Press Relations

Quick. What does it mean when February and March arrive? For those of you said "It's the beginning of a new baseball season," then go to the head of the class. You are right. Spring training is now underway as the players report for duty to prepare for another season of over 160 games and lots of travel. The season officially begins in early April, but between now and then the players will be getting back into the groove, vieing for starting positions and once again return to the attention of their fans and media scrutiny. There are many sports, of course, but none quite like baseball, a game that has been with us for nearly 200 years.

This reminds of a guy named Ed Doherty. Doherty was a public relations manager who worked for the Boston Red Sox back in the late 1930s and into the 1940s. The team owner Tom Yawkey hired Doherty to improve relations with the press. Unfortunately, Doherty, as described by one observer, "considered the writers parasites and made no attempt to conceal his contempt for them." Given that, it is no surprise that relations between the Red Sox and those writers that covered it were quite poor. If that wasn't bad enough, Yawkey fired Doherty and replaced him with a guy named Larry Woodall who disliked reporters even more. Go figure. Needless to say, press relations did not improve.

A key aspect of any public relations worker's job involves interacting with reporters. While some reporters may not be all that much fun to work with, the fact is the great majority are a hard-working bunch who care much about about being good and credible communicators. Press or media relations are vital to the success of public relations. It helps if one has at least a healthy regard for the efforts of and even the role reporters play in society. Successful public relations practitioners should have a solid appreciation and understanding of the work required of reporters, particularly if they are going to have a respectful working relationship with them. The last thing any organization needs is a Doherty or Woodall.