1. Do newspapers in fact publish things sent in by random non-journalist types-- a press release-- should I be trying to write something that could be published as is?

Yes, and a quick read of the paper to scope out their style conventions will make your release more quickly usable, winning you points by saving the editor some time. You could do a press release to get your foot in the door as a competent writer in their style, and then pitch a short feature article idea. Don't ask them for an idea-- have two or three good ones for them to choose from.

Some weeklies have a number of columns they can let you take a guest turn doing-- ours, for example, has the weekly message (sermon) local clergy take turns doing, which sometimes allows a laypeson to do a piece; also there are news blocks from local care facilities that feature birthdays, staff-led activities news, card game results, or reviews of people who came in to present music.

Our band worked with a reporter once on a short feature of a monthly singalong we were doing; we wrote most of the copy and he added a lead and a closer. At our church the dude who does our press writes a whole article complete with quotes he's solicitied from members, all about our 40+-years-running antique show. The paper usually runs it as a news feature.

I've also written many Red Cross pieces they used without any changes at all; if your article covers a local non-profit that is well-known in the community, chances are they'll use it. Like, a Red Cross piece about household winterizing would have been run in October and a volunteer could have written it based on research they did at the natioanl Red Cross website; you could cover a blood drive as Girl Reporter (with Red Cross pre-OK) and ask donors waiting in line why they donate blood.

But if you played some music at a local nursing home, and wrote up a piece about some of the residents you met there, it would have a good chance-- who you met, what work they did before they retired, which songs you presented that related to that, etc.

The smaller the paper, the more they will want to work with you and be eager to get new, free copy. They will only be interested in something with a strongly-local angle, and they will want a good picture submitted in case they want to use that (be sure to have written photo permission from people in it, and a caption ready with correct name spellings). Be sure to put in just a bit more than you think they will use, so the editor can feel like s/he's earning their salary by cutting a paragraph or two. :~)

~Susan