Press Releases
20 04 2011The Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) recent press release about Kobe Bryant and his homophobic slur acted as a direct quote.
HRC’s post was newsworthy because it dealt with prominence. Had anyone else but Kobe Bryant said the words used at last week’s game, there likely would have been no story. However, because Bryant is essentially a household name, people noticed his use of the slur.
As a leading group for LGBT rights, the HRC felt it necessary to comment on Bryant’s homophobia through a press release. The release is a well-written three grafs and is in an news-story layout. AP style is followed.
The final graf of the release was a direct quote from the HRC :
“We applaud Commissioner Stern and the NBA for not only fining Bryant but for recognizing that slurs and derogatory comments have no place on the basketball court or in society at large, “ said Joe Solmonese, HRC President. “We hope such swift and decisive action will send a strong and universal message that this kind of hateful outburst is simply inexcusable no matter what the context.”
ESPN’s coverage of the Bryant story uses that exact graf almost verbatim. The only thing that changed was the specifics of Joe Solmonese’s title.
However, ESPN has a much longer story that was focused on more than just the HRC, even though a direct quote was taken from their press release. As a sports news outlet, ESPN called more attention to the events of the game that lead to Bryant’s actions and the consequences of those actions.
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