Have you ever read a training story in the Guardian and thought, “why isn’t our unit getting a story in the paper?”
Well, did you submit one? Did you ask someone else to write a story and submit it? Did anyone let the folks at the Guardian know there was an event happening?
The Guardian is an internal source of command information, not an external media source. Guardian staff do not write “exposé” pieces, are not investigative writers and do not show Soldiers or the Army in a negative light.
When your unit has an event coming up that you think would be appropriate for Guardian coverage, there are two options for coverage:
1. Call 531-4033/1392/1416 and request a reporter, or
2. Write the story yourself
The first option is easy, but not always available. Reporters often cannot go where Soldiers go, especially during rotation and most certainly if there is an out-of-area training event. Safety and security clearance issues, among other variables, may prevent reporters from shadowing Soldiers to get the “scoop.”
The next best option is write your own article about the event. This may seem like an intimidating task, but with these guidelines, just about anyone could see their name bylined in the newspaper:
• Broad interest in the topic –– Is anyone outside of your organization going to understand or even care about the topic at hand? Sergeant’s time, for example, is something almost every unit in the Army does. What makes yours so different? Is what you are doing really unique or are you just going over the same Soldier skills that everyone else covers? An infantry unit that conducts land navigation training isn’t doing anything newsworthy, but if it’s the first time it has included spouses or if they are doing it at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, the unit has a unique angle to their story.
• Complete information –– When describing the unit involved, use the entire designation: Company, battalion, brigade. There are many units on post with more being added or changing names regularly. It’s possible the Guardian is unfamiliar with your updated name or the fact that you even exist. If you are conducting training with an out-of-area unit, it is especially important to accurately list the visiting unit. Also, when listing places out of the area, you should include in what city/installation/state the event is taking place.
•Full names –– Naming Soldiers in articles is pointless without complete names. There is probably more than one Pfc. Jones, Sgt. Jackson and Capt. Smith on post. You are also doing that Soldier a disservice by omitting the first name. How can he or she use the clipping to say they were mentioned when their proper name isn’t even used?
• Writing in third person –– It may seem awkward at first, but just keep this mind: You are not part of the story, you are just telling someone what happened. This means no personal pronouns like “us, our, mine, my, we,” and no opinion-based descriptions, like “the greatest company” or “the hardest day,” unless these are used in a quote (see next bullet point on quotes)
• Quotes –– when you quote someone, you are adding validity and credibility to your article. The writer explains events and quotes are what others want to say about the subject. Quotes can contain opinions and personal pronouns, but remember this –– if you are the one writing the story, you do not quote yourself.
• Photos –– Stories with accompanying photos are more likely to catch the reader’s eye. The photo should depict what the article is about or some element in the story. Photos should be in focus, as close up as possible without losing the subject and unique. The “grip and grin”(two or more people shaking hands while holding up an award or certificate) is heartily frowned upon in journalism, as are “desk/phone” shots (someone at their desk or talking on a phone) and posed group shots (a line of people looking at the camera, possibly standing around a sign or trophy). These types of photos are better left to adorn office walls and newsletters. Newspaper photos should show an action, preferably in candid shots (the subject is not posing or looking at the camera) and have relevancy to the article.
Also, if there are three or less people in the shot, each person needs to be identified by full name and rank, unit and position in the photo (second from left, pictured from left to right are …). Also, describe what’s happening in the photo. “A group of Soldiers sit on a truck” is not a good description. The Soldiers should be named and the reason why they are on the truck should be mentioned as well as where and when the photo was taken. Photo size and resolution are also important. The standard 72-resolution, 1-by-3-inch size used for Internet uploads are too small to print in the paper. The industry standard for usable photos is 150-resolution, 5-by-7-inches in size.
• Acronyms –– The Army is acronym-happy by nature, but these have to be spelled out in their entirety for a newspaper readership. Why? Because your unit’s POC, NVG and PMS may not stand for the same thing as another unit’s. Also, many Guardian articles end up on the Army news wire, reaching audiences around the world. A Soldier serving in Korea may not know what the DPMTS at Fort Polk is, so spell out your acronyms, no matter how general or broad-range they may seem to you.
• Deadlines –– The sooner you can submit your article the better, but the Guardian deadline for all copy is 10 a.m. Wednesday. This is to allow enough time for editing and rewrites before the paper is sent to the publisher on Thursday.
The Guardian staff will help you with submissions. When in doubt, call 531-4033/1392/1416 for assistance. Most questions can be answered over the phone.
