If you have a story you would like to publish on GOV.UK, it would usually take the format of a news story or a press release.
It is also possible to publish content as a blog, but we need to be careful not to duplicate content on GOV.UK.
News stories
News stories should provide users with information they can act on, that they would expect to get directly from PHE England.
When developing a news story, please include:
- a clear title (up to 65 characters including spaces)
- summary (up to 140 characters including spaces)
- body copy of the article
- required publication date - or the embargo time and date
News stories can be updated regularly with new information if required.
A news story should not include notes at the end, quotes longer than 3 sentences, or contact details
Press releases
A press release should be an online version of a press communication sent out to the media.
Press releases can include:
- notes at the end, under the heading 'Background' (rather than 'Notes to editors')
- contact details for the press office
Press releases are not updated once they have been uploaded to the system.
Collection
Use a document collection for grouping related documents on a single page:
- for a specific audience
- around a specific theme
A collection could be used to publish:
- a set of forms
- publications in the same series
Do not use a document collection:
- for documents the user would not need, or expect to find together
More information about document collections
How to cover specific types of stories
Developing situations
- developing situations should be covered with a 'rolling news story' format.
- this includes story such as outbreaks or weather alerts.
- news stories should be updated regularly.
Guidance and advice
- guidance content should be developed as 'permanent' guidance, that sits on the GOV.UK or NHS Choices homepage.
- you should not use the news story format for this type of content.
- news stories should be self-contained content, which means they can be deleted from the website without it affecting anything else.
Videos and podcasts
Videos and podcasts require permission from the Communications team.
When they have been briefed, they will liaise with the social media team, the relevant press officer and the in-house multimedia team.