9. Public Opinion

When many people consider the function of public relations, their first thought is: “Those are the folks who deal with the media." And although public relations does far more than deal with the media, that certainly is an important aspect of the job. Media coverage can have signifi­cant positive or negative impacts on every aspect of an organization's opera­tions. Public confidence and public support are often determined by the treatment an issue receives in the press and on radio and television.

If a public relations practitioner is to work effectively with the media, he or she must understand how the media function and how reporters work. Insights into journalists' views of public relations and into the working rela­tionship of journalists and public relations practitioners are also essential. Public relations practitioners must be prepared (and must prepare others) to deal with the media face-to-face. Finally, practitioners must be proficient in the art and craft of publicity and knowledgeable about the tools used to gain media attention.

2. Speak of the different opinions on puiblic relations practitioner.

3. Answer the questions to the text.

1. What impact can media coverage have on every aspect of an organization’s operations?

1. 2. What must a public relations practitioner understand if he or she wants to work effectively with the media?

3. How do public relations practitioners view journalists?

4. What feelings have journalists toward public relations practitioners?

5. What are the three direct ways of intentionally reaching the media? Explain each of them with your own examples.

1. 2. 1. Read the text.

2. The Relationship between Journalists and Practitioners

1. The Reporter's View of the Public Relations Practitioner

Journalists often view public relations practitioners as people who make their livings by using the media to their own advantage. Sometimes considered par­asites and referred to as flacks or worse, editors often alert young reporters against public relations wiles. As one guidebook for newspaper editors warns: "Your job is to serve the readers, not the man who would raid your columns."

An investigation of journalists' attitudes toward public relations prac­titioners revealed generally negative attitudes. Closer examination of the data suggested, however, that in certain cases the journalists' responses were con­tradictory. For instance, while a majority of journalists (59 percent) agreed that public relations and the press are partners in the dissemination of in­formation, they strongly disagreed (72 percent) with the statement, "Public relations is a profession equal in status to journalism."

On the positive side, a sizeable plurality of journalists (46 percent) agreed that the public relations practitioner does work for the newspaper that would otherwise go undone. A substantial minority (40 percent) felt that public relations practitioners are necessary to the production of the daily newspaper, as we know it. Nearly half (48 percent) found that public relations prac­titioners help reporters obtain accurate, complete, and timely news.

At the same time, however, massive majorities of the journalists (84 per­cent) believed that public relations practitioners often act as obstructionists, keeping reporters from the people they really should be seeing and that public relations material is usually publicity disguised as news. Eighty-seven per­cent felt that public relations practitioners too often try to deceive the press by attaching too much importance to a trivial uneventful happening. Journalists sampled in this research seemingly recognized the dependence of modern media on the public relations profession, but at the same time they condemned what they considered to be standard public relations procedures.

The same research indicated that journalists perceived public relations practitioners to be very different, even opposite to themselves, in terms of their value orientation toward news. Moreover, while ranking themselves first in status among sixteen professional categories, they ranked public relations last.

These findings suggest that public relations practitioners in general are perceived as manipulators of the press and have low credibility. Such findings, in and of themselves, do not augur well for success in public relations prac­titioners' relationships with journalists. Before leaping to that conclusion, however, we had better take a look at public relations' view of journalism.