Media Relations involves working with media for the purpose of informing the public of an organization’s mission, policies and practices in a consistent and credible manner. Typically, this means coordinating directly with the people responsible for producing the news and features in the mass media. The goal of media relations is to maximize positive coverage in the mass media without paying for it directly through advertising.
Journalists need public relations people as sources for story ideas, leads to authoritative spokespersons, and specific information about stories in progress. Public relations practitioners need journalists as channels for getting messages to various publics. Both can benefit from a positive working relationship.
Organizations often compile what is known as a media list, or a list of possible media outlets who may be interested in an organization’s information. The media can consist of thousands of magazine publications, newspapers, and TV and radio stations. Therefore, when a “newsworthy” event occurs in an organization, a media list can assist in determining which media outlet may be the most interested in a particular story.
Working with the media on behalf of an organization allows for awareness of the entity to be raised as well as the ability to create an impact with a chosen audience. It allows access to both large and small target audiences and helps in building public support and mobilizing public opinion for an organization. This is all done through a wide range of media and can be used to encourage two-way communication.
Amanda Pruitt, assistant media relations director at the University of Tennessee, serves as the primary media relations contact for the Tennessee swimming &diving and track &field programs. She came to my journalism class last week and talked about media relations. Pruitt said her background working with a newspaper helped give her a better grasp on how to relate to a reporter and give them the things they needed now. I believe that knowing both the media relations side and the reporter’s side is very beneficiary when it comes to either reporting or dealing with the media.
Links:
https://www.channelfutures.com/business-models/5-reasons-you-need-media-relations
http://www.praccreditation.org/resources/documents/APRSG-Media-Relations.pdf
StevieTurski 