Page 204 - Convergent Journalism an Introduction Writing and Producing Across Media

MULTIMEDIA PUBLIC RELATIONS

Command from 1999 to 2001. At that time, he was responsible for all
U.S. military public relations needs in 91 countries across Europe, the
Middle East, and Africa. News releases on routine military operations
were posted to the European Command Web site and distributed to
media who had decided to participate by way of our opt-in e-mail
distribution method called a listserv. Often, a majority of interested
news organizations would report the operation solely on the basis of
the information provided by our Web site or the listserv, freeing us to
serve a wider range of media interests.
The Internet and listservs are only a few of the multimedia oppor-
tunities available to the public relations practitioner today. Technolog-
ically aware practitioners can use many other methods to distribute
news, including Web casting, audio- or videoconferencing, online
discussion forums, and text messaging. This allows us to distribute
multimedia packages that enrich the story. Text messaging allows us
to continuously update important media contacts instantaneously.
While technology is great, we must continue to understand the
media’s needs. Not all newsrooms are “wired” and some reporters still
194 prefer to receive material by phone or fax. Those reporters who are
technology savvy may have special format requirements. Firewalls in
some organizations may restrict the size of files that can be sent elec-
tronically. Anti-spam software may prevent reporters from receiving
your e-mail communications. Webcasts and audio- and videoconfer-
encing may not be possible, especially with smaller media outlets
still using dial-up connections. Today’s practitioners have to do even
more homework to ensure they have a complete understanding of their
contacts’ working environments.
Regardless of the environment, we have to make it easy for the
media to tell our story. One size doesn’t fit all, despite the merging of
outlets into media conglomerations. Even if newspapers, magazines,
television, and radio share a geographic location, each must be treated
differently. In the converged world, more effort is required to under-
stand formats, deadlines, and points of contact. The public relations
practitioner must understand all of these requirements.
In working with the media in a wired world, it’s important to
understand the connection between the immediacy of information,
context, and trust. Journalists today turn first to organizational Web
sites for information. This has fundamentally changed the public rela-
tions approach to breaking news. As early as 1999, we practiced a
“Web first” philosophy at U.S. European Command. Today, that is