I deal with shit like this all the time. It's shameful when a member of my own profession (fledging as my career may be) doesn't get it. Doesn't understand his role. Doesn't think--and in the process makes us all look bad.
I've struggled internally with the concept of working in communications and performing public relations tasks as opposed to going into journalism. A lot of that has to do with job security, and some of it has to do with wanting to succeed in communications on my own terms. But the best way for me to do my job is to work with the media, let them know that my job is to help them do their job because, let's face it: my job is the other side of the coin.
Journalists don't get access to business CEOs and government ministers without first going through communications people. In return for access, the communications staff gets to put the organization front and centre and get third-party endorsement for its cause/initiative/whathaveyou. Basic media relations 101. It's so fundamental to communications that the purpose. of. communications. is. to. communicate. And yet so many communicators don't get it. They start acting like politicians, being evasive and offering "no comment" or cockblocking the press. What are you? A fucking press agent? No. No you're not. You're a goddamned public relations professional. Emphasis on professional. And you're giving my kind the reputation as dismissive spin doctors, when I work my butt off to get my story out there and provide the best kind of information I can to journalists who call me.
Stop being a tool and do your job. No organization's ideas are so secret they need to be kept completely confidential, unless those secrets happen to be nuclear missile codes. Otherwise, you're just being an ass and aggrandizing yourself to no good end. Oh, you get press, alright: bad press. And while some may argue that any press is good press, undoing the damage you caused will take a long time, and the media will never fully trust you again. Good job. Way to shoot yourself in the foot. now if you don't mind limping off in that direction, I've got ethical, responsible media relations to conduct.
Friday, December 04, 2009
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1 comment:
Valuable insight as I look to resume my studies in the Pro Writing and Comm program at Grant Mac next year, although much of it was common sensical but that's usually the wisdom that bears repeating.
I've been looking at a fairly new field of academic study known as informatics that I was only recently made aware of in my random surfings on the web that might be of interest in relation to the broader topics of information processing.
Some further considerations:
If a journalist was trying to cover a story on roosters or trying to secure an interview with a rooster for some reason and was faced with a difficult PR person, "cockblocking the press" would become very literal in its accuracy.
There are many "fucking press agents" representing clients in the adult film industry.
I'm also thinking that a "goddamned public relations professional" would have a hell of a time finding work with religious organizations.
Cheers to your wise rage.
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