University publication practices ‘refrigerator journalism’ and puts employees front and center

The best employee publications know the importance of writing about people. And we’re not talking about articles showcasing baby announcements and bowling scores.

Great editors and writers find employees to illuminate their stories. They understand that readers want to read about people—even when those stories are about initiatives, processes and procedures.

This is what Working@Duke accomplishes with every issue, and it’s why we selected it as the 2011 Best Employee Print Newsletter.

The Duke University publication is clearly and simply laid out with the reader in mind. Stories are brief and contain multiple sidebars that break up copy into readable chunks.

The writing is simple and clear and written in a classic journalistic style. And, like all great employee publications, Working@Duke manages to avoid corporate speak and jargon.

The subtitle of the publication says it all: “News you can use.”

The great writing coach Don Ranly coined the term “refrigerator journalism” to describe publications that deliver quick, useful stories about the company—stories that are so helpful that employees want to cut them out and tape them to the refrigerator.

This philosophy seems to drive the editorial approach at Working@Duke, and it works.

To view the winning work please click here.