Encampment Public Affiars NCO

[LC]

What should be a person I be expected to know as a public affairs NCO for Encampment? Also, does anyone have any templates or places where I could find templates for news releases? Thank you for any help that I get!

[Lancer]

What should be a person I be expected to know as a public affairs NCO for Encampment? Also, does anyone have any templates or places where I could find templates for news releases? Thank you for any help that I get!

LC, I'm sure your encampment will have a Senior Member who is handling Public Affairs, it would probably be a good idea to find out who this person is and talk to them. They may have everything set up already and you'd only be making more work for yourself. If for some reason this is not the case, come back and ask again.

[Pylon]

LC, I'm sure your encampment will have a Senior Member who is handling Public Affairs, it would probably be a good idea to find out who this person is and talk to them. They may have everything set up already and you'd only be making more work for yourself. If for some reason this is not the case, come back and ask again.

Perhaps there is a senior member mentor.  I don't know how it works in other wings, but in New York, the cadet staff runs the encampment, by and large.  The seniors are only there for guidance.  You know, that whole cadet-run cadet program thing we're supposed to be doing.   In addition, she may have already discovered her duties include writing press releases, etc.

My response is, instead, How can I help?  In any case, information sharing is always helpful even if it doesn't end up being to the original poster's benefit.  Even if she didn't use any of these skills, there's no harm in expanding one's horizons.  But I do agree to check with your supervisor/mentor/chain of command about what duties you will really be carrying out for this assignment.

What should be a person I be expected to know as a public affairs NCO for Encampment? Also, does anyone have any templates or places where I could find templates for news releases? Thank you for any help that I get!

Lisa, great question.  Press releases are something I get to do as a part of my day job, and there is a certain format and styling that will ensure your releases are well received.  If you write the press release like you would like the article in the newspaper to read, you're already one step ahead.  Reporters are busy people, and if they can borrow swaths of text from your release with only having to make minor edits, you're already one step in the direction of getting your release some ink.

You have to consider "Why would the public care to read this?"  Make sure it's interesting.  For example: 

Bad example
"CAP held an encampment this week.  Cadets learned in classes and wore uniforms.  We marched a lot."

Why is this a bad example?  I doesn't draw the reader in.  The reader may think:  What's CAP and what's an encampment?  Who are cadets?  Why are they doing these things?  Why should I care?  In addition, it "spoke" in the first person without using a quotation.

Better example
"Civil Air Patrol, the all volunteer United States Air Force Auxiliary, hosted a local training activity.  Youth who participate in CAP's Cadet Program were attending encampment, a week-long intensive training, at Fort Whereveryouare.  Cadets learn team-work, leadership, aerospace, and much more to be of service to their communities.  "We did a lot of marching and drill," said Cadet Johannes Bagadonuts, "it helps us learn team work and attention to detail."

Why is this better?  It explains what you're talking about, first off.  Don't assume the read knows what CAP is, what cadets are, what an encampment is, or why you do this training.  Explain it all to them and relate it to the reader.    Quotes are great, too, but don't overuse them.  You should have one or maximum of two well placed quotes in a great media release.

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In addition, you should add "boilerplate" about Civil Air Patrol to the bottom of your release.  Boilerplate is an organizations standard explanation of itself and what it does that gets added to every release.  Members of the public who read the release should also be informed basic background information about your organization as a whole, not just the parts that pertain to encampment.  This helps the reporter explain to the reader what Civil Air Patrol is and also will help lend your release legitimacy.

Don't forget to put your releases on official letterhead.  (Use CAPR 10-1 because there is a right and wrong way to set up your CAP letterhead).  Putting them on letterhead will also help your releases get noticed and help them get printed/reported on.  Now the reporter knows you're a real organization and that the release is official... not just Joe Blow off the streets trying to get something in the paper.

You also need to download and read a copy of CAPR 190-1, both Volume I and Volume II.  There are templates for press releases, examples of good writing, how to write your boilerplate and more.  Those two volumes of CAPR 190-1, which is the Guide to CAP Public Affairs, have a wealth of information that you should at least know where to find when performing your duties as Encampment Cadet PAO NCO.

Having a copy of either the Associated Press Styleguide or the New York Times Manual of Style & Usage wouldn't hurt, either.  They are very handy whenever you're writing your releases, newsletter articles, and anything else.

Now where do you send your media release?  Another good question.  Normally, newspapers as well as television and radio stations have an email address specifically to submit releases.  Sometimes a newspaper will have you direct your release to the specific editor or department it pertains to (i/e: Sports, Metro/Local news, Editorial, etc.)

How do you find out?  One place is to google each news outlet and dig on their website.  A better resource may be your local Chamber of Commerce.  Check to see if they have a media directory, and get your encampment mentor/senior member to buy a copy.  It should list all local media outlets, including the above as well as weekly and monthly newspapers and maybe even internet-based outlets.  The directory should list contact names, emails, faxes and phone numbers for each outlet.  Very handy information.  You can also check with the Base Public Affairs Office, if you are hosted on or near a military installation. 


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Other duties you may be expected to carry out could include taking photographs, writing the internal encampment newsletter, preparing an activity "yearbook," helping to make arrangements for the staff banquet, helping to arrange important dignitaries for your graduation ceremony, and having literature about CAP and your encampment program on hand for visitors and those on your host installation.

You will want to carry a camera with you everywhere.   All great photographs in the history of journalism have one thing in common -- the photographer had their camera with them.  Digital is better for this application, since you often need instant results and you will likely be using them in preparing electronic documents, such as your newsletter, yearbook or media releases.  If you don't have a digital camera, ask your mentor and/or Wing HQ to borrow one for encampment.  Leave yourself time before encampment to play around with the camera and get used to its operations, features, and various buttons - especially if it's an SLR.

Before encampment, read CAPR 52-16, Cadet Program Management, Chapter 5 - Encampments.  Re-read it until you can talk about it off the cuff.  You're going to be writing press releases about encampment, right?  You might even be there if the media comes to your encampment to report.  You've got to be able to accurately tell them about this activity.  Chapter 5 of CAPR 52-16 explains the official reasons we have encampment, what components it consists of, and what the training objectives are.  You need to be able to explain this to people, because in Public Affairs that's what you do.  You've likely got a few months before encampment, so start brushing up on that now.  By encampment time, you'll be quite knowledgable about the basics of a CAP encampment.

Feel free to ask additional questions and/or PM me for more advice.  Good luck!

[mikeylikey]

Youth who participate in CAP's Cadet Program were attending encampment, a week-long intensive training, at Fort Whereveryouare. 

I heard of that place, wish I could get a transfer there.

[LC]

Thank you all for your help, it has sure helped a great deal!

[jimmydeanno]

Pylon,

I would just like to say, "wonderful job!" on your post.  Too often people can get caught up with trying to argue with original posters questions, or they get sidetracked in the conversation and neglect to "help" the original poster (I myself am guilty sometimes...).

Great job!

[Pylon]

Thank you all for your help, it has sure helped a great deal!

No problem!  Feel free to stop back and ask more questions!  (We love questions ).  Good luck!