Submitting your news and story ideas

University Communications produces several high-visibility print and online products used to communicate with the campus community, the news media and other audiences.

We welcome submissions from campus units for distribution to the general and specialized audiences via our products, especially Wisconsin Week, the university's newspaper of record, and our news Web site, News@UW-Madison.

To help streamline collecting and distributing your news electronically, please read the following information:

Where to submit items

Please send your news items to releases@news.wisc.edu. If you regularly work with a member of our staff, please copy that individual. Sending your item to releases@news.wisc.edu places it in the electronic "in box" of print and online editors who will review and confer about your submission.

If you have an item specifically for publication in Wisconsin Week, send it to wisweek@news.wisc.edu. It will be reviewed by the Wisconsin Week staff.

How to send and format your items

Because we may distribute your news in different formats — including a faxed news release, an e-mail alert, a published article and a Web site posting — we prefer to receive "plain text" submissions.

If possible, please copy and paste your release into a blank, plain-text e-mail message before sending.

How the process works

When you send a news item or story to us, an editor typically replies the same day to acknowledge receipt of the item.

If you have asked for some special handling or timing of the item, we will confirm your request or suggest alternatives.

If we cannot or do not plan to handle your item for some reason, we will let you know why.

Q&A: Submitting stories/releases

What is the best format for my submission?
Keep it short. Most items are less than 300 words and many are just a few sentences.

In preparing a submission, write clearly, addressing who, what, where, why and when in the first two paragraphs. Identify yourself, your department or unit, and include the name, daytime phone number and e-mail (if available) of someone we can contact if we have questions about the item. Date the item and indicate whether the material is for immediate use or for release at a later date.

Submissions rarely are used exactly as written. Items may be edited to conform with journalistic style, used as sources of information for a story for Wisconsin Week written by one of our staff or shortened by an editor for an e-mail newsletter or our campus news Web site.

Lastly, if you want to write a longer feature article for publication in Wisconsin Week or one of our other products, it's best to discuss the idea with an editor first.

Should I call to follow up my submission?
We acknowledge receipt of all items intended for news release, but given the high volume, we are not able to acknowledge receipt of all items submitted for the events calendar, Wisconsin Week listings or other routine notices.

Please do call or e-mail to correct an error in submitted information.

What are the most common mistakes in submitted items?
Three types of mistakes typically delay or prevent publication or distribution:

  • Providing insufficient or inaccurate information, especially for addresses, spellings and job titles.
  • Omitting the name and phone number of a contact who can answer questions.
  • Submitting an item too late for publication deadlines.

What are the deadlines?
NEWS RELEASES: We prefer to receive news releases a week before the intended distribution date. Items can be turned around the same day if urgent.

WISCONSIN WEEK: Listings, routine news and paid advertising must be submitted 10 days before the publication date. Late-breaking items may be submitted after that time, but are not guaranteed publication. Call the editor in advance if you think you'll have an important late item.

NEWS@UW-MADISON: The campus news Web site can post items at any time. Usually these are coordinated with news release distribution and Wisconsin Week publication dates.

WISCONSIN WEEK WIRE / STUDENT NEWSLINK: These e-mail newsletters are distributed each Wednesday. Items are due the Friday prior to publication.

Do Wisconsin Week and its electronic counterparts use submitted photographs?
Wisconsin Week will consider submitted photographs. We are most likely to use close-up "headshots" of featured speakers or performers, photos from performances, reproductions of artwork and other quality photos or illustrations related to a campus event or activity.

We are unlikely to use photos of people shaking hands, exchanging tokens of appreciation, breaking ground or speaking from a podium.

We accept digitized images but require high-resolution images of considerable size for print publication. Please contact senior photographer Jeff Miller (262-0067, jbmille1@wisc.edu) or photographer Bryce Richter (262-7411, brichter2@wisc.edu) for guidelines on submission of digitized images.

Please include a caption and credit for each submitted photo, and provide clear instructions if you want the photo returned. Returns may take several days to several weeks, depending on production demands.

Will you send a reporter and photographer to cover my event?
Wisconsin Week emphasizes coverage of upcoming events and activities, and we are more likely to work with you to promote major events and speakers. Few events outside of policymaking bodies receive followup coverage.

We always welcome story ideas, however, and if your event promises interesting visuals, we might highlight it with a feature photo for Wisconsin Week or the Web.

So what makes a good story?
To help us promote your project or activity, look for these news elements as a way to strengthen your story idea:

  1. Uniqueness: Are you doing something that hasn't been done before? What is the fresh twist?
  2. Utility: Will your information be particularly useful in some way to a general or specialized audience?
  3. Human interest: Are there any appealing individuals with whom the audience can identify?

Do you have any tips for writing an attention-getting news release?

  1. Avoid overstatement and cliche. Don't claim to be the first, the only, or the unique unless you can prove it.
  2. Avoid contrived quotes that merely get someone's name in the copy.
  3. Proofread prior to submission. Spelling or grammar mistakes undermine credibility.

University Communications can help you judge the newsworthiness of your item and help you refine a release to maximize media attention.

University Communications operates a Web site where media can download high-resolution color and black-and-white headshots of university speakers, leaders, award winners, etc. that you submit to us. Contact senior photographer Jeff Miller (262-0067, jbmille1@wisc.edu) or photographer Bryce Richter (262-7411, brichter2@wisc.edu) for details.

Who can answer other questions?
Ben Sayre, bgsayre@wisc.edu, edits and posts listings submitted through the Web for our campuswide calendar, Today@UW-Madison. Contact him if you have questions on how to submit an event or if you are wondering about the status of an item you submitted.

Ellen Page, 265-9870, yazbec@wisc.edu, is editor of Wisconsin Week and the Wisconsin Week Wire. Contact her with ideas specifically related to faculty and staff.

Nick Weaver, 263-9141, jnweaver@wisc.edu, oversees the electronic news operation. Contact him with questions about our news Web sites and e-mail distribution systems.

Jeff Miller, 262-0067, jbmille1@wisc.edu, is the University Communications senior photographer. Contact him with questions or suggestions about photography for our products.

Brian Mattmiller, 262-0930, bsmattmi@wisc.edu, directs news and media relations. Contact him with questions about news releases and story tips for news media.