News Releases: The Basics

This webpage provides instructions and links to  resources that cover the basics of creating, posting, and editing a news release in EPA's Web Content Management System (WebCMS). It assumes you have little or no familiarity with WebCMS, HTML, etc.

On this page:

Creating a New News Release

The Chrome browser is preferred when creating and editing news releases in the WebCMS.

  1. Log in to the WebCMS: https://www.epa.gov/user
  2. On the "My Web Areas" page that appears after login, click "News Releases"
  3. On the "News Releases" page, click the blue "+Add new content" button to create a new news release.
  4. On the next pop-up window, select the "News Release" content type.
  5. When you create a news release you will see the following fields (* required):
    1. * Headline (max 255 characters)
    2. Secondary Headline
    3. * Release Date
    4. * Press Officer (Name, Email, Phone Number)
    5. * Body
    6. * Subjects
    7. * Press Office (Region, or HQ and AA-ship)
    8. Geographic Locations (this is not an EPA Region)
    9. * Primary Metadata
    10. * Other metadata (change required when posting a news releases in another language)

Headline and Secondary Headline

You may type or paste text into these fields.

  • Headlines are automatically set. The Secondary Headline will show as italicized font. You can’t change font size or type for either headline.
  • The Headline limit is 255 characters. If exceeded, Web CMS will just cut off the text. There’s no way around this.
  • The headline of the news release will become the URL with dashes between words (short words like a are excluded). The URL will only contain the first 100 characters. 

Release Date

The release date must be entered before saving or publishing the news release. The format is mm/dd/yyyy.

  • The release date is used to sort news releases by date and for the search function.
  • The release date field is text only. It won’t change if you edit and re-publish the news release (unless you manually change it).
  • When adding the release date you are not scheduling the news release to publish on a certain date - It’s not a timer to automatically publish later.

Press Officer

A Press Officer name and email should be listed for each news release. 

  • The Press Officer name can be a general title, like EPA Press Office (for HQ releases) or a specific person's name. 
  • The email address can be a general email address, like press@epa.gov (for HQ releases) or an individual's email address. 
  • Including a telephone number is encouraged. 
  • To add more than one Press Officer, click "Add Press Officers"

Body

Type or paste the news release from Word into the large "Body" field. Use plain text only as much as possible (no headers, crazy fonts, images, or track changes).

* IMPORTANT * After you copy/paste from Word, please use the "Remove Format" button to strip out any styling that came over from Word.

Removing the formatting from Word will clean up your news release code and allow for smoother processing, viewing and archiving later. Once the formatting is removed, you can then add headers, bolded text, images or other formatting to the draft news release.

* IMPORTANT * If your news release contains a link, please follow the guidance for Linking Content in the WebCMS and the Web Standard for Link Text.

Subjects

You must choose at least one subject for your news release before saving or publishing. 

  • If you wish to add more than one subject, you should click "Add another item" to add additional subjects. 
  • NOTE: The list of available subjects does not change very often to ensure consistency. 

Press Office

You  must choose a Press Office from the dropdown list. If you choose Headquarters, you must choose a Program Office. 

Geographic Locations

This field is optional. However, you can include specific International regions and US areas like specific states, regions or territories. 

Primary Metadata

The Description and Keywords for news releases are automatically generated, so no changes are necessary (in most circumstances).

  • For the required "Channel" selection, you should always choose "About EPA."
  • You can check additional channel options if they apply.

Other Metadata

However, if you are posting a news releases in another language you need to make an edit in the "Other Metadata" section.

  1. Scroll near the bottom of the draft news release and click on the "Other Metadata" tab on the left side of the page. 
  2. The "Language" dropdown menu will show "English" by default. If you are posting a news release in another language you need to change this option to reflect the appropriate language. 

Linking Requirements for Accessibility

All links in news releases must adhere to the EPA Web Standard: Link Text. Some examples of the requirements are listed below.

Avoid linking the word "here" and instead use descriptive link text.

Do not put the URL on the News Release and link that text. 

Adding Media

Please consult with OPA or your regional Public Affairs Director regarding use of media - photos, videos, audio files, etc. - in news releases. The guidance and instructions provided cover only how to add media, not whether you should or if approval is required.

Images

Videos

Files

Editing a Draft News Release

 It is possible to edit an existing draft news release, even if the draft was created by someone else. 

  1. Login to the WebCMS: https://www.epa.gov/user
  2. Search for the existing draft news release in the Group Dashboard. You can sort by author, date created or news release title to help locate the draft news release.
  3. Click "Edit" to the right of the news release you wish to edit.

Editing a Published News Release

  1. Login to the  WebCMS at https://www.epa.gov/user
  2. Go to the live, public version of your news release in another tab of your browser, or search for it: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/search
  3. Once the news release is viewable in your browser, click Control-Shift-R to do a hard refresh of the page.
  4. The page should reload and you will see the Admin Info menu with editing options.

Remember, if you make edits, you must PUBLISH again.

Remote Access, Browser, and Login/Password Issues

  • For emergency fixes, making unusually difficult changes, and other tricky scenarios, email Reggie Washington and Cc: OWC@epa.gov.
  • Frequent questions that might help you with routine things, like  Help! I published my news release but it didn't appear in the news release list.

Technical and Remote Access/VPN Issues

  • For technical issues with the EPA web, contact web_cms_support@epa.gov.
  • Contact EISD Support  for help with remote access, VPN, etc. at 866-411-4372 or EISD@epa.gov
  • You should use Chrome or Firefox to access the WebCMS and post news releases.  If you have problems, send an email to WebCMS Support (web_cms_support@epa.gov) and tell them what's going on.

Login or Password Problems

  • If you could log in before but can't now, send an email to WebCMS Support (web_cms_support@epa.gov). Be sure you tell them you have logged in successfully before but can't now.

Web Guide

Contact the Web Guide
Contact the Web Guide to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on August 23, 2024