01 Nrpd Process

Department of Labor and EmploymentLabor Communications Office

Manual on the Preparation of A News Release

Introduction

This is a Manual on the Preparation of A News Release, a step-by-step process on how a DOLE news release, or DOLE news story, is conceived, researched, drafted, edited, finalized, and approved before its dissemination to the news media.

This Manual on the Preparation of A News Release is issued by the Labor Communications Office with one primary purpose: to guide LCO writers and writers of the DOLE attached agencies, bureaus, regional offices, and services along the uneven pathways where a DOLE news story begins its tentative steps to tiptoe, sometimes reel, stand-up awkwardly, traipse, sometimes spin and backtrack, to become a clean copy of a story moving forward and straight to its final destination--the pages of a newspaper.

Borne out by the experience of repetition that has become a habit, the process of writing a DOLE news is tedious--notice the rhyme?--so much so that many DOLE officials and employees express avid wonder how LCO news writers keep their sanity--and sustain their sense of duty, everyday, by writing the news.

Now it can be told: writing the DOLE news story is fun, not sorrowful.

This realization sets in the moment the newspapers carry the DOLE news story, which means the story is worth telling. The fun turns to immense joy when radio and television--which in our country saturate their airwaves with news mostly copied from the newspapers--air the DOLE news release. 'Never mind the writer, just air the DOLE news', is an unspoken plead of a DOLE news writer.

In this Manual on the Preparation of A News Release, the LCO, for the first time, set on paper that process of having fun--of writing the DOLE news story that Filipinos would love to read, watch, and listen to.

This manual is for you--the DOLE news writer.

Basis of DOLE News Releases

It is the Secretary of Labor and Employment who principally directs the LCO, through the Director, to write a news release on a particular topic. The instruction may be verbal, or may come in the form of a marginal note on an official document.

On its own, the LCO drafts news stories based on the following:

(1) Inter-DOLE documents, such as:

(a) Administrative Orders

(b) Department Orders(c) Implementing Rules and Regulations(d) Wage Orders(e) Decisions(f) Advisories(g) Memoranda from the Secretary and other Senior Officials to Attached

Agencies, Bureaus, Regional Offices, Services (h) Memoranda and Reports, including Annual Reports, from Attached Agencies,

Bureaus, Regional Offices, and Services(i) Resolutions of Governing Boards(j) Survey, researches, fact and info sheets, Q&A, briefers, and studies from

Attached Agencies, Bureaus, Regional Offices, and Services(k) Speeches, messages, and statements of the Secretary and other Senior

Officials(l) Publications from Attached Agencies, Bureaus, Regional Offices, and

Services

(2) External documents

(a) Speeches, messages, and statements of the President and other top government officials on themes/topics related to the DOLE

(b) Labor and employment-related bills and resolutions enacted into law and corresponding implementing rules and regulations

(c) Labor and employment-related Conventions and Treaties(d) Labor and employment-related manifestos and declarations (e) Presidential issuances on and directives to the DOLE(f) Memoranda of Agreements between the DOLE and other government and

private agencies(g) Reports, researches, surveys, studies, fact sheets, info sheets, Q&A, briefers,

and updates on DOLE-related matters(h) Collective Bargaining Agreements and Dispute Settlement Agreements

(3) Result of LCO coverage, based on official invitations or on LCO's initiative, of:

(a) Press conferences, media briefings, and media interviews of the Secretary and of Attached Agencies, Bureaus, Regional Offices, and Services

(b) Events and activities of the DOLE and of Attached Agencies, Bureaus, Regional Offices, and Services, such as:

b.1. Meetings, seminars, briefings, conferences, caravans, public hearings, dialogues, lectures, consultations, training, workshops, symposia, congresses, summits, roundtable discussions, field or plant visits

b.2. Job Fairs, holiday commemoration, anniversaries, product or service launchings, inaugurations, contests and searches, awarding ceremonies, signing of memorandums of agreements, turnover and handover of documents, projects, technical and financial assistance, etc.

(c) Events where DOLE is invited, a participant, or co-host, or co-organizer

Steps in Writing the DOLE News Story

Step 1

A. If a news or feature story is to be based on inter-DOLE or external document, Director selects and identifies the document for write up; discusses the same with concerned Division Chief; and instructs Division Chief to draft a news or feature story.

Process Cycle Time: Five (5) minutes

B. If a news or feature story is to be based on the result of coverage, Director instructs Division Chief to assign a writer and photographer to cover. Most often, this instruction is based on a document received by the LCO. The output of a coverage is one or two media releases and a photo release with complete caption.


Step 2

A. (1) If media release is to be based on inter-DOLE or external document, Division Chief assigns the material to a writer in the division to draft the news or feature story; discusses with the writer if further research is needed; indicates writer’s name on the document and the date of the assignment.


B. (1) If a news or feature story is to be based on the result of coverage, Division Chief assigns a writer and photographer in the division to cover; signs Official Business slips of writer and photographer if coverage is within the National Capital Region.


(2) If coverage is outside the NCR, Division Chief recommends to Director the issuance of an authority to travel for writer and photographer assigned.


(3) Writer and photographer coordinates with the Office of destination and prepares the following travel requirements:

a. Authority to travelb. Voucher/obligation requestc. Itinerary of travel d. Request/conformation of plane tickets, if travel is by plane

Process Cycle Time: One (1) hour

In both instances, "A" and "B" instances, Division Chief maintains a logbook where assignments shall be recorded.

Step 3

A. If media release is to be based on inter-DOLE or external document, writer studies material and writes the news or feature story if he/she determines no further research is necessary.

Process cycle time: Two (2) hours

B. If media release is to be based on inter-DOLE or external document, and writer, after studying material, determines research is needed, writer conducts research and thereafter writes the news or feature story.

(1) If research involves point person interview, writer arranges schedule for interview; prepares Official Business slip and requests for Division Chief signature on it before proceeding to the interview. Writes news or feature story after return to office.

Process cycle time: Four (4) hours after return to office

(2) If research involves an interview through phone, writer conducts interview and writes the news or feature story after the phone interview.

Process cycle time: Three (3) hours after phone interview

(3) If research involves an interview through e-mail, writer e-mails the questions and wait for response; writes story after response is received.

Process cycle time: Four (4) hours after response to e-mail is received

(4) If research involves archival research or library research and the archive or library is outside the DOLE but within the National Capital Region, writer prepares Official Business slip and requests Division Chief signature on it before conducting the research. Writes the news or feature story after return to the office. If return to the office is at the close of office hours, writer writes the story the following day.

Process cycle time: Four (4) hours after return to office

C. If a news or feature story is to be based on the result of coverage, and the coverage is within Metro Manila, writer and photographer proceeds to the coverage. Writer writes the news or feature story after his/her return to the office. Photographer develops and captions the photo/s after his/her return to the office. If return to the office is at the close of office hours, writer writes the story and photographer develops and captions the photo/s the following day.

Process Cycle Time: Two (3) hours after return to office

D. If coverage is outside Metro Manila, writer writes the news or feature story at destination and sends it through e-mail to Division Chief for editing; photographer develops and captions photo/s and sends it through e-mail to Division Chief for editing.

Process Cycle Time: Four (4) hours after coverage

Step 4

Writer submits draft news or feature story to Division Chief for proofreading and editing, in hard and soft copies, with background materials, notes, transcripts attached. The draft should conform to the following specifications:

(a) Printed on an A4 size paper(b) Font or typeface, Arial; size 12(c) Margin, normal; double-spaced

The heading of the news or feature story should be as follows:

News Release, orDOLE Features (As the case may be)Department of Labor and Employment(Name of Attached Agency, Bureau, Regional Office, Service, as the case may be)(Date)

The initials of the author/s should be written at the end of the draft news or feature story. A story submitted by the Labor Communications Officer of an Attached Agency, Bureau, Regional Office, or Service must be attributed to the Labor Communications Officer even if the story undergoes editing by the Labor Communications Office.

Process Cycle Time: 10 minutes

Step 5

A. Division Chief edits the draft news or feature story. If the news or feature story has no editing or correction, Division Chief submits the same to the Director for approval, in soft copy, and in hard copy with the attachments.

Process Cycle Time: One (1) hour upon receipt

B. If the news or feature story needs further revision or correction, Division Chief returns the story to the writer.


Step 6

Writer corrects or revises news or feature story according to instruction; re-submits the same to Division Chief.

Process cycle time: Thirty (30) minutes

Step 7

Division Chief examines the revised or corrected draft news or feature story. If the corrections and revisions have been effected as instructed, Division Chief submits the same to the Director for approval, in soft copy, and in hard copy with all the attachments, including the copy with proofreaders' marks.

Step 8

A. Director reviews draft news or feature story. If draft news or feature story is in order, notes the same with "OK. For approval of the Secretary."; initials it and sends the draft story to the Office of the Secretary for approval.

Process cycle time: Five (5) minutes

B. Director reviews draft news or feature story and edits it.

(1) If the editing is minor, Director returns the draft news or feature story to the Division Chief, who causes to effect the editing. Division Chief prints a clean copy and returns the same to the Director for final pass.

Process cycle time: Fifteen (15) minutes

(2) If the draft news or feature story needs major revision or correction, Director returns the story to the Division Chief, who causes it to be revised or corrected, after which he returns it to the Director for final pass. If the same is in order, Director notes the same with "OK. For approval of the Secretary."; initials it, and causes the same to be recorded in a log book before sending it to the Office of the Secretary for approval.

Process Cycle Time: One (1) hour for revision or correction

Note: If the draft news or feature story does not involve policy, but just a report of, say, a training, the Director may approve the same for release to the media. However, a copy of the story should be furnished the Secretary of Labor and Employment, for information.

Step 9

A. If a draft news or feature story is returned by the Secretary of Labor and Employment with approval for release, the Director sends the story to the Division Chief of the Media and External Relations Division for release and uploading to the website. A copy of the story and the attachments are filed at the Office of the Director.

Process Cycle Time: Thirty (30) minutes after receipt of approved draft

A. If a draft news or feature story is returned by the Secretary of Labor and Employment with revision or correction, the Director sends the story to the concerned Division Chief for the story to be revised or corrected.

Process Cycle Time: Ten (10) minutes after receipt of draft for revision or correction

C. The Division Chief revises or corrects the draft; submits the revised or corrected draft to the Director who reviews the same for a final pass before he sends it to the Secretary for approval.

Process Cycle Time: Thirty (30) minutes after receipt of draft for revision or correction

D. If a draft news or feature story is returned by the Secretary of Labor and Employment with further instruction, or notation such as, "Hold", or "Disapproved", the Office of the Director files the story for reference purposes.

Process Cycle Time: Ten (10) minutes after receipt

Step 10

The Director directs the OD staff to release to the media an approved news release. Following approval, the following steps are taken:

(1) OD staff formats the news release, assigns a control number, and logs it.

Process cycle time: Five minutes after approval

(2) OD staff releases the news release through e-mail and/or fax in the order of preference as follows:

2.1. DOLE Press Office2.2. Presidential Communications Operations Office 2.3. Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning

Office at Fax No.: +632 735 6167; and the emails of the Presidential Spokesperson, Secretary Ramon A. Carandang, Undersecretary Manuel L. Quezon III, and Undersecretary Abigail Valte

2.4. Print Media2.5. Radio2.6. TV2.7. Online media2.8. Other DOLE officials concerned

Process Cycle Time: Two hours. Release should be finished before 3:00 P.M.

(3) OD staff uploads the news release in the DOLE website, www.dole.gov.ph

http://www.dole.gov.ph/

Process Cycle Time: Ten minutes

(4) OD staff files copy of news release with all the sources, background materials, notes, transcript of interviews, and proofread/edited copies attached. A control log book is maintained by the OD for borrowers of the news release and attached files.

Process Cycle Time: Ten minutes

END

Documents

01 Nrpd Process