• On News Media and Media Relations

    A look at the rapidly evolving world of journalism and media relations, two fields whose fundamental truths remain unchanged.

    Faculty Productivity a Long-Time Issue

    by  • December 2, 2011 • On News Media and Media Relations

    Faculty productivity has become a major issue these days, fueled by arch-conservative politicians such as Texas Gov. Rick Perry, but this topic has been around for a long, long time. It is extremely difficult for the public to comprehend or relate to the realities of a typical faculty member’s workday, his or her responsibilities and […]

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    Find Out if You are a Flack

    by  • December 2, 2011 • On News Media and Media Relations

    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 […]

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    Journalist Survey Showed How News People Really Feel about PR

    by  • December 2, 2011 • On News Media and Media Relations

    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 […]

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    Humorist Dave Barry on the Press Release

    by  • December 2, 2011 • On News Media and Media Relations

    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 […]

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    Nobel Prize Winner on the Importance of Communication about Science

    by  • December 2, 2011 • On News Media and Media Relations

    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 […]

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    Some Tips for One Tough Assignment: Commencement Publicity

    by  • December 2, 2011 • On News Media and Media Relations

    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 […]

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    A Primer on How to Get Started in National Media Relations

    by  • December 2, 2011 • On News Media and Media Relations

    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 […]

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