Today's Media Relations Workers

One of the important aspects of public relations is being able to work with the press. Helping them connect with sources, arranging interviews, fielding their questions, and providing them background information are key components of what the media relations worker does. While an organization's top public relations officer certainly interacts with reporters, it is the media relations professional that works most closely with the press. This is no small thing, of course, as how effective of a job this person does often determines the kind of public image or reputation their organization has. Without question, the attitude reporters have toward an organization is influenced by the relationship they have with its media liaison.


I am not certain media relations workers of today are as effective as they used to be. I do not base this perception on any tangible evidence. Instead, I base it more on the background of those who are entering into the public relations profession these days. In the beginning days of public relations, the greater majority of those working in the field were former journalists. As they had proven skills in communication, organizations and businesses turned to these men and women to oversee their public relations efforts. Two of the strengths they brought with them were a thorough knowledge of the press as well as an affinity for what reporters were interested in and what they had to do to compile and produce stories for their respective newspaper or television station.


Nowadays, the majority of those working in media relations are not coming from the press. Instead, they are coming from college or university-level public relations programs. As a result, while these newly-minted professionals may have a certain level of knowledge of the press, what they lack is the hands-on intellectual and emotional connection with reporters their predecessors had. Consequently, the ties between media relations workers and reporters is not nearly as strong as it used to be. Perhaps one step colleges and universities can do to address this dynamic is to have their communication students take internships with local media outlets. Such an experience would give these future media relations workers a valuable tool from which to draw when they begin working with the press.