NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release: Friday 18th July, 2008
Community Newswire announces staff boost
Community Newswire has been boosted by the appointment of a new Editor and Community Reporter it was announced today.
Lorraine Connolly joins Community Newswire as the new Community Newswire News Editor. Lorraine has worked as a freelance journalist on national newspapers and a range of leading lifestyle magazines. As well as her journalistic background, Lorraine has hands on experience of working in the charitable sector. Lorraine is joined by Emma Foster as the new Community Newswire Reporter Emma has been with PA for almost a year on the journalist training programme and has previously worked as a press and PR officer for the South West Yorkshire Mental Health Trust. In this new role, Emma will be reporting on a range of third sector and community focused stories.
Joanna Inskip, Community Newswire Manager said: 'I'm delighted to welcome Lorraine and Emma to the team - they bring with them a wealth of experience, both as journalists, but also through their own personal engagement with the charitable sector’.
Community Newswire is a unique free news service to help charities and voluntary organisations gain valuable media coverage. Press releases are written up into a news story by a Press Association journalist - improving the chances of a newspaper or news station picking it up. These stories are then sent out via the Press Association newswire to thousands of journalists each day. Community Newswire is a run by Media Trust in partnership with The Press Association and is funded by the Office of the Third Sector.
Community Newswire user Sally Clark from Leukaemia Research said: "Community Newswire’s help with the launch of Sir Ian Botham’s charity chocolates was invaluable in making it a success. Their journalists’ contacts with regional and local press across the country meant that it reached a huge readership. The authority and recognition that the Press Association name lent to the story ensured extensive coverage. Using community newswire made that story for us. The story reached a combined audience of over 2 million and had an AVE of over £23,000."
Ends
Notes to Editors
For further information please contact Penny Crook at Media Trust on 0207 217 3743 or pennyc@mediatrust.org or Sam Jobber on T: 020 7217 3746 or samj@mediatrust.org
About Community Newswire:
Community Newswire is a free news service designed to help charities and voluntary organisations gain valuable media coverage. Press releases can be sent to communitynews@pa.press.net or uploaded at www.communitynewswire.org. The release is then written up into a news story by a Press Association journalist; improving the chances of a newspaper or broadcaster following up on the story. These stories are then sent out via the Press Association newswire to thousands of journalists each day. Community Newswire also offers third sector organisations help and advise with press release writing.
Community Newswire is a joint initiative between The Press Association and Media Trust, and is funded by the Cabinet Office.
Media Trust
Media Trust works in partnership with the media industry to build effective communications for the charity and voluntary sectors. It does this through media training seminars and workshops, film and TV production (Media Trust Productions), broadcasting (Community Channel), news distribution (Community Newswire), Media Matching and campaigns. Media Trust corporate members are BBC, BSkyB, Channel 4, Daily Mail and General Trust, Discovery Networks Europe, Disney Channel UK, Emap plc, Guardian Media Group, IPC Media, ITV, MTV Networks UK & Ireland, News International, Newsquest Media Group, OMD, Turner Broadcasting, Warner Bros, WPP Group. Visit : www.mediatrust.org