Press relations

• research results, new research areas and third-party funding
• new courses
• new publications
• cooperations
• conferences and congresses
• awards, memberships, honorary posts
• transfer payments
• public events (lectures, guest lectures, sports festival, cultural events, etc.)

• What's happened? / What's new?
• Where does it take place? / Where is there news?
• When does it take place? / When should the project be realized?
• Who is the organizer? / Who is the contact person for the project, who are the organizers?
• For new (research) projects: How did this project come about, what are the backgrounds?
• Are there cooperation partners / supporters / sponsors etc.?
• For events: Is the event open to the public / if so, what is the entrance fee? / Against what background does the event take place?

You can send us this information as keywords or as a text template. In the latter case, please note the following information:

• Important things should be at the beginning. The first part of the press release should therefore contain the so-called "W questions": Who did what, when, where, how and why? This is followed by clarifications, contextual classification and examples. The text should be structured so that it can be shortened from the back without losing essential information.
• Think about whether there are suitable photos or graphics that complement the text in a meaningful way and for which you or the university have the rights!

Tips on wording:

• Write briefly and concisely! Short sentences increase readability.
• Let people involved have their say in the text: Quotations loosen up!
• Avoid technical terms, abbreviations and foreign words! Describe the facts in a way that even an outsider can understand them! Plastic comparisons from everyday life are often helpful.
• Well explained, striking details are more useful to the layman than long descriptions.

With the available information, we decide in which media and in which form it can be meaningfully published. Depending on the target group, we work with these text formats:

• news item (will be published on the university website)
• internal report (only published in the university's internal service portal)
• press release (appears on the university website, is sent to the press)
• interview/insight (can be published depending on the topic in the research blog "WortMelder", on the campaign site "Ich mag meine Uni" and sent to the press as a topic offer)
• calendar entry: Public dates are entered into the calendar of events on our website. The calendar is regularly used by journalists, but also by members of the University of Erfurt.
• social media entry (is made by a date note, by a link to the source medium of our websites or to the online edition of the respective press article)

Please note that we cannot guarantee that the text / your topic offered by us will actually be published in the media. This decision is made by the editors.

For their current reporting, journalists are always looking for scientists to assess and classify certain facts. In these cases, we would be happy to refer you to the press as an expert. If you would like to be included in our pool of experts, please let us know your area of expertise and a contact where you can be reached by the press.

We look forward to working with you and will be happy to answer any further questions. If you prefer to visit us in person: You will find us in the administration building ("Verwaltungsgebäude"), right entrance, 1st floor.

The door is open...

Journalists get their first information through their own research, personal contacts, from "hear-sake", but also through the classic press work of communication departments. It is important to consider how many press releases in the age of e-mails reach the editorial offices every day and have to be evaluated. Journalists have to be able to select heavily and reschedule quickly in the event of sudden events. It is therefore not always easy to draw attention to your topic, especially in the national media.

For yourself, the university and your scientific community, your events or research projects are of course always interesting. But that does not mean that they are also important for the general public and therefore for a journalist. When evaluating information, journalists are always guided by its news value. This is made up of various criteria:

• Topicality: How current is the topic or is there a current hook with which the topic can be associated?
• Involvement: How many readers/spectators/listeners are affected by the information? Does it affect their region or their living environment, their everyday life?
• Uniqueness/Exoticism/Surprising/Drama: Does the information come as a surprise or unexpected? Is it particularly curious, extraordinary, unique or dramatic?  
• Celebrity: Do celebrities or politicians play a role in the information?

The more of these criteria apply to your topic, the higher the news value and thus the probability that it is interesting for the public. But even if a journalist or editor is personally interested, this is no guarantee for publication. Often a decision on this is only made in the editorial conference. This is where the variety of topics plays a role and whether you can explain/deepen further aspects or add an additional perspective on request.

It happens that the information from a press release is completely sufficient for the press to place a topic. But sometimes journalists need to dig deeper, want to have an additional background talk on the topic or want to record an interview/sound bite. Journalists often work under time pressure. It is therefore important that – if you know that a press release has been sent out on one of your topics or you have been interviewed as an expert – you are available for possible further questions and respond to them as quickly as possible.

Journalists, just like their readers/listeners/viewers, are usually not experts in each of the fields they report on. In an interview you should therefore explain your topic in a way that is generally understandable and to the point: If possible, do not use foreign words and if it is necessary, explain them! Express yourself in short sentences, provide clear examples and comparisons! Answer questions as detailed as necessary, but as compactly as possible! If you are not sure about a formulation, it is best to rephrase it immediately. When filming and making sound recordings, you should choose a visually and acoustically suitable location where you can be undisturbed for the time of the recording.

Only in the case of word-for-word interviews is authorisation prior to publication common. Otherwise journalists are not obliged to send you your text or contribution for approval. Should you nevertheless agree to an approval before publication, refrain from criticizing the style and concentrate on correctness of content.

After publication, the University of Erfurt's Office of University Communications will include the article in the press review and reserves the right to distribute it on the university's social media channels if it is available online. If you know in advance when and where your topic will be placed, please send a note to pressestelle@uni-erfurt.de.