I think the key points to remember from this week’s readings were that media relations are a large part of public relations practice. It is one of the few roles that practitioners undertake that have tangible and easily measured results. Understanding the way the media works and developing relationships with its members was outlined as essential to practitioners. Another key point was that there is a developing interdependence between the media and the public relations profession.
The readings made me think more about public relations practice in that it outlined the importance of the media to the profession of public relations and gave a detailed analysis of the ways in which the media operates by giving examples of the structure of a news room, outlined the news values that media gatekeepers use to decide whether or not a story is news worthy, and described the differing types of media such as print, radio and television.
The chapter's outline of the different tools practitioners have at their disposal when dealing with the media such as media kits, fact sheets, backgrounders, feature articles expanded my knowledge of such things to more than just the media release, which I was familiar with from the professional writing course we all did last semester. I also found the section on holding media conferences really interesting ,and going by the amount of attention to detail required and the quote - “remember, at a media conference no one will notice the things that go right, but they will notice and remember the things that go wrong” - it sounds like somewhat of a thankless job!
I commented on Alexandra's blog.
http://cmns1290alexandranorman.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
The Legal Environment & Ethics
The Legal Environment
I think the key points to remember from this week’s reading on the legal environment were that it is very important for a public relations practitioner to be aware of the legal environment in which they are operating when making decisions, as the function that they perform can leave them open to the torts of defamation and negligence. Formulation of a legal strategy is essential for organisations in order to prepare themselves against any problems that may arise in these areas.
Before reading this chapter I was not aware of the extent that legal matters effected PR practitioners in their day to day roles. It reinforced to me the fact that public relations practice is a serious business that plays a role in higher management of organisations.
Ethics
I think the key points to remember from this week’s reading on ethics were that in order to further enhance the standing of public relations as a professional practice it essential that practitioners act in an ethical manner in all respects. The reading outlined that practitioners may often be faced with ethical challenges whereby they may have to choose whether what management believes to be in the best interest of the organisation is also in the best interests of its publics or stakeholders. This is where the best practice model of two-way symmetrical communication comes into play, with a practitioner mediating between the organisation and stakeholders in order to provide actions which are in the best interest of both parties and are undertaken in an ethical manner.
The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that ethical considerations will come into play when playing the roles of counsellor, advocate, corporate monitor and corporate conscience within your organisation. As with the Law readings, it reinforced the fact that the role of PR practitioner encompasses many different functions of an organisation.
I commented on Nicole's blog.
http://cmns1290nicolemagripilis.blogspot.com/
I think the key points to remember from this week’s reading on the legal environment were that it is very important for a public relations practitioner to be aware of the legal environment in which they are operating when making decisions, as the function that they perform can leave them open to the torts of defamation and negligence. Formulation of a legal strategy is essential for organisations in order to prepare themselves against any problems that may arise in these areas.
Before reading this chapter I was not aware of the extent that legal matters effected PR practitioners in their day to day roles. It reinforced to me the fact that public relations practice is a serious business that plays a role in higher management of organisations.
Ethics
I think the key points to remember from this week’s reading on ethics were that in order to further enhance the standing of public relations as a professional practice it essential that practitioners act in an ethical manner in all respects. The reading outlined that practitioners may often be faced with ethical challenges whereby they may have to choose whether what management believes to be in the best interest of the organisation is also in the best interests of its publics or stakeholders. This is where the best practice model of two-way symmetrical communication comes into play, with a practitioner mediating between the organisation and stakeholders in order to provide actions which are in the best interest of both parties and are undertaken in an ethical manner.
The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that ethical considerations will come into play when playing the roles of counsellor, advocate, corporate monitor and corporate conscience within your organisation. As with the Law readings, it reinforced the fact that the role of PR practitioner encompasses many different functions of an organisation.
I commented on Nicole's blog.
http://cmns1290nicolemagripilis.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Week 5 Readings - Strategic Planning
I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were that undertaking careful strategic planning is of paramount importance when putting together a public relations program.
The Johnston & Zawawi reading highlighted the importance of strategic thinking to PR practitioners when planning a PR program and outlined the steps to be taken when formulating strategy. These included mission statements, which they say should run parallel with the overall vision of the organisation that the plan is being formulated for. Key performance indicators, or KPI's for short, where suggested as being valuable in evaluating PR performance, although in some instances results in this field can be difficult to quantify. The reading also mentioned the importance of budgeting, scheduling, checklists and calenders to strategic planning.
The Tymson & Lazar reading went along somewhat similar lines although I found it to be a lot clearer and easier to understand, and also a lot more interesting. It provided a basic model of a PR program which it breaks up into four main stages, those being:
Set objectives -> Plan & Budget -> Implement program -> Evaluate
These four stages can be fleshed out significantly by listing the specific functions and tasks of each section of the model in order to provide a more detailed plan. It also noted that in some instances the evaluate stage would then lead back to the setting of objectives. This being in the case of a similar program being planned or in the instance of a long term program which may play out over a long period of time and which would require constant evaluation & evolution of every part of the model.
The reading made me aware of the ways in which practitioners define target audiences, establish current opinions through research, the different methods of research that can be undertaken, and the ways you can ensure you are setting sound objectives when planning a public relations program. It also outlined the different types of campaigns that can be undertaken within a PR program, the different types of media that can be utilised, ways to prepare budgets, the pro's and con's of in-house and consultancy PR work, and important things to do when implementing a program.
Overall I found this comprehensive reading to be extremely helpful in making me aware of what goes into the planning of a public relations program. The reading made me think more about public relations practice in that it broke down the process of planning and implementing a PR program into specific sections and provided a case study (AMP Olympic torch relay sponsorship) which enabled me to gain a better understanding of said processes.
I commented on Taegan Reid's blog:
http://taeganreidcmns1290.blogspot.com/
The Johnston & Zawawi reading highlighted the importance of strategic thinking to PR practitioners when planning a PR program and outlined the steps to be taken when formulating strategy. These included mission statements, which they say should run parallel with the overall vision of the organisation that the plan is being formulated for. Key performance indicators, or KPI's for short, where suggested as being valuable in evaluating PR performance, although in some instances results in this field can be difficult to quantify. The reading also mentioned the importance of budgeting, scheduling, checklists and calenders to strategic planning.
The Tymson & Lazar reading went along somewhat similar lines although I found it to be a lot clearer and easier to understand, and also a lot more interesting. It provided a basic model of a PR program which it breaks up into four main stages, those being:
Set objectives -> Plan & Budget -> Implement program -> Evaluate
These four stages can be fleshed out significantly by listing the specific functions and tasks of each section of the model in order to provide a more detailed plan. It also noted that in some instances the evaluate stage would then lead back to the setting of objectives. This being in the case of a similar program being planned or in the instance of a long term program which may play out over a long period of time and which would require constant evaluation & evolution of every part of the model.
The reading made me aware of the ways in which practitioners define target audiences, establish current opinions through research, the different methods of research that can be undertaken, and the ways you can ensure you are setting sound objectives when planning a public relations program. It also outlined the different types of campaigns that can be undertaken within a PR program, the different types of media that can be utilised, ways to prepare budgets, the pro's and con's of in-house and consultancy PR work, and important things to do when implementing a program.
Overall I found this comprehensive reading to be extremely helpful in making me aware of what goes into the planning of a public relations program. The reading made me think more about public relations practice in that it broke down the process of planning and implementing a PR program into specific sections and provided a case study (AMP Olympic torch relay sponsorship) which enabled me to gain a better understanding of said processes.
I commented on Taegan Reid's blog:
http://taeganreidcmns1290.blogspot.com/
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