Articles and project coverage

The Messenger’s editorial team makes decisions about what articles go in each issue. If the article or idea meets the following criteria it is more likely to be allocated space in the issue:

• It's news about something that has already happened/is happening, [not something that will happen as this is considered an advert]
• It's happening in Burngreave or is directly relevant to people in Burngreave
• It's not been in the Messenger before in the recent past
• It has a visual aspect eg photos
• It arrives before the deadline

There are several ways to approach getting your project activities covered:

• Ask the Messenger to report on an event you are holding - this can sometimes be difficult because the Messenger does not have enough staff and volunteers to cover all events, but the finished article can be very good so it’s always worth asking.
• Report on the event yourself and submit the article by the deadline, with photographs – this can be very successful as the editorial team is keen for lots of different residents to write the content of the Messenger. If you would like guidance about the number of words, or how to write about an event, we can give you advice.
• Make a request to the editorial team to write about your project – you can send us information about your project and ask us to write a feature. The editorial team will be looking for an angle that will make the feature interesting, for example:
  • an interview with a resident who has benefited from the project
  • an issue that your project is trying to address, which a feature could help residents understand better.
  • information that has not been widely available before, such as advice on how to access support services for a particular group.

News release
These are a useful way to make the Messenger, and other newspapers, aware of what you are doing, for the Messenger it is important that you make a direct request along with the release to make sure it is considered by the editorial team. The editorial team will often use a news release to decide if a story is worth making into a feature.

If you would like to be a reporter for the Messenger, you can find out more in the volunteers section.

BNDfC pages
Burngreave New Deal for Communities has editorial rights over two pages in each issue of the Messenger. These pages are often planned by BNDfC several months in advance in line with their communications strategy. For these pages they allow a column for 'News in brief' where they can publicise events etc, but to get an article about your project on their pages you need to provide a good case study or good news story and liaise with the Communications Officer Eloise Clarke as far in advance as possible. Telephone: 279 6936.