Posts Tagged: Reporters

3 Rules for Gov Communicators to Master Media Relations (Part II)

Fostering effective media relations can be a challenging endeavor for anyone, including public sector communicators. This is due, in large part, to a history of adversarial relations between government and the so-called Fourth Estate. Thus it’s essential for government communicators to break down this firewall and build bridges instead. With this in mind, you shouldRead… Read more »

3 Rules for Mastering Media Relations — And Why it Still Matters (Part I)

With all the perpetual hype surrounding the proliferation of social media it appears that traditional media are becoming the unwanted stepchildren in today’s fast evolving mobile, digital and virtual world. Yet despite a conspicuous shift in the media landscape caused by the 21st century Information Age, tens of millions of Americans still consume news thatRead… Read more »

3 Keys to Successful Media Relations for Federal Communicators

NOTE: This post is sponsored by the Federal Communicators Network (FCN) Many feds are not fond of the press. In nightmares, feds worry about the programs they steward ending up “on the front page of the Washington Post,” with program weaknesses perhaps magnified by inaccurate reporting. However, as a government communicator it may be yourRead… Read more »

Media Relations: Shaping the Story — Part 2

In situational media relations, the perspectives of Government communicators and journalists (journos) may differ regarding conventional communications methods. Sometimes these differences are gaping on both macro and micro levels – that is, within Government agencies and news organizations. Evolution of the media landscape As the 21st century media landscape evolves at light-speed, with the increasingRead… Read more »

Media Relations: Shaping the Story — Part 1

“Everything here is negotiable…” Those are the words of a Washington Post reporter in a recent email to key sources for a coveted front page article. Included in the email was a working draft copy of the story. The news outlet Texas Observer obtained copies of the emails and broke the news…that is, the newsRead… Read more »

Talking to Reporters: Ten Tips

(pictured above: newsroom in action) For some Government employees — especially those not schooled in the art of public affairs and media relations — speaking to reporters may cause more anxiety than giving a big speech. PR-types often call upon SMEs, subject matter experts (a.k.a. “policy wonks”) to respond to technical and legal media inquiriesRead… Read more »

Social Media and Stress in Communications

Http://LeonardSipes.Com I wrote “Stress and Public Relations” last week and received comments and questions via e-mail, LinkedIn and Twitter. Most debated the reasons for stress in communications but several suggested that social media was a contributing factor. The original article was based on a findings from CareerCast/PR Newser on the ten most stressful jobs. Summary:Read… Read more »