Need to spread the word? Here’s how

As community news services, FortAtkinsonOnline.com and WhitewaterWise.com are eager to help you spread the word about your events, news stories, and yes, even opinions. Like traditional newspapers, we work to have a designated space for every consideration.

So what goes where? How does one submit information for publication? We can say, with gratitude, that we are asked that a lot. This is an overview of which types of materials are placed where and what best to provide for the chosen placement.

Press releases

A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are considered a primary source, meaning they are original informants for information. When we publish, we attribute your information to you as the source, using such words as “according to the release,” or, “as stated in the release.” We reserve the right to edit as necessary. We use AP (Associated Press) style and edit to that standard.

At Fort Atkinson Online and WhitewaterWise, we accept press releases from all government agencies, public institutions, including public schools and school districts, organized groups that serve the community, nonprofit organizations, and churches, among others.

When submitting a press release, please be sure to include copy, written in narrative form; we do not consider advertising posters or social media presentations to be press releases. Please work to give us at least 500 words, telling us: who? what? where? when? and why? Be specific: include an address in your “where,” and some information about your organization in your “who.” Tell us “what” people can expect if they attend your event, and what past events, if it’s an annual event, have been like. Steer away from statements from your organizational leaders telling us that they believe the event will be exciting and well attended. We are sure that’s true. Tell us instead: “Why” should someone choose to come to your event? Ask yourself: If I knew nothing about this event or organization, what would I like to know? What’s in it for me? 

Please include a photograph with your press release. We do not use posters or logos as photos with our press releases or stories. Please be sure your photo is crisp, clean, in focus, and without embellishments or words printed on the image. We like people, so please include identification of any people in the photos. Tip: If this is an annual event, a photo from a previous year’s event is usually a good choice. Please send photos that are at least 1.5 MB. If the photo was taken with your phone, please send us the image using the “actual size” option.

Please be sure you own the rights to any photo you send us. This means that you, or a member of your staff, or someone with whom you have contracted specifically to supply you with photos and their associated copyrights, has taken the photo. If you’d like to send us a photo from another source, say another website, please inform us from where it came and let us know that you have contacted that source for permission to use the photo. Tell us who you contacted so we can verify that information. If we are not sure, or cannot verify your rights, we will replace the photo. 

If there is no other option for a photo, or in cases where we’ve attended the event in the past, we will find a public domain photo (we will do that work ourselves so we know from where the photo came) or we will use a file photo we already own. We reserve the right to make photo adjustments as necessary.

Press releases also often serve as the sources of ideas as to where we might send a reporter to cover an event as a news or news feature story.

Please send your press releases, with its accompanying photo, to: staff@fortatkinsononline.com. Please use this address to submit materials to either, or both, of our publications.

Poster placement on the Fort Atkinson Then and Now Facebook group page

In 2012, the late Fort Atkinson native Vern Zech began the Fort Atkinson Then and Now Facebook group page. Zech died in September of 2021. In an interview with Fort Atkinson Online earlier that year, Zech said he was motivated to begin the page by his lifelong love of the community. He enjoyed viewing old photos, he said. As the page grew, Zech reached out to area reporters, looking to share story ideas, and he watched myriad community pages, looking to help keep the community informed. The page continues today as an area history, community, and information forum with Fort Atkinson Online and WhitewaterWise’s editor Kim McDarison serving as its admin.

The page has some rules, most of which revolve around being courteous to other group members, and making sure that your posts are specific to Fort Atkinson and the broader area. We also do not allow for-profit advertisements on the page, and we do not allow people to sell items. The full set of rules is listed on the page.

Please refrain from posting daily countdown promotions on the Then and Now page. Our group members are not always receptive to this approach.

We do allow nonprofit community-oriented groups to advertise their events. If you are a nonprofit group, or a for-profit group organizing a charitable event, and would like to place your area-oriented poster on this page, click on the graphic below and join the group. Please answer our “participation question” to assure a smooth path to joining. Once you have joined, you may post information. Posts undergo an approval process before they are visible on the page.