ABSTRACT
The headings for digital and PDF/paper backgrounders are like those of email and PDF/paper news release except that instead of "News Release" in large type, a backgrounder, of course, has "Backgrounder." Like news releases, backgrounders are single-spaced and appear in a ready-to-publish format. Backgrounders rarely are published. Journalists may use them to ensure that they understand the news release, or they may pull a paragraph or two from a backgrounder and insert them into the news release. A backgrounder supplements a news release. For example, a backgrounder can be a biography of a key individual mentioned in the news release. The standard organization of a backgrounder begins with a defining sentence; then moves to a description of the beginning of the person, organization or event; and then moves in chronological order to the present—at which point the backgrounder ends. If the backgrounder describes an employee, a concise description of job duties often follows the opening defining sentence.
