CONTENTS
HIGHLIGHTS
November, 1995 |
the News Media Personal contact with journalists is key to effective media relations. An important job of a news media relations unit is to represent the organization to journalists, and journalists to the organization. This linking role has been described as that of a mediator or "person in the middle" (16). Playing this role well requires that news media relations staff maintain two different perspectives at once—that of the organization and that of the news media. Just as most family planning organizations need news coverage to achieve their communication objectives, the news media benefit from the assistance of family planning organizations. Few journalists specialize in family planning or reproductive health (7). Most face tight deadlines, constant pressure, and difficult working conditions (see sidebar, The Journalist's Working Environment). Organizations can help journalists to identify newsworthy topics, obtain access to sources, and prepare interesting stories. These activities benefit both the journalists and the organizations themselves by generating more coverage and more accurate reporting. Working effectively with the news media is largely an exercise in seeking and supplying useful, factual, and timely information that journalists will consider and use as the basis for their stories. They are most likely to use information that offers a good story, is easy to understand, and arrives at the right time. Developing effective relationships. The key to developing good working relationships with journalists is to establish credibility. Credibility begins with being accurate and honest with the news media at all times (16, 22). Over time, credibility earns the trust of journalists. Once an organization develops a reputation for trustworthiness, journalists are more likely to seek out its staff as sources of fact and opinion, to have confidence in what they say, and to cover their activities (45).
In contrast, attempts to "manage" the news media—for example, by withholding information, issuing self-promotional material, or trying to deny access to an unfriendly reporter—undermine the organization's credibility. As the National Association of Science Writers in the US advises: "In acting as an intermediary between an institution and the media, the public relations person serves that institution best by aiding the flow of news and information rather than by attempting to control it" (45). Mediating differences. In their linking role, public information specialists sometimes mediate differences between journalists and the organization. Adversarial relationships develop from time to time because the interests of journalists differ from those of the organization (16). For example, journalists often seek to reveal sensational or negative aspects of a situation (9), while most organizations seek to avoid controversy. Thus staff may hesitate to be forthcoming, fearing that they will be misquoted or have their work discussed unfavorably in public (45). In some organizations the leadership may expect the media relations staff to prevent journalists from writing or airing negative stories. This expectation is unrealistic, of course, because journalists are beyond the organization's control. Adverse stories may appear no matter how skilled an organization's media relations staff is (see Chapter 9.2, Responding to Adverse Coverage). Also, in some organizations the leadership sometimes asks the media relations staff to publicize events and information that have little news value. This practice, if done regularly, can damage credibility with the news media. When tensions mount, good judgment and experience help media relations staff mediate between the interests of the organization and those of the news media. No matter how difficult the situation becomes, the best policy usually is to remain open, cooperative, and professional. |