Does media relations still matter?

Media relations was undoubtedly a core competence for public relations practitioners in the twentieth century.

A quarter of the way through this century, there’s a case to be made that it represents the past rather than the present or future.

Most obviously, journalists have lost the monopoly on news and a generation is emerging into the workplace that gains its news from social media rather from the print or broadcast media.

And yet the proliferation of unmediated social media channels and the problem of misinformation and disinfomation mean that authoritative and trusted channels are more needed than ever. While the business model that has funded most quality journalism may be failing, society’s need for independent journalism has never been greater.

Besides, long established habits are slow to change and just as it’s been a struggle to wean some off false measures such as AVEs, many practitioners still view media coverage as a central purpose of their public relations activity. While many aspects of corporate communication are contested domains (human resources may claim responsibility for internal communication, say, or lawyers lay claim to reputation management) PR’s ownership of media relations is rarely questioned.

So the PR Academy team led by Ann Pilkington has produced A Practical Guide to Media Relations, Press Releases, and Effective Media Management published today.

Read our media relations briefing

Let’s explain why this is needed now.

A new graduate joining a public relations team this year will have been born in the twenty-first century. They have only ever known a world of smartphones, social media, apps and streaming services. They will never have developed a newspaper reading habit. 

Then they meet their boss or a key client who may be 50-something and whose formative experiences were from growing up in a world of analogue media. The boss or the client still privileges the major media. That’s because they can count cuttings in the print media; they can copy and brag about appearances in the broadcast media. 

So they push the new graduate to achieve some coverage in their prized titles and programmes.  

They will certainly find the major media a hard nut to crack. It’s not only bruisingly hard dealing with journalists; they can’t see the point. It’s a potential point of conflict with the new boss or client.  

The media and society 

Former prime minister Margaret Thatcher is often reported as saying ‘you can’t have a free society without a free press.’ 

She was a champion of the free market and she recognised that just as free markets bring a choice of products and services, so a free press brings a choice of opinions and world views. Ultimately, democracy depends on the choices of citizens in the privacy of the polling station, and those views are informed by the media. 

The freedom of the press is a defining characteristic of free market democracies, and it’s a foundational principle taught to trainee journalists. 

‘Why do they hate us so much?’ is a question I’d often be asked in past media relations roles. The honest answer was: ‘it’s not just you, they hate everyone.’ 

Journalists thrive on being outsiders, on speaking truth to power. They love nothing more than bringing down the rich and powerful. 

In the case of corrupt and lying politicians, this can serve a valuable function in a democracy. As it can in society when powerful individuals are exposed as bullies and sexual predators. 

It appears much more questionable when the media monsters a celebrity or sportsperson for some perceived moral failing. This may interest people (and sell papers), but it’s less clearly in the public interest. 

And this exposes a paradox in the media’s perception of itself as fearless fighters for truth. How can journalists claim to be independent voices championing truth when so many clearly dance to a tune played by a rich and powerful proprietor who has a clear political agenda? 

This may not sound like it concerns the majority of people working in comms roles, but public relations operates in the public sphere and practitioners need to be alert to public opinion and questions of public policy. 

Let’s cite a topical example. Most businesses and especially those that are stock market listed and so answerable to shareholders seek to take a long-term view. They want to maximise profits today but are also alert to the need to sustain the business over the medium to long term. Institutional investors demand this focus: it’s called strategy. 

This means that responsible businesses will have policies on environmental sustainability and have social policies promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Rules on governance will ensure that no one individual can become too powerful. Collectively policies on environmental sustainability, social and governance issues are known as ESG. 

So far, so sensible. Businesses are taking a long-term view of protecting their own interests and preserving their licence to operate in the face of various – and often conflicting – stakeholder demands. 

By contrast, democratic politicians are driven by short-term agendas. The electoral cycle is years rather than decades; the media agenda forces them to focus on the here and now. 

Let’s turn this on its head. Let’s say some in the media decide they want to wage a war on ‘woke’ institutions since this is a wedge issue designed to force people to to one side or another of a political dividing line. They know that elected politicians will also dance to their tune and magnify the message. 

So what better way to do this than to pick on a high profile institution (a stock market listed retailer, say, a police force, hospital or well-known charity) and expose its lack of focus on its core mission (whether profits, arresting and convicting criminals, making patients better or protecting landscapes and historic buildings) by an apparently distracting management focus on ‘woke’ issues such as celebrating Pride Month. 

What’s public is also political and in this game the media acts as agent provocateur. 

Journalists have an important role to play in a free society, but they’re not your friends. Nor are they necessarily neutral reporters of news; they are active seekers of stories that fit with their agenda. 

Some may be tempted to work around the media in their gatekeeper role, in the knowledge that there are many direct and indirect ways to communicate with the public other than through established media channels. 

It’s tempting, but not always wise. That’s because with unlimited information available, how do we know what to pay attention to? Journalists have an important role in selecting and presenting stories in a way likely to interest the public. They are, in short, important influencers in the social media age. Their very independence gives them added credibility.  

Our briefing aims to provide a primer and practical toolkit for media relations and news release in the age of digital and social media.

Read our media relations briefing