Week 6

Lecture: Media relations

Appreciate the wide range of media available for a campaign

Media release , news tips, letters, emails, web diaries, blogs

Understand the importance of news values and news framing

PR practitioners often work with the print media to publish their story and this would involve cooperating with journalists and meeting their demands. They are otherwise known as gatekeepers, those who access to the information or media. Their angle of putting across a message or news framing, which they have selectively selected based on their own perception would change how the publics would react to the PR practitioners tactics and strategies.

Truth

PR practitioners working with journalists would realise that their information needs to be based on facts however this very much depends on the time of newspaper that these journalists are working for, while keeping to the truth, propaganda and biasness still exists.

Timeliness

It is important that the PR practitioners realise that the media do not want news that is out dated.

Proximity

When news is further away, there tends to be more interest by the public rather than if it is near home. Their vague knowledge of such a place would cause the public to be more curious.

Conflict

In a conflict, more stories would unfold with a conflict and this makes up for more interest by the general public.

Eminence and prominence

Public figures such as ministers and celebrities bring about more coverage of the story,

Consequence and impact

It is more important that the story has an impact on its audience rather than if it’s obsolete.

Personal interest

If the news is put in the context of personal story, people will find it easier to relate to.

Unusual or remarkable

Fit the focus of each medium

News Value depends on which medium the news is put across. Television needs visual treat while radio emphasis on the need of audio dynamics

Pick the right day and hour

Almost similar to timeliness, but more concerned with the recent news trend

Consider the theories and ethical practices of media relations

Theories

Agenda setting theorist

Suggest that media selectively pick certain issues and since audience depend on it for a head start on what to look out for, they tend to become passive receivers of this issues

User and gratification theory

Suggest that people still make use of the options that they have with regards to accepting information given by media and the mediums that they use.

Spiral of silence theory

Has much to do with group dynamics, where the minority tend to follow what the majority thinks. In this case, if it is portrayed that majority of the people is depicted to agree on certain issues, the minority would simply follow suit.

Two step flow theory

Katz & Lazarsfeld (1955) says that the target audience depends on other more significant persons known opinion makers and then relate to media mediums. It is crucial that PR practitioners know who these opinion makers are as they would representative of the audience.

Framing theory

As we talked about earlier, how something is put across as will have an effect on audience acceptance.

Sociological theory and social reality

There lies a distinction between what is really happening in the society and what is made up. Advertisers, PR practitioners and the media often use this to their advantage.

Legal and ethical issue includes defamation, copyright, privacy consideration and also ethical issues addressed in the previous post.

Defamation

As much as there is free speech, it is also important that PR practitioners keep in mind what they say about a subject or a person. There are three types of defamation; defamatory material which involves communication with a third person, defaming a person without naming him or her or when the defamation is transmitted to an audience (Mcleon H & Phillips,R (2009).

Copyright

Authors or inventors have the right to withhold the use of their published material and to sue others who misuse their material or use it without their acknowledgement.

Privacy considerations

It is important that PR practitioners as well as media relations people acknowledge and protect the privacy of their subjects.