Hi everyone
So today, I will talk about the importance of media in
Public Relations. Yes, since the first module of Public Relations we have been
taught how media is a key feature when passing key messages towards the
different stakeholders. I was asked by
my supervisor at Imagine Communications to update their media overview of the
different media outlet in Mauritius and the outer island in the Indian Ocean.
Each form of media is very important from broadcast, to
print and now online press. Coming back to my work I was expected to do a
research on each media available in Mauritius. The first thing was to check
whatever the journalist from a list of previous database was still working for this
media company. One thing that I witnessed is that in Mauritius, journalists
frequently switch their job in press agencies.
Knowing where the journalist works, solidify one important
aspect of Public Relations which is good media relationship. The aim is to
build ongoing relationships with journalists and media sources. The more and
better relationships PR agencies can build the more influence they can exert on
the media. This would be very helpful in case there is a crisis.
The media overview on which I worked at Imagine
Communication is used when a new client request the service of the PR agency.
The document worked as a facilitator for the client to know which news angle
would be suitable a media outlet. For me personality, for me personally, it was
enriching to learn about the different media outlet present in Mauritius. Before
my internship at Imagine Communications, I did not know for example newspaper
like ‘Le Journal Du Dimanche’ or ‘Minority Voice’ existed in Mauritius.
That’s all for now…Stay tune…more to come !
Julien Vincent Thomas
15625906
CTI
3 comments:
Hey Vincent.
I can completely relate to your experience, updating media databases was also a big part of my internship experience.
The business world is all about having contacts an both an individual and company level so the maintenance of these lists is very important.
One of my jobs at strategic communications agency Cannings Purple was to update these lists. This involved calling up a lot of businesses and asking for contact details. It was interesting encountering different policies between companies. Some companies were happy to give out contact details where others had to ask the individual or flat out refused.
PR agencies often release a lot of different communications to a variety of media outlets and with different message targets it's important to have lists to save time and differentiate between media.
Your experience in Mauritius sounds fantastic, it's great to get a new perspective on PR outside of Australia. Best of luck with the rest of your internship.
Richard.
Hi Vincent,
during my internship i also came to realize how important it was to have an updated media database when the agency wanted to pitch its news stories.
Having good relationships with the journalists is also very important. It is mainly done by providing them with newsworthy elements, complete details and providing them these documents on time, and eventually at a time that suits them. Journalists are said to be very busy with all news stories reaching them every day, so it is the PR person's role to make the journalist want to write about a particular subject.. A whole lot of work that is!
Hope you enjoyed your internship, with all we've learned and the experience gained..
Kimberley CUNDEN..
Hello Vincent!
I guess it has required many time and patience to do all that research about the journalists. A time consuming task that still has a lot of importance...
As aspiring PR professional, you must by now have understood that one of the main roles of a PR practitioner is to provide content to journalists so that they can write news stories on our client. This way, it gives more credit to the information for after all, the media is the fourth estate.
Knowing how different news agencies operate can help a lot into crafting better messages and to create news angle that will get them to write an article about your client's event for example.
Moreover, knowing who does what can be very handy when you have to invite journalists for a press conference for example. Not every journalist will be interested into attending the press conference if it does not cover his domain.
By knowing what a journalist cover, you can send him e-mails about what interests him. This way, you know that you are not sending an invitation in vain.
Regards,
Anne Marie Deborah Perne.
15636649
Charles Telfair Institute.
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