Chapter 6Media Relations: Shaping the News

Connection to PRSymbiotic Relationship

Uncontrolled MediaResources for Creating News Stories

PR-Media Connection in the U.S.

• 1900s journalists became public relations professionals.

• Move from newspaper to PR.• Example is Ivy Lee.

Media Connection Lingers

• The Princeton Review describes public relations as follows: “A public relations specialist is an image shaper. Their job is to generate positive publicity for their client and enhance their reputation.”

Dangers of the Media-PR Connection

• PR is equated with publicity.• PR becomes known as spin:– Highlights positives through publicity– Tries to hide the negatives

Media and PR in Perspective

• Media are important public for PR.• Media relations is narrower than PR.• PR deals with a wider array of publics.• We should not confuse the part for the whole.

Media Relation as Skill

• Entry level practitioners must be versed in media relations:– Write news releases– Construct media lists

Means to an Ends

• Media relations helps to achieve larger organizational goals.

• The positive media coverage is means to achieving other organizational goals.

• Larger organizational goals can include:– Reputation building– Product launch and promotion– Creating interest in an issue (issues management)

Symbiotic Relationships with Journalists

• Symbiotic is when two organisms live in close association for a long period of time.

• PR and journalists have over 100 years together.

More on Symbiotic Relations

• At least one of the organisms benefits from the relationship.

Forms of Symbiotic Relationships

• Commensalism: one side benefits but other is unharmed.

• Parasitism: one side benefits and other is harmed.

• Mutualism: both benefit from relationship.• So which is the PR-journalism relationship?

Mutualism or Parasitism

• News media are able to create stories at a lower cost , an information subsidy (benefit).

• PR receives positive stories about the organization (benefit).

• Critics see the relationship as parasitism:– PR is controlling news media for its own ends– PR is corrupting the news

Dynamics of Media Relations

• PR person has certain information to place in the news media.

• PR person crafts message (e.g., news release) and sends it to the news outlet.

• News media representatives decide whether or not to use the information.

• If the information is used, news media representatives decide how to frame the information.

Uncontrolled Media

• News media controls if the information is used and how it will be used.

• Effective media relations requires: – Catching the media’s attention– Shaping how the information is framed

Frame

• A frame is the information selected for the story and framing refers to the process of developing frames.

• Organizations want frames that support their larger objectives.– Positive story about a new product– Favorable portrayal of new CEO

Resources for Creating News Story

News ValuesNews Peg Celebrities

News Values or Newsworthiness

• Timeliness: must be recent.• Impact: does or can affect many people.• Audience interests: appeals to audience for

that outlet—their values and types of stories.• Conflict/oddity: people are drawn to

deviations from the norm, this includes conflict.

News Values or Newsworthiness

• Drama: a good story has the narrative form of conflict, problem, and denouement.

• Human interest: the allure of ordinary people in unusual situations or with unusual experiences.

News Peg

• An event or issue that is already being covered by the media.

• Practitioners can connect their information to the news peg.

Celebrities

• Well known people increases the news value.• Audiences are obsessed with celebrities.• Connecting a celebrity to publicity information

increases the likelihood it will appear in the media.

Beyond News Values

• Must present publicity materials in the proper format.

• Must understand how to target media outlets.• Must understand how to properly distribute

publicity materials.

Risks

• Publicity materials are not used.• Publicity materials are not used as intended.

Why Bother with Media Relations?

• Publics do receive a lot of information from the media.

• Media agenda tells people what is important.• How that information is framed has an effect

on publics.– Shape reputations– Influence support for issues

Filters in the Propaganda Model

• Large corporations owning and operating the media for profit.

• Dependency on advertisers for revenue.• Dependence on government and corporate

sources. • Negative responses to media content.• Enemies/anti-communism (Herman and

Chomsky, 1987).

Reflection Points

• Do all organizations and groups deserve the right to engage in publicity?

• Do some groups or individuals have an advantage for shaping media content?

• How do you feel about the propaganda model?

Reflection Points

• How has the use of video news releases (VNRs) hurt public relations?

• Are the problems related to VNRs fair to PR?• What is the relevance of front groups to

media relations?• What can transparency add to discussions

about media relations?