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| Because PR practitioners seldom have the ability to talk en masse to constituent publics directly, the media serve as crucial conduit through which messages pass. Therefore, it is important to understand the relationship between public relations and the media. In particular, one of the important functions of a PR practitioner is in the creation and maintenance of media relations. Effective practitioners understand the nature of media institutions as well as the individuals within media organizations. In times of planned, strategic public relations campaigns and in times of crisis, PR practitioners must depend on their relationships with the media to help get the information distributed to a variety of different publics.
Modern media, however, offer a special set of challenges and opportunities that mandate a modern understanding of mass message distribution. New Internet-based technologies such as iPods and blogs are emerging as new distribution channels for company information. In addition, newspapers, magazines, radio and television seldom target the mass audience and are focusing more and more on reaching special segments of the public at large, a fact that has relegated practitioners from one-time shotgunners of information to now more pinpoint accurate rifle marksmen. No doubt though, the most influential media change revolves around the proliferation of the Internet. Most importantly, the Internet allows PR practitioners to speak directly to target audiences though corporate or organizational Web sites. Where traditional media require that PR messages filter through a gatekeeper before potential, but not guaranteed, dissemination to the greater public occurs, the Internet allows practitioners to communicate messages without interference and without alteration to key publics. This direct communication allowed by the Internet, though, should not overshadow the other ways in which it has affected PR. In particular, it has made media relations a 24-hour-a-day job with reporters expecting that Web sites will have up-to-the-second information that can be obtained without having to go through a public relations staffer. As a result, Internet content must be carefully screened and diligently organized so that media investigative efforts will bear fruit. Despite any advancements in media, the fundamentals of the practitioner/journalist relationship remains unchanged. Journalists still want disclosure of accurate information so as to be able to craft a fair and balanced story; public relations practitioners still want, above all, coverage of client news – and that as positive as possible. In the end, the mutual dependence between the two camps nurtures a relationship that serves both parties well. Journalists need practitioners to provide them information upon which they can base stories, and public relations practitioners need journalists to provide voice and distribution to in-house messages. By garnering an understanding of to best prepare material for media distribution and how to benefit media professionals from working relationships with public relations staffers, practitioners can best prepare themselves for the positive gains that can be made through working with the mass media. |