Week 6 - Manipulation of Media

Monday, February 8, 2010 12:22 AM

A key role of a public relations practitioner is to present the public face of an organisation and it can be achieved through getting media coverage. To achieve media coverage, the public relations practitioner would have to first get the media's attention with media releases or events.

The news that is being sent out through media releases, letters to the editor, emails has to catch the eye of media gatekeepers: editors, directors of news or journalists. The headlines or the first sentence has to jump off the page. It has to be something that is newsworthy; that has great news values. The way the media release is being framed is very important as well. It plays an important role in making your media release an outstanding one. So that being said, this is an uncontrolled communication as the media relations practitioner cannot be sure that the story will be used or even if it is being used, it might be in another form; re-written.

Besides being able to frame the news well and have the media release written was much newsworthiness, building relationships with journalists and editors can help with getting publicized. Maintaining the relationship is important as well, so as to avoid calling up a journalist who does not work there anymore. Knowing legal and ethical issues in media management is another key aspect that needs to be understood and respected. It will help you stay out of trouble with the authorities.

Working with the media requires a lot of skill, creativity and knowledge of how the media works. It is important to know how the media can be used to your organisation's advantage.

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Week 6 - Manipulation of Media

Monday, February 8, 2010 12:22 AM

Monday, February 8, 2010 12:22 AM