Working with the media or for the media?

I began my college career as a journalist and I am graduating on what some news majors call “the dark side.” When I made my switch from magazine journalism to PR, I thought over exactly what a job in public relations would entail and realized PR has a great deal to do with the media. My question today revolves around this idea of media relations…do PR professionals work with the media, work for the media or work around the media?

I was reading a PR ethics blog, Truth in PR, and I came across a metaphoric post relating PR professionals to dogs. PR Dogs and the Reporters who Love’ Em discusses three elements of doggie-like behavior that PR professionals sometimes exude to the media, including two of the biggest ethical issues in media relations: “Slobbering” and “making messes”.

Blogger Positive O describes slobbering as basically “schmoozing” a journalist for follow-up coverage. Journalists can detect the drool factor and will ignore you. In my opinion, slobbering is related to working for the media. Ethically speaking, a journalist has been taught to never accept any form of gift from a PR professional. Some journalists operate on an ethical sliding scale and accept lunches or other tokens. I’ve seen it in action. The ethical issue with PR professionals comes with ‘buying’ media coverage. This would come with a journalist refusing a story unless you do something for them. This could include lunch at a four-star restaurant, offering multiples of your client’s products or disclosing private information. Advocacy for your client is more important than media coverage and you should not cave to the pressure of a journalist for confidential information.

The bigger ethical problem in this post is the issue of leaving the reporter a big, steaming pile of you-know-what. According to Truth in PR, this occurs when a PR professional provides  a false response to reporters. In my opinion, saying “no comment” is almost as bad. This is what I call working around the media. You leave the reporter with no information. This will not boost your reputation within the media community. If you lie or accidentally give false information, you should always come forward and clean up after yourself. This way, both you and the reporter can save some face.

PR professionals must work with the media to ensure coverage and to build strong working relationships. When you find yourself in a ’slobbery’ situation, you should remember that you are working for your client, not the media. Never disclose confidential information and never buy media coverage. And if a situation arises and you do leave a mess with a reporter, grab that plastic bag and clean it up yourself. Apologize for not only your sake but also the reporter’s and your client’s. Our job is to work with the media to ensure maximum positive coverage and to create strong working relationships with the media.