I spent the last part of my Wednesday GA shift writing an article about two men who rescued and returned an electric wheelchair to a disabled Columbia man. I used a press release and some interviews to piece together the details of the story. During an accuracy check, one of the men being honored told me the whole story, but asked that I not print it. It was an unexpected turn of events. The men's intentions were still honorable, but definitely complicated the story I had written. We decided not to go to print.
As I biked home that night, I remembered how the media used to prod and dig around the press releases I wrote for Medical Teams International. The reporters would inevitably rewrite my releases and would always question the information I provided. I remember feeling a little insulted that they would question the accuracy of the information I had provided them. I also remember thinking about the dizzying speed at which they fired off questions and turned around the content. As a communications person working for a disaster response NGO, I was used to tight deadlines, but the media world seemed to be on fast forward, even for me.
It's great to be on the other side of the press release and to finally realize that a good reporter always digs and pieces the information together on their own through a string of interviews and later, through an accuracy check.
The irony of this experience not lost on me. It took a reporting class for me to finally understand public relations.
These two fields are so closely linked, but without a background in journalism, it's no wonder I couldn't understand. If I do write press releases again, my expectations of journalists will be much different than they once were.
One of my professors suggested I write the woman who sent the release and provide her feedback. It's so liberating to provide that kind of feedback. Working for an organization like Medical Teams International sometimes demanded that I bite my tongue. But, journalism demands I provide feedback. It's liberating.
As I biked home that night, I remembered how the media used to prod and dig around the press releases I wrote for Medical Teams International. The reporters would inevitably rewrite my releases and would always question the information I provided. I remember feeling a little insulted that they would question the accuracy of the information I had provided them. I also remember thinking about the dizzying speed at which they fired off questions and turned around the content. As a communications person working for a disaster response NGO, I was used to tight deadlines, but the media world seemed to be on fast forward, even for me.
It's great to be on the other side of the press release and to finally realize that a good reporter always digs and pieces the information together on their own through a string of interviews and later, through an accuracy check.
The irony of this experience not lost on me. It took a reporting class for me to finally understand public relations.
These two fields are so closely linked, but without a background in journalism, it's no wonder I couldn't understand. If I do write press releases again, my expectations of journalists will be much different than they once were.
One of my professors suggested I write the woman who sent the release and provide her feedback. It's so liberating to provide that kind of feedback. Working for an organization like Medical Teams International sometimes demanded that I bite my tongue. But, journalism demands I provide feedback. It's liberating.
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