In chapter six our author discusses media relations. Media relations have become an increasingly important issue for businesses since the beginning of the computer/internet age. The chapter gives background information comparing the traditional method of media relations to the method that is used nowadays. The chapter discuses dealing with the media, gauging your successes with media relations, and planning a positive long term relationship with the media. There is a reoccuring focus on the importance of technology in media relations today. This was also evident in the speech yesterday by IUP representative Michelle Fryling.
When reading the chapter and hearing the discussion yesterday i was intrigued by the difficulties that are presented in protecting the reputation and image of the organization in the technological world we live in today.When the rampant use of blogs and other online forums a business must be careful that their message is the one potential clients read and not the image presented by blogger and others in cyberspace.
A common example of some of the dangers of this are sites like Angie's list. Angie's list allows anyone to post a comment about a business for future potential clients to read and evaluate the business before choosing them. While it's premise is admirable, sometimes the effect of such a service can be disastrous. A company may not be able to recover from a very unfavorable review or it may be very difficult to do. To illustrate how difficult this can be i have listed a link below to an article which gives some examples of how you can re-achieve your previous image or at least diminish the negative views. The article also discusses some other similar sites, such as epinnions and the ebay rating feature.
http://www.cuttingedgepr.com/articles/coming-to-grips-online-reputation.asp
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As Chris mentioned, media relations has undergone a big change since the introduction of the internet. Even more recently the negative and sometimes positive impact of blogging, facebook, and twitter has been felt by companies around the world. In the past, the media relations staff was involved when the company made a mistake. These days, a popular blogger may post something distasteful about a company and the media relations department has to step in and fix the situation.
ReplyDeleteAs a member of the media relations staff I feel you have to understand there are some things you can do nothing about. You have to let the goodwill of your company wash away the rumors and soon they will be forgotten. When dealing with the media you have to think before you speak. It sounds simple but in reality they are waiting for you to say the wrong thing. It will mean high ratings and praise from their boss if they get a news piece that raises eyebrows.
I have never been involved in a media related work incident. I want to use an example from a political point of view to show how media disasters can happen to any organization. The city of Pittsburgh's mayor Luke Ravenstahl used a police vehicle to attend a concert in the city of Pittsburgh. Questions and rants poured in from all over Western Pennsylvania questioning whether he was qualified enough to lead the city of Pittsburgh. This event threw up a red flag and the city's media relations department did everything they could to cover it up and make it go away. This all happened because of a simple bad decision he made that could have been avoided. I have provided the link to the story. http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/14260422/detail.html
Media relations play a huge role in each and every company. Public portrayal means a lot, and great media relations are a key to having success in the public eye. Media relations are tough because you can’t control everything that is said or put out about your company. The key is to remain updated and make sure that everything that can be controlled is done properly.
ReplyDeleteThe internet is the largest source of news these days. Everyday people come to me discussing things they saw over the internet. It’s harder now more than ever to decipher the factual information from the fiction. Corporations are highly affected because a false report from a credible source would hurt them greatly, and unfortunately the internet is considered credible by many people.
I have attached a link that shows an article about the president appointing an openly homosexual lawyer for ambassadorship. This was posted on a website I’m sure everyone is familiar with called mediatakeout.com.
http://mediatakeout.com/external/36032
Media relations plays a vital role in each and every company. As I was reading this post and the comments I kept thinking about how many different kinds of “companies” there are. I know my company has been featured not only in the local media but also in the national media and we have strict rules that we as employees, if we are approached, we do not talk to the media but we refer them to our public relations department. When Chris commented on Angie’s List I immediately thought of a website I have used in college before called ratemyprofessor.com. On this site anyone can post a review about a professor for anyone to see. And then I began to think about celebrities and how they are like their own little business. Some celebrities are involved in everything from movies, to music, to television, to clothing and fragrance lines. Most high profile celebrities alone have a public relations person to deal with their media problems. Attached is a link to an article about the economy’s effect on media relations and celebrities.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.prweekus.com/Economys-effect-on-media-relations-celebrities-more/article/121121/
Companies all need a plan when it comes to media relations, just as Michelle Fryling said in class. During the four years that I worked at IUP in the Memorial Field House as an undergraduate student, we were always instructed that if the media called to never release any information especially when negative things about our program were buzzing about. Our protocol was to forward everything to Michelle Fryling. I can remember specifically when the news stations would call to try to get information from our department during the cheerleader hazing days. Even the writers for the local paper were hanging around more, just to catch any extra information. Any positive news however, was released through the Sports Information office, otherwise Michelle Fryling would take the calls.
ReplyDeleteHere is an article from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette regarding the specific Cheerleader hazing issue.
http://www.postgazette.com/pg/05286/587782-298.stm
I have not had any direct experience with media relations that I can relate on this blog, but I do remember when I was attending Penn State for my undergrad and a girl was killed after falling out of a 7th floor apartment building. The university addressed the situation quickly and effectively in both the school newspaper as well as the State College newspaper. As Ms. Freyling stated, the university divulged only the facts and addressed the situation in a direct and honest manner.
ReplyDeleteHere is a short video that shows examples of the media relations training that the National Football League has all of its incoming rookies engage in so that they will be better prepared to handle the media scrutiny that accompanies being a professional athlete.
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/09000d5d809341b3/Media-relations
Media relations, as noted by some of the members, can be an asset OR a liability. This depends on the timeliness in dealing with a situation, the channels used to convey the message and the clarity of the message when it is received by its target.
ReplyDeleteOne semi-recent mismanagement of media relations can be found in Jet Blue Airlines handling of passangers who were forced to spend hours on airport runways, inside the planes, due to inclement weather.
The passangers were forced to sit on the plane with limited soda and chips, aggitated children and overflowing sewage systems for more than 11 hours.
In the days following JetBlue was slow to release details, offer any apologizes or commit to change. The intial stages of the crisis management were disatorous.
However, the sly CEO David Neeleman, took the opportunity to release a 'passanger bill of rights' and breathe new life into the dying brand.
Had the company come out immdeiately, to direct news sources, apologized, offered comensation and presented a plan to avoid such disasters in the future much grief could have been saved.
This is a HBS case regarding the issue:
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5880.html