Week 7 Blog- Chapter 10

1. I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were...
- Media relations are often used synonymously with publicity.
- Media relations can refer to two different things; it can mean dealing with a few select contacts on a regular basis; or managing hundreds of media personnel at a national event.
- The impact and power of the media should never be under-estimated.
- Operation of media outlets by volunteers or small staff often means a reliance on information from public relations outlets.
- PR has become one of the most important external influences on journalism as it is now practiced.
- The movement of information between PR practitioners and the media is two way. Public relations provide information to the media and the media provides information to the public relations profession.
- The practitioners use the media in many of their roles including the issues manager, monitoring trends, government policy and legislation, debates and opinion.
- For PR practitioners to use the media the value of news must be determined, this is achieved through the use of the eight news values: impact, conflict, timeliness, proximity, prominence, currency, human interest, and the unusual.
- It is important for PR professionals to know their media, this is achieved by understanding:
· Deadlines- it is essential that practitioners who deal with different media become familiar with all styles and deadlines in order to work within them.
· Who’s who in the newsroom- learn who makes the decisions and who writes the news. PR practitioners should make good positive relationships with journalists and editors in a news organisation. It is critical to have the respect and trust of the media.
- Differences in media styles also need to be observed- the practitioner should consider the medium’s particular needs. The key for PR practitioners is to avoid being too promotional while providing useful visual material that allows journalistic input, especially in the areas of the voice-over and script.
- All releases by PR practitioner’s need to target a specific audience. Selecting the best media for the message is extremely important.
- Media tools are used to deal with the media; these include the media release, media kit and media conferences.
· Media release- write in news style where possible, use inverted pyramid or narrative structure.
· Media kits- made up of a variety of items to make the journalist’s job easier, including fact sheets, backgrounders, feature articles, profiles or ‘biogs’, business cards, media passes, maps, posters, t-shirts, key rings, caps, newsletters, brochures, annual reports and calendars.
· Media conference- needs to consider questions such as; why hold a media conference? When to hold the media conference? Who to invite? How to invite them? Where to hold the media conference?

2. The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that …
The relationship between the public relations practitioner and the media is one that needs to be given special attention by both parties. Each of the subjects relies on each other for success in their position. The PR practitioner relies on the media to use their stories and promote their organisation, and the journalists require the news releases from the PR practitioners to base their stories on. This reading has emphasised the many links between the journalist and the PR practitioner. The tools that can be used by the PR practitioner are numerous and varied, therefore they should be able to perform their job to a high standard.