Submission Guidelines

Where do I send my news items?

Submit your news items using the online submission form.

Please ensure your submission has been signed off by your manager, if required. If you have any questions or concerns about making a submission to VCH News, email news@vch.ca.

 

What will happen when I submit my story or event?

After a quick review and edit by a communications leader, your submission will be published on vchnews.ca –usually within one or two business days. Please indicate on the submission form if your item is to be published on a specific date.

Your submission will automatically be included in one of the Thursday e-newsletters according to the edition you choose (e.g. Across VCH, Vancouver). The e-newsletters summarize the news and events submitted each week.

 

What is the submission deadline for the Thursday VCH News e-newsletters?

12 noon on the Wednesday before each email edition.

 

What kinds of news stories and events are published?

VCH News is designed to capture news for VCH employees. We include stories and events concerning VCH programs, departments and projects as well as research, job changes and staff achievements.

To be published, news and events must fit one of the following criteria:

  • Directly managed, produced or hosted by VCH
  • Sponsored by VCH in money or in kind
  • Presented by VCH employees, to share their work at VCH with other organizations or professional groups

We do not directly publish posters, brochures or other print items. We will link to them from a fully written story. To keep error to a minimum, we do not transcribe posters or brochures into VCH News. That responsibility remains with the submitter.

You can post events that don’t meet the submission criteria to the Classifieds section on VCH Connect.

 

What is the word limit for news stories?

The suggested word limit is 200-250 words.

To keep your submission short, consider posting information on an appropriate VCH Connect page. Then place the link to this page in your story for readers to click on for more information.

If your program doesn’t have a page on VCH Connect, send a request to IntranetUserSupport@vch.ca.

 

Do I need consent for photos?

If you include a photo of staff or patients with your story, you need to have written consent from them. Please use this release form:

 

Why should I send my news items to VCH News when I can broadcast them by email?

Broadcast emails about one news item or event clutter our mailboxes and waste a lot of people’s time to reach the few people who really need the information. The format of VCH News, with its three editions and easy-to-scan headlines, allows staff to look for news that is relevant to them.

 

What are some tips for writing my news story?

The e-newsletters are sent to all staff across VCH, including nurses, unit clerks, occupational therapists, corporate staff and the list goes on…

There are many VCH News readers who may not have heard of the program or service you offer. Write your story as though you are having a conversation with a friend or neighbour who doesn’t know what you do. You can do this by including a short summary of your program or service and eliminating as much jargon and as many acronyms as possible.

While you are writing your story, it is also good to keep in mind the 5 Ws of a news story:

  • Who
  • What
  • When
  • Where
  • Why
  • And often, how and how much

Your story should provide an opportunity for people engaged in similar projects or interested in similar issues to connect. Don’t forget to provide a link, either an email address or website, for readers to follow for more information.

Remember, we attribute your story directly to you. This way, staff can email you if they have questions. We do not attribute stories to teams or departments. If you want to give credit to other individuals, include their names in the body of your article. If no name is provided we will use the name of the person who emailed the story to VCH News.

 

How do I submit an event?

Use the online event submission form. It’s quick and easy. Here’s the info you’ll need:

  • Name
  • Description
  • Who should attend?
  • Date and time
  • Cost: Are there any early-bird rates?
  • Location: Street address and room or suite number
  • Registration: Include a link to a website or a contact name and email address
  • Registration deadline
  • Links: Where possible, provide a link to a website with more information

 Remember, only events in which VCH has direct involvement will be published.

How do I get my story into the spotlight?

Spotlight articles may be requested through VCH communication leaders and placed into the spotlight planning calendar, however this is not a guarantee of a spotlight for your story. Spotlights may be changed on a week to week basis according to timeliness and news value to employees.  There are two special requirements for spotlight stories:

  • Spotlight stories must include one photo of VCH people or events. The photo must be landscape (horizontal) orientation.
  • Spotlights must be of interest to a broad regional staff audience.

A communications leader can work with you to develop your spotlight story and prepare an image.

Will my submissions appear in other publications?

Some stories that are of interest to other audiences will be considered for other publications, including:

If your story is selected for one of these, the editor of that publication will contact you again to let you know that it has been re-published from VCH News.