Page 196 - Convergent Journalism an Introduction Writing and Producing Across Media

MULTIMEDIA PUBLIC RELATIONS

Journalist A. J. Leibling once observed that freedom of the press belongs to
those who own one. The Web enables everyone to own a digital press. (Pavlik
& Dozier, 1996, p. 3)

What has not changed, however, is the fundamental nature of com-
munication. This chapter will attempt to review the most significant
advances in multimedia and address their use by public relations prac-
titioners. The fundamental theme we’ll work from is the frequently
used adage, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

Public Relations in the Digital Age: What’s Changed
and What Hasn’t

What Has Changed
Digital public relations guru Don Middleberg calls it Internet time
(2001, p. 18), but however you label it, there can be no argument
that public relations in a wired world has to be accomplished rapidly.
186 You all grew up using computers and think nothing of being online
surfing the Net while IM’ing your friends, watching cable TV, and
talking on your cell phone. All of this instant communication that you
find fabulous today will create one of your greatest challenges on entry
into the workforce. Your peers in the news business have also grown
up with this technology and are comfortable with it. More and more
corporate executives are comfortable with it as well. With all these
folks understanding how to effectively use multimedia in public rela-
tions, it certainly behooves us to maintain pace with advancements in
technology.
One of the greatest changes that has occurred in conducting public
relations in a wired world is the speed of communication. No longer do
practitioners have the luxury of time on their side. “Strategic planning”
has almost become a thing of the past.
The news cycle used to be dictated by newspaper and evening news
broadcast deadlines. Practitioners usually had several hours at least to
track down information once a reporter called to ask questions. Today,
as media relations expert Carole Howard notes, the news cycle is no
longer expressed in terms of days, or even hours, but in minutes and
seconds (2000, p. 10). The Internet has created an instant demand
for information, and the demand does not cease with the release of
information. The wired environment requires frequent updates.