Sunday, March 20, 2011
Journalists wer my worst nightmare
My Pr Manager gave me the task of providing the media and the public with regular updates about whats happening regarding the power situation in Botswana. The task looked easy when i first started but after 2 weeks it became a bit hectic because i could even receive power inquiries through texts and calls during the weekend from different journalists and during this period the country experienced regular power cuts. I had to to use the knowledge that i had to deal with them and also spent a lot of time researching on materials that could make the task a little bit easier. It wasn't easy during those 2 weeks because i also had to attend a lot of earth hour meetings. It was vital that i attend them because it seemed as if i was the only one who had attended an Earth Hour event before so i had to give them an insight of what really happens during that particular hour. Botswana will be joining countries that will be participating in Earth Hour this year.
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3 comments:
hardwork Mr King it is what make an effective public Relations , hardwork is the key to success. the media is the most people that help you deal with big situations properly they shouldn't be taken for granted, every stakeholder should be satisfied, and be informed about each and every move an organization makes.hahaha! don't worry Mr King, Mr Manager wasn't pushing you but teaching you and making you to be mentally prepared for the industry
I think what makes the power crisis to get more media attention is that Botswana Power Cooperation is a company which provides electricity to people all over Botswana. Imagine if the electricity keep on going off for days . Who should the public turn to for answers. The power crisis did not only affect your organization but the public at large. In such situations people are more curious as they wanted to know what was going on. As such the journalists had a story to tell to the public so they had to do all they can in order to bring the story. During such situations the media will like a pain on the neck. I know its quite stressing when journalists call time and again asking about the same issue. They have the right to do so because we know journalists are the eyes of the public.So as a PR practitioner trapped in that situation it is very vital that you do not act against the journalists even if you know that your organization at fault. . You need to give them the story or else they will make life difficult for you.
During my internship I have learned that journalists are capable of doing anything to get a story.They will do ambush interviews because they know if you are not prepared enough you can panic and say irrelevant information which they can use in order to get the public’s attention.They will call frequently or at times barge in your office with out your consent. This is the time for you to show them that you are very confident about your organization and could be able to give them answers even if they did not tell you they were coming. I have learned that it is very important to be humble,patient towards the journalists as they have the ultimate power to make the company or destroy it.So it is very vital to answer their questions very well. The minute you became aggressive or turn your back on them they will definitely make life difficult for your company as they can smear the company’s image on its key publics . They can switch their story from the power crisis to how impatient and impolite you are. This will definitely make other key publics to lose their trust on organisation.I am glad you did thorough research so that you can be able to answer their questions properly and most importantly give them factual information.
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