Press Release Tip 46

Avoid alphabet soup

Acronyms and abbreviations make press releases difficult to read.  This press release, about a scientist who will tell a community whether it has a higher-than-normal rate of cancer, had several unnecessary acronyms and abbreviations which I removed when I rewrote it. I also added a headline. 

It refers to The Livingston County Environmental Association (LCEA) and uses LCEA on second reference. The abbreviation is unnecessary.  Too many abbreviations can make a  press release look like a bowl of alphabet soup. Just say “the environmental group” on second reference.

The “before” version, by the way, got great media coverage from the local newspaper and TV stations, even without a headline!   

BEFORE

Livingston County Environmental Association
P.O. Box 798
Pontiac, IL 61764

April 25, 2006

PRESS RELEASE

The Livingston County Environmental Association (LCEA) is sponsoring a program on cancer rates in Livingston County. On Thursday, May 11 at 7 p.m. at Pontiac City Council Chambers, Peter Moschovis of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) will present the results of his study of cancer rates in Livingston County. The public is invited to attend. There will be an open discussion after the speech.

The study’s goals were: (1) to determine whether Livingston County or any area within Livingston County has experienced higher-than-expected rates of any reported disease or category of disease; (2) to identify any limitations of, or gaps in, the available data, including whether diseases not currently being reported may warrant investigation; and (3) to report whether any diseases seen at high rates are generally suspected of having any special causative factors related to environmental exposures.

LCEA commissioned and paid for the study in response to numerous comments and questions from the public about cancer in this area. LCEA had collected over 200 signatures on a petition asking for study of the issue at the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. “People are always saying that Livingston County has too much cancer,” said LCEA President Carolyn Gerwin, “so as a public service LCEA hired a qualified epidemiologist to do a scientific study to see if it’s true.”

Under an agreement between LCEA and UIC, Peter Moschovis met with local doctors and reviewed the available cancer statistics. He also collected information about the incidence of amyelotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease) in our county. He was supervised by Dr. Leslie Stayner, Director of UIC’s Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Epidemiology is the scientific study of the occurrence of disease in a given population, which requires in-depth knowledge of statistical methods, disease transmission, and population demographics.

As an undergraduate at UIC, Mr. Moschovis was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He was one of 50 students chosen nationwide to receive a highly competitive Phi Beta Kappa graduate fellowship. He was awarded a prestigious Fulbright scholarship to study refugee public health issues in Greece. Mr. Moschovis has completed the requirements to receive a Master of Public Health (MPH) master’s degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. In addition, Mr. Moschovis will graduate from the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine this spring. He will begin a residency in internal medicine at world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston this summer.

LCEA was formed in 2003 after a local citizens group challenged the expansion of Livingston Landfill. This study was paid for with funds received in the citizens group’s settlement of that appeal. LCEA is non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the natural resources, health and welfare of Livingston County. The group’s meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. on the second Monday of odd-numbered months at Mary’s Restaurant in Pontiac.

* * *

Please call if you have any questions.

Livingston County Environmental Association

Carolyn K. Gerwin
President
705 S. Locust St.
Pontiac IL 61764
(815) 842-2486
gerwin@mchsi.com

 

AFTER

Contact:

Carolyn K. Gerwin
President
705 S. Locust St.
Pontiac IL 61764
(815) 842-2486
gerwin@mchsi.com

Higher-than-normal cancer rate in Livingston County?
Scientist will discuss his findings May 22

Pontiac, Ill. — April 25, 2006 — Residents of Livingston County who suspect higher-than-normal rates of cancer in their community can hear a scientist discuss what his study has found at 7 p.m. May 22 in the Pontiac City Council Chambers.

The Livingston County Environmental Association hired Peter Moschovis, an epidemiologist with the University of Illinois at Chicago, to study cancer rates after more than 200 residents signed a petition saying they were concerned that too many people in their community had cancer.

“As a public service, we hired a qualified epidemiologist to do a scientific study to see if it’s true,” said Carolyn Gerwin, president of the environmental association.

Moschovis met with local doctors and reviewed cancer statistics and collected information about the incidence of Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He also studied whether cancer and other diseases aren’t being reported, and whether higher-than-normal rates of any diseases are believed to be caused by environmental factors.

The Livingston County Environmental Association was formed in 2003 after a local citizens group challenged the expansion of Livingston Landfill. The association settled that appeal and used money from the settlement to pay for the cancer study.

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Opportunity #46 to write a press release: New contract

If you’ve won or awarded a new contract, write a press release. Include the value of the contract, when the work will be completed, and other relevant details. 

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