News releases – what are they good for?

Greg Allen’s piece for NPR looks at how the economy has helped spike enrollment at Miami Dade College as unemployed workers seek less expensive ways to get retrained.

The segment follows a news release by Miami Dade on May 26 that because of decreased state funding, “close to 30,000 students will not be able to take the classes they need and more than 5,000 will not be able to register for any classes this fall.” However, Allen’s story uses that information as well as sources from other organizations and colleges to provide a big-picture look at the problems community colleges face.

Today’s Tip: Increase the value of news releases by thinking more broadly about what the story is. If one company or school is experiencing something, is anyone else? Remember: It may take two to tango, but you need at least three for a trend.