Guidelines for NOAA Report Stories and Photographs
–From Dane Konop, editor, the NOAA Report
Take a look at the past few issues of the NOAA Report to get a sense of the variety, length and format of NOAA Report stories.
If you have an idea for a story, e-mail me at Dane.Konop@NOAA.gov, or call (301) 713-2483.
Story Text
The NOAA Report publishes original writing by NOAA employees about NOAA employees and programs that would be of interest to a broad segment of the report's audience—other NOAA employees. This can include first-person accounts, news interviews, photo features and other work-related, people-oriented stories, such as employee awards and significant work-related accomplishments by individuals or groups. News stories can spotlight mission-related activities such as significant field operations, the start or completion of a project of NOAA-wide interest, and new products or services now or soon to be available to the public or NOAA employees. Behind-the-scenes news features about little known or little understood newsworthy programs and work-related activities of NOAA employees are a staple of the NOAA Report. Stories can also highlight the participation of NOAA or DOC leadership in field activities or commemorative events.
Length should be from 750-1,500 words for stories that have wide enough reader appeal to start on the front page. Stories that begin on subsequent pages should be about 500-750 words.
To keep the monthly NOAA Report timely, the report focuses on activities that happened in the month immediately preceding the report's publication month (i.e., September activities in the October report, October activities in the November report, etc.). Your story should have a timely angle; if your event happened two months ago, it's already old news. If an activity or event is happening late in the month, let me know in advance and it might be possible to save space for the story and photos after the normal deadline.
Please e-mail me your story in WordPerfect. Leave out all formatting codes, such as font changes, indents, etc. Skip a line to indicate paragraph breaks.
Photographs
The best pictures have people in them, either NOAA people or members of the public or constituent groups involved in NOAA-related activities.
Faces need to be in focus and fully lit.
Unless shot outdoors in perfect light, a flash should be used.
Pictures that help set the scene are best. For example, show the subject(s) of your story at work or in an easily identifiable setting, such as a scientist on the deck of a ship operating his/her special piece of equipment and a scenic or recognizable landscape in the background. Try some close-up shots of people. Shoot some vertical shots. Try an unusual angle or perspective.
Identify what's going on in each picture and identify all people in the picture, including their organizational affiliations, on an accompanying sheet of paper, on a typed label on the back of individual photos or in an email. Do not write on the back or front of a photo print or use any tape or paper clips on them.
If any person pictured in your photos is not a government employee at work, ask for the person's permission to use his/her picture in the NOAA Report, in writing if possible. For example: "I, John Q. Public, give NOAA permission to use the photograph(s) taken of me at the (name of the event or locale) on (date) for use in the NOAA Report." Signed John Q. Public.
Please also identify the photographer and his/her affiliation.
If a picture was not taken by a NOAA employee and is not in the public domain, the copyright holder (usually the photographer) must give specific permission for its use in the NOAA Report, preferably in writing.
A photo for the NOAA Report should not have been published elsewhere. A NOAA photo that was posted on the a NOAA Web site might still be used; but photographs that are being seen for the first time make the greatest impact and are most likely to be used.
Film Prints
Ideally, send me original illustrations or photographic prints that I would scan in my office and return to you. I will return all original photos if you want them back.
Second choice, scan prints (or slides) in your office, uncropped, as TIFFs at 300 dots per inch or dpi.
E-mail photo files as TIFFs (or JPEGs if that was the original format). You should be able to attach up to 10 megabytes of photo files. If you exceed your computer network's attachment limit or mine (10 megs), your e-mail won't get to me and likely neither of us will know.
If you have too many high-resolution photo images to e-mail, you can send them to me on a Zip Disc or place them at an FTP site where I can download them.
Digital Photos
Digital photos are also acceptable; but digital images need to be of "publication quality," which is preferably 300 pixels per inch. Digital cameras that are generically known as "mega pixel" cameras can produce this density. But many cheaper or older model digital cameras can only produce low density (low total pixel count), low-resolution images (72 pixels per inch) that are perfect for the Web, but do not have high enough resolution for publication. It's best to use the highest quality setting possible on your camera. Turn off the time/date code.
Deadlines
Deadline for photos and manuscripts is the Monday of the last full work week in a given month.
Contact Dane Konop, NOAA Report editor, or phone him at (301) 713-9042.
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Publication of the
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Last Updated: 6/6/02
