100W -- STD Stories

From the set of facts provided below, please write two 180-word stories -- each with a different focus. This assignment requires you to figure out the difference between writing a hard news story and writing a press release, so think about the differences before you write.(By the way, just in case you were wondering, this fact sheet is entirely fictional.)

1. Write a news story suitable for The Daily, SJSU's student newspaper.

2. Write a news release that could be issued by SJSU's in-house news/PR service to local news media.

The Facts:

You have come across a report from the university health service. It discusses sexually transmitted diseases (STDs): chlamydia, genital herpes, body lice and venereal diseases. It describes chlamydia as a bacterial parasite that usually produces no symptoms in affected people but can lead to sterilization in women if left untreated.

Ellen Jones, the health service director, said: "It seems much easier to have sex with people than to talk about having sex. There are some students on this campus who didn't even know the name of their sexual partners."

The report is on the number of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) diagnosed on campus so far this school year. There are 50 cases so far this school year (near the end of the first semester), and the report estimates the number could reach 100 by the end of the school year.

Jones said the college is launching an aggressive information program about STDs and how to prevent their spread. The program includes lectures in the dorms by health service personnel, an hour-long movie available to professors to show in class, and the distribution of pamphlets about STDs and their symptoms.

According to the health service report, the number of STDs reported for the four years prior to the latest results was 20, or about five a year.

Jones said the college is expanding its hours for STD testing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. She said the tests are free and the results are confidential.

According to the report, City College (across town from the university) has recorded 100 STD cases on campus since the beginning of its school year.