publishing MIT news
The News Office can help you -- an MIT student, staff or faculty member
-- create and publish a story you'd like to share with the MIT community
(and perhaps beyond), such as:
- A recent research result or publication in a scientific journal
- A new program or academic initiative
- A prestigious award or authorship of a new book
- A friend or co-worker at MIT with an unusual hobby
- An upcoming or recent event
- A photo that you'd like to have taken or published
But where to begin? The items below will help explain how the News
Office can assist you in creating and publishing your story.
How does the News Office decide which stories will get published?
Each week we receive many different story ideas and submissions. We write, publish
and promote stories that are of greatest interest to our readership, which ranges
from MIT employees to the international media. We exercise editorial judgment
about what is most newsworthy, and we reserve the right to edit all copy and
to decide when and where each submission will be published. We'll also recommend
other publications in the event we cannot accept your story.
Where will my news appear, and who will see it?
The MIT News Office has several outlets for publicizing all types of
stories and announcements. We can help you decide which outlets are right
for your news. Our primary publications are:
- The News
Office web site , which is updated almost every day with news
of interest to the general public and news media as well as the MIT
community.
- We syndicate our news through an RSS
feed so other web
sites on and off campus can display News Office headlines and abstracts.
- Don't forget, if you wish to publicize an MIT event, post it
on the MIT
events calendar. This is the source of Tech Talk's calendar
listings, and often story ideas as well.
- News releases to media outlets (wire services, newspapers, TV stations,
radio, web sites, etc.) that we think would be interested in the story.
When editors decide to run MIT stories based on news releases, they
almost always do more research and interviews; releases are almost
never published verbatim by the media.
- For specialized advice in crafting a high-level media campaign
or working directly with the news media, contact Patti Richards,
senior communications officer in the News Office, at prichards@mit.edu or
617-253-8923.
- MIT Tech
Talk , the official community newspaper for MIT, published and
distributed free on campus on most Wednesdays during the academic
term. All MIT Tech Talk stories are included on the News Office web
site as well. The paper is also mailed to all MIT retirees, Corporation
members, legislators and paying subscribers.
- If you're primarily interested in reaching students, you should
also submit your article to The
Tech , MIT's independent student newspaper. If you want to
reach mainly alumni, send it to Technology
Review and the Alumni
Association.
Will the News Office assign a writer for my story?
Contact
us and describe your story or idea and we'll let you know if we're
able to cover it. We'll often ask for an e-mail synopsis with contact
information and web sites for more information.
What if I wish to provide the article myself?
You are welcome to write the article yourself, although we cannot guarantee
we will publish it. We offer pointers on how
to write a news story for
maximum effect.
What’s the deadline?
For news stories: E-mail your news to a News Office editor any time
(newsoffice@mit.edu). To be considered for the next issue of Tech Talk,
we must receive finished articles by 5 p.m. on the Wednesday before publication.
For calendar listings in Tech Talk: Events must be posted on the Institute
events calendar by noon on Wednesday the week before publication.
Whom do I contact in the News Office?
Story ideas and submissions: newsoffice@mit.edu,
617-253-2700
External publicity and media relations: Patti Richards, prichards@mit.edu,
617-253-8923
When will my article appear?
You may request a specific publication
date for MIT Tech Talk or the
News Office web site and we'll do our best to accommodate
you.
How do I get an event listed on the back page of MIT Tech Talk?
Tech Talk editors select items for the back page calendar section from
the Institute's online events calendar. If you want your event to be
considered for the Tech Talk calendar, it must be posted on this site
by noon on Wednesday the week before publication. Contact
us if you think
the event merits a short news article in addition to a possible calendar
listing. Or if you think the event deserves an article after the fact,
let us know that too.
May I have a picture published with my story?
For stories with good photographic potential, there are two options:
- Ask to have a News Office photographer take pictures
- Our photographer's schedule is usually tight, so requests are
subject to time availability and newsworthiness. It’s unlikely
that a photographer will be available outside of normal business
hours, except for major community-wide events
- Provide a photograph yourself
- We can use electronic photos or prints as long as they meet
the following technical requirements. Photos should be:
- In focus and clearly lit
- Properly composed, without too many people, with a subject
that is clear and interesting. We encourage shots of people
actively engaged in doing something
- Adequate resolution. If it’s a digital photograph
for print use, the image should be at least 200 ppi at actual
size, meaning six inches wide for a standard horizontal shot
Do you accept advertising?
- MIT Tech Talk publishes small display ads on a space-available
basis. Display ads must be submitted by an MIT office, which is then
billed through MIT’s internal accounting system. The cost depends
on the ad’s size. Advertising information
- MIT Tech Talk also accepts short classified ads from members
of the MIT community at no charge. Classifieds information
- The News Office web site doesn’t accept ads of any
kind.
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