisiana.org Kathleen Toups, Staff Writer (337) 261-5511 Stephanie Martin, Staff Writer (337) 261-5512 Email: stephm@dol-louisiana.org |
Sample
Press Releases The
following is an example of a poor and unacceptable press release: The
dynamic, well-known group which forms the parish council has
announced that its second meeting will be held on Thursday, March
20. Our beloved pastor, Father John O’Brien, will open the
meeting with a prayer and then he will talk about the plans he
has outlined for us. Father’s talks are always interesting
and we are happy he will be there. Some women of the council
are planning to serve coffee and homemade donuts at the meeting
which will also discuss painting the gym, the church debt, and
the teen dance scheduled for Memorial Day weekend. Everyone is
invited, even if you are not a council member. This example is too long, and it does not provide all of the necessary information. No church parish is identified, and no meeting place or time is given. Also, no contact name is given for the story, which means the editor has no way of calling to obtain the missing information. A better approach to submitting this press release would be as follows: Jane
Doe
(555) 555-5555 JaneDoe@email.com The second meeting of the St. Agatha Parish Council is scheduled for Thursday, March 20 at 7:00 p.m in the school auditorium. Topics for discussion will include school repairs, finances, and a teen dance. Father John O’Brien, pastor, will speak at the meeting. Refreshments will be served; all parishioners are invited to attend. Contact information is given in case the editor has any questions, and the text is short and precise. The double spacing leaves room for editor's comments and marks in case any changes need to be made. |