A look at the rapidly evolving world of journalism and media relations, two fields whose fundamental truths remain unchanged.
A well known derogatory term for a public relations professional who works in media relations is “flack.” There is no precise definition of the term so we were pleased when Philadelphia Magazine ran a survey in a story headlined “Am I a Flack?” If you answer yes to at least four of the questions, according [...]
Read more →We have long enjoyed the revealing results of an international survey of journalists conducted in the 1990s by Jericho Promotions, Inc., of New York. Almost 2,500 journalists responded to the survey that sought to determine journalists’ views of public relations people and their relationship to the news media. Among the findings: When asked whether they [...]
Read more →The nationally syndicated columnist had this to say about the publicity staple: “A news release is an article that has been typed up by a public relations professional hired by a client who wants to get certain information published, which is then mailed out to several thousand newspapers, almost all of which throw it away [...]
Read more →Leon Lederman, 1988 Nobel Prize winner and former director of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, on the importance of communicating science and the need for journalists and scientists to better understand each other. “I have the naive idea that all science can be communicated. Whether it can be packaged in 90 seconds or 900 seconds [...]
Read more →During our years at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh we taught an undergraduate public relations class and often invited in guest lecturers so we could avoid any real work in preparing for the class. One of the very best folks we brought in was then Newsweek education editor Dennis Williams, who later joined the faculty [...]
Read more →We’ve always admired Dick Jones, president of Dick Jones Communications in Pennsylvania. He has always been a thought leader in the higher education public relations field. A good example is this advice he provides as you confront the sometimes very difficult task of generating publicity for your institution’s commencement. There are about 3,000 colleges and [...]
Read more →Despite the claims of public relations agencies and others, their “contacts” in the news media are not the keys to news coverage. The actual keys, according to journalists, are a story’s relevance to readers, its newsworthiness, its content and the local angle. That said, it is important to hire someone who has a professional relationship [...]
Read more →Bill Tyson, president of Morrison and Tyson Communications in Walpole, N.H., is one of the nation’s leading experts on national media relations. For more than a quarter century Bill has focused on helping colleges and universities get their stories told in the national news media. We’ve always appreciated Bill’s sound and well reasoned advice, so [...]
Read more →