Most people
want to know that the work they do in life has a purpose. And since joining the
PR profession six years ago, this has been a question at the forefront of my mind.
What value
has this campaign really had for the
organisation I’m representing? How has this news story affected the views or
actions of its audience? How worthwhile have the hours I’ve spent working on
this really been?
In some
elements of PR, these are questions best not answered. But in others, I hope PR
and communications can play a valuable role in shaping the public’s opinion of
an organisation and inspiring people to take actions that will improve their
lives.
This blog
aims to answer some of these questions. It will look at good and bad examples
of PR in the media as they come up and try to understand what is, and what is
not worthwhile.
It won’t be
based on detailed analysis or backed up by thorough insight. But it will be my opinion, based on a knee-jerk reaction and my experiences of working in PR.
It goes
without saying, that these are my views and not those of my employer.
A word on PR and the media…
This may
sound strange, but I was initially extremely sceptical of the role of PR in the
media.
As someone
trained in journalism, I strongly believe in editorial independence. The media
is not, and should never be, a mouth piece for government, big corporations or
even charities and lobbyists. It is one of the most integral parts of our
democratic society.
But what I’ve
also come to believe since joining the
profession is that when organisations create real news or have a case to answer
to, they have a right to be given proper attention in the media.
PR
professionals shouldn’t be the bane of journalists’ lives. The good ones can
play a role in helping the media tell accurate, balanced and exciting stories. They have a really important role to play.
