I did a mini-rant blog post yesterday. A friend called it my “can’t we just all get along” plea. I think some other folks thought I was being a mite naive but here’s my (Modest) Proposal* for changing PR/Journalistic relationships for the better.
Right now, PR people take their marching orders from corporations. (I use this term lightly as I personally know PR folks from non-profits, churches, government entities, industry organizations, politicos, and even individuals. But let’s just use corporations or business for now.) PR people represent “The Man.” Journalists represent “The People.” They work for the greater good to educate the masses, or just a specific population of readers/viewers/listeners. They stand up for all that is good and work to eradicate evil. Really. Ask them.
So what if PR people stopped working for The Man and started working for The People? Journalists would have wonderful research help. They would get all kinds of fantastic information; access to all the secrets that PR people keep. Would journalists respond differently to PR people who are not stooges for The Man? Would there be more of a partnership from both sides?
What do you think? Should PR people stop working for corporations and get their salary from the media?
Oh, wait. The media is currently having trouble paying its own salaries. Hmm. Oh well, back to the drawing board, unless…
Unless you are among those special PR people who already act like you are on the media team. You know who you are. You’re among those who work to:
- Educate the public
- Correct media mistakes and misconceptions
- Partner with journalists and work toward the common good
(*With a tip o’ the hat to Swift, of course.)
The more we realize that its all about relationships and not about pushing messages out and that relationships are two way streets, the better communications and society will be. The problem is that not nearly enough PR people understand that, otherwise why would I continue to get 100 spam press releases a week?