Page 198 - Convergent Journalism an Introduction Writing and Producing Across Media

MULTIMEDIA PUBLIC RELATIONS

provides us with many of the most salient characteristics of inter-
personal communications. There is more of a sense of face-to-face
communications in a greater variety of message channels than before.
This interaction touches more of our senses, giving us more two-way
communication and the very real sense of dialogue and relationship
building for the long haul.
It’s already apparent that the changes in technology dictate that
communications is an ongoing process rather than just a collection of
tactics. The diversity of media outlets argues for a greater strategic role
for the practitioner and the shedding of the tactician role. Practitioners
are moving more toward a thinking and planning role and away from a
“doing” role. In this vein of thought is the forecast that public relations
practitioners will move from “firefighters to crisis managers” (Lattimore
et al., 2004, p. 386). Practitioners are also shifting away from short-
term gains and manipulation to long-term relationship development
along with understanding, negotiation, and compromise.
All of this new technology has also provided more opportunities to
do things that, while not illegal, are certainly on the margins of ethical
188 conduct. Therefore, the need to stress ethics in public relations is also
greater than ever before. Marilyn Laurie, president of Laurie Consult-
ing and Ball State University’s 2004 Vernon C. Schranz Distinguished
Lecturer in Public Relations, spoke of creating a climate of trust while
at the helm of AT&T’s public relations efforts that is particularly appli-
cable to us today. Her philosophy mirrors that of Arthur W. Page, who
served as vice president of public relations for AT&T from 1927 to
1946. This philosophy dictates that AT&T should conduct its public
relations as if the entire company depended on it.
In the past, the goal of public relations practitioners was usually
to ensure that information on the organization was both accurate and
timely. Today, the need for complete transparency is essential to ensure
our target publics have the necessary information to make informed
decisions. With the enormous number of message channels available
today, the practitioner who is able to create an open atmosphere and
a free flow of information will be the one viewed as most credible.
While many of the writing and design principles for two-dimensional
publications and broadcast outlets remain the same, writing and
designing for multimedia also requires us to think a little differently.
Multimedia delivers messages through a combination of text, sound,
and images, so our writing has to address the needs of print, broadcast,
and online media. Complex subjects need to be broken into smaller