XXI century Media relations — new challenges for PR protessionals

Wojciech Jabłoński

In the XXIst century often called „the age of communication” press relations/media relations became a key term for every modern organisation. A company which wants to be heard and understood in the mass communication reality employs a staff of public relations professionals. The main objective of these people during last hundred years has remained the same: to initiate and maintain mutually profitable relations with the press as the powerful gatekeeper of news. But the situation has changed. Today's reporters are eyen more powerful in the field of managing news (especially TV journalists) but much less eager to co-operate with PR professionals. On the one hand, journalists are sensitive about public relations sincerity, on the other — it does not seem they understand the substance of PR. People of the press often become victims of so-called pseudo-events. The essence of a bit of news is less irnportant that the attractive image of the bit itself („image journalism”). But eyen more often reporters tends to ignore events planned by PR professionals and create their own press events claiming to possess the monopoly on truth. There is no time for credihle explaining of the reality. And the level of trust between the two sides responsible for serving the public (PR men - reporters) is dramatically low. Can society receive honest news? Not only journalists but also PR professionals face the most important challenges in their mutual history.

KEYWORDS

Public relations, media relations, pseudo-events, image journalism, information