Media Relations: Relationship Building

In an interview mentioned in PR Tactics and The Strategist Online, Hope Heyman, a senior vice president in Edelman’s New York office talked about the relationship between public relations and business journalism. Heyman mentioned how journalists and PR practitioners have diminished interaction, how fewer young people rely on newspapers as a news source and how younger and entry-level PR practitioners handle media relations. I agree with Heyman. PR practitioners do communicate more and more via e-mail and the time isn’t taken to cultivate relationships with various media outlets.

Heyman also mentioned that media relations is not valued at many large PR agencies. While I have not had any experience in large PR agencies I have worked in the communications offices of a government and educational entity. A small amount of time is dedicated to media relations. In both settings, our contact with the media was limited to pitching news stories and fielding media inquiries. I expected more interaction between the media and communications office, but more emphasis was placed on other methods of disseminating information, such as the Web site and in-house publications.

While searching for jobs I have noticed that one of the main job responsibilities of entry-level PR practitioners and interns is media relations. Young and relatively inexperienced people are expected to pitch stories, create media lists and handle media relations. The media is an important public and a beneficial tool to reach other publics as well for any business. Reporters and journalists have enough pressure trying to meet deadlines and having to go through dozens of pitch letters to have to deal with a young and naïve PR practitioner. Sometimes, I have sensed a journalist’s frustration as an intern when he needed information immediately and I was unable to provide it. Cultivating and maintaining positive relationships with the media is necessary and more time and effort should be dedicated to increasing interaction between journalists and PR practitioners.