December

2014
Newsletter
Letter from the Director

The Christmas season is truly upon

Leadership Tip

As we go through the holiday season, hopefully our

us now. We can see it in the

thoughts and actions reflect our Savior Jesus Christ. As

glittery lights, a candle or tree in a

we look at our calling and responsibilities, we would do

window, the Christmas Markets,

well to remember several of the core leadership

special foods in the stores and in

principles that Jesus Christ exemplified.

the excitement of little children. It

He was the greatest of Leaders, yet he was born in a

is a wonderful time of the year and

manger, a very unlikely place to begin. Even with this

we need to reflect on the true

humble beginning He fulfilled His calling as the Savior of

reason for Christmas, and that is

the World. He knew who He was, and because of that

the birth of our Savior and the Gift he gave each and every

knowledge, He led by divine confidence. What

one of us.

leadership principles can we develop to follow this Christ

This past year has been a very busy one in the European
Area. Some of the high lights were the High Religious
Leaders meeting in Brussels in which Elder Teixeira was

-like pattern?

First, we need to be spiritually prepared by keeping

the commandments, studying the scriptures, fasting,

invited, and the visit of President Uchtdorf in June. We also

praying, and being humble so that we can be inspired in

had the official opening of the EU Office in Brussels. In

our leadership assignments.

September we were again blessed by the visit of Elder

Ballard and Elder Bednar who spoke in many meetings.
Throughout Europe there were great opinion leader
outreach activities that help those around us to become
more aware of the Church and its good works. Each one of
our NDPA leaders has done a marvelous job with their very

Second, we must work within the framework of

the organization of the Church by meeting with our
leaders to determine direction.

Third, we should be willing to minister to others and

to serve them as Christ would have done.

demanding calling and we are so appreciative of all of the

Fourth, as leaders, we need to be teachers who

hard work that you do. Without you and those who work

effectively inspire others to improve their standing

closely with you this great work couldnt be accomplished.

before the Lord.

We know that often it isnt easy, but you are and will

Fifth, we should administer and direct the

continue to be blessed for your righteous service in the

Kingdom of God and we want to thank you for your service.
May each of you enjoy this Christmas season with your
families and loved ones in the true Spirit of the season.

Gabriele Sirtl, Director

programs and responsibilities we have according to the

guidelines established for us by the Church.
May we apply these principles and thus improve our
ability to lead!

From the Field

While working in public affairs, you may get media
inquiries about the Church and wonder, Why is this news
story such a big deal to the press? This question can be
answered by the seven news values that media outlets use
to evaluate the newsworthiness of a potential story. News
stories generally have more than one of these values.

Impact: This value is referring to how many people are

impacted by the news. An example of an event that was a

LDS.org articles on Polygamy. There are many members

who have strong feelings about this as well, and as a
result, it continues to get news coverage.

Currency: These are any issues or topics that are

currently a spotlight of public concern. The Church was
in the news a lot when Mitt Romney was running for
president of the United States. When he lost the
presidential race, some of that media coverage died
down. This is because the possibility of having a LDS
president is no longer a current issue that the public

major story because of the impact it had was the mission

cares about.

age change. The age change didnt just affect 18-year-old

As you continue to write news releases or articles for

your country newsrooms or websites, keep in mind these
values. While they wont give you a definite idea of how
media outlets will respond to the news releases you post,
knowing what kind of values apply will give you an idea
of what journalists might pick up.

men and 19-year-old women at the time, it affected

younger members, parents, the MTC and universities. That
is a lot of people, so as news, it will matter to a lot of
people!

Timeliness: This refers to the fact that recent events are

PR Tip

more newsworthy than events that have happened, say, two

weeks before. When President Henry B. Eyring was
speaking at the Humanum Conference in Vatican City, that
information was timely to the news that day, and within the
days following, as the conference continued. A week after
the conference, no news organization will be writing about
this event because its no longer timely. This value is why it
is important to post news releases on your newsrooms fast!

Never forget in our work that the

Lord is on our side.

We are

working and serving in

His

Prominence: Prominence refers to stories that feature

vineyard and when we need to open

individuals who are in the public eye. For example, when

the door to an opinion leader or the

Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder David A. Bednar came to

visit countries in the Europe area in September, it was
newsworthy because two members of the Quorum of the
Twelve Apostles came to visit.

Proximity: Stories that take place in our own

communities are more relevant and newsworthy than those
that take place in another area of the world. For example, a
newsroom story about a Mormon Helping Hands project in
Zimbabwe would not be newsworthy to a newspaper in
France.

Bizarreness: This has to do with things that are strange

or novel. One news story that gained headlines everywhere
was the missionary in Spain who had had a dance off with a
Michael Jackson impersonator. This story is unique, and as a
result, was picked up by the media.

Conflict: This is anything where disagreement is involved,

especially public disagreement. An example of this in
regards to the Church, is the current media coverage of the

media,

He will help us.

worry, we need only to

We neednt

prepare

and then prayerfully make the effort.

Newsroom

Challenge

How to add additional resources or files to articles in Newsroom

Articles created in Newsroom can have additional resources associated with them. These
additional resources are static files (or documents) that support the article and can be
downloaded directly from the page. A poster or an announcement of a given event, created as a
pdf, are good examples of usage of additional resources in articles.
To add a file as an additional resource to an article, follow these steps:

1.

In Article Manager, edit the article you want to add the additional resources

2.

Go to the bottom of the article and select the tab Additional Resources

3.

Press the button Static Files. This will allow you to have the possibility to select a file to upload,
and add it to the article.

4.

In the field Title Name, write a short description of the file. This text will be shown in the righthand side of the article, when it is published

5.

Upload the file by pressing Select Static File. A file manager will open, and you can select the
file to be uploaded. If you need to add more files to the article as Additional Resources
just press the button Add Resource. This will open another section, just follow the above

procedure to add a new file.

6.

When you are done, go to the top of the article and save it. Now if you access the article in
your Newsroom, you should be able to see the additional resources (or files) associated with
the article.

Welcome
to the Frankfurt
Area Office
Marie-Luise!
Marie-Luise Pilz holds a bachelors degree in
communications from the University of Leipzig. Having
spent a semester abroad in Toulouse, France, Marie-Luise
speaks French as well as German, English and Latin.
She has completed internships with a daily TV
programme in Leipzig and the Frankfurt office of Edelman,
one of the worlds most prestigious public relations firms.
She lives in Darmstadt with her husband Guido and will
spend six weeks with the Europe Area Public Affairs Office.

Farewell
Sara!
Sara Rose Bitterman, has been
our intern in Area Public Affairs
for the past three months. Just as
her middle name implies, she has
brought the unique beauty and
charm of that cherished flower into our lives each day.
No one can help but blossom when Sara is around! Her
smile, youthful exuberance, trendy hairstyle, and
endearing sense of humor are a delight. She is a
talented and creative writer and is diligent in her work
ethics. Indeed, theres not a thorn to be found! As she
returns to complete her college studies at Brigham
Young University and embark on new adventures in life,
we wish her the best!

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Family Literacy
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