Media Relations Tips by YAShuaib

4. ESTABLISH NETWORKING

*           Professional membership is a prestigious association of like minds

*           It is a mandatory requirement for appointment into some offices

*           It provides avenue for consultation and further training

*           Be in a regular contact with professional bodies and the media

*           Have their GSM numbers and Email addresses in your directory for

            regular contact and goodwill messages

*           Establish a bond with media representatives to enable you to remember

            their names or nicknames.

*           Respond politely to their requests and avoid making uncomplimentary remarks

            in their presence.

There are professional associations and fora where a practitioner can update his knowledge and garner further exposure on the dynamics of the profession. Though in advanced communities, there are relevant bodies for media relations, we only have related professional bodies that support their members in Nigeria. There is the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Association of Corporate Affairs Managers in Banks (ACAMB), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and similar other bodies. One thing is to learn a subject; the other is to associate with experts and seek timely professional advice when the need arises.

The advantages of professional membership for a practitioner are numerous. It enhances one’s career, updates knowledge, provides avenue to solve problems, subsidises special and professional products and gives a special recognition to the member. Most of these bodies have codes of professional conduct that guide behaviours and decision making of practitioners. The code also provides strict rules on the DO’S and DON’T’S.

Code of Conduct:

The bodies are not only professional but sometimes serve as watchdogs over their members. They provide various services and programmes for their well-being and that of the society. Some of these include training programmes, conferences, books, magazines, journals and community projects. Some of the best on-the-job-training are better provided in liaison with these bodies.

New entrants gain from networking, especially by imbibing the professional code of conduct that exerts positive impacts of the body on the uplifts and defence of the professions, and provide guiding principles on relationships with the internal public (employers, colleagues, staff) and the external public including the media.

Contact:

Establishing mutual relationships with major stakeholders, like the media ,is very crucial. In this age of GSM, one can easily carry along at all times the names, addresses and telephone numbers of relevant contacts. The diary is a necessary tool that must be handy to all press officers wherever they are. During working or even odd hours of the night, a development may occur which may require a prompt response. Therefore, a media professional must not only have the addresses of the bosses and that of top management staff, but also requires the contacts of relevant and appropriate media.

These days, it is easy to get email addresses of major media establishments and their reporters, as well as their telephone numbers through their websites. A special visit to the media is invaluable for introduction and to seek support. Media relations, in fact, start from interaction with journalists. The relationship should be sustained through phone calls, email messages and occasional distribution of media kits of the organisation.

Right Channels:

It is necessary to point out some bad practices in media relations where press officers deliberately ignore beat correspondents and send press releases to the editors-in-chief. An editor may not act on a story when there is a beat correspondent on ground to cover the establishment from where the story originates. That is why it is better to familiarise with local reporters, rather than deal with the editors. They are the field soldiers who move around to scout for news. In this wise, we should know appropriate reporters or correspondents for an assignment. For instance, you cannot invite a health correspondent to cover a purely financial event or vice-versa. Likewise, it will be very unwise to invite a sports correspondent to interview a political figure unless the issue at stake is related to that beat. 

Though media invitations can be sent to editors or bureau chiefs for the purpose of delegating their reporters to cover events, the stress and cost of inviting senior media men, if not on a special and extremely important assignment, can be avoided. It is better to establish regular cordial relationships with the beat correspondents than with the editors who are saddled with vetting editorial contents and endorsing the publications. It is important to invite appropriate media representatives for specific occasions e.g. reporters for local news, correspondents for press conferences and editors for very significant occasions like exclusive interviews.

It is better to be in a friendly relationship and create easy accessibility with the media most of the time than look for them only when one is in trouble. Apart from storing the names and addresses of media representatives in the GSM telephone, it is also necessary to save the same in the email address books. Another conventional and timely reference source for media contacts is a paste directory on the notice board inside offices for reminders.

No one knows it all. Now and again it is necessary to seek for advice from appropriate quarters. There are guilds of well-informed and skilled experts from whose experiences and expertise one can gain. I have found professional bodies very valuable in handling delicate official assignments. For Public Relations, the relevant associations include the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, the Federation of African Public Relations Associations, and the International Public Relations Association. Other useful associations, though not Nigerian-based, include the Institute of Public Relations, London and the Public Relations Society of America. Associations for writing and media include Association of Nigerian Authors, Nigeria Union of Journalists and the Nigerian Guild of Editors. Some of these professional bodies have criteria for membership. Their leadership is very receptive to even non-members. I have had a cause to seek professional advice from members of these groups, especially Kabir Dangogo of FAPRA, and the doyens of PR in Nigeria, Chief Mike Okereke and Alh. Sabo Mohammed.

Establishing and sustaining rapport with the media is imperative. Incidentally, my brotherly relationship with most of my close acquaintances in editorial teams began at points of disagreements. For instance, my strong objections, through rejoinders, to the writings of columnists Segun Adeniyi of Thisday and Festus Adedayo of the Nigerian Tribune, began our relationships, which have been sustained till date. From the media, I have found very helpful the relations with the Forum of Business Editors and Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria, FICAN. Also supportive are the encouragements from leaders of media bodies like Garba Shehu past president of Guild of Editors and also Sani Zoro former president of NUJ

The advancement in information technology has seen the emergence of internet groups, mostly in Yahoo-Groups where views are expressed, experience shared and solutions proffered for netters who have interest in specific professions, hobbies etc. There are many of such groups on media and public relations, which can be searched on the internet. Media relations officers must establish a network of friendship, consultations and professional support. This must be done in peace times and not necessarily in the wake of crises. With networking, one can sense danger, seek media understanding on unsubstantiated allegations and damaging insinuations, especially on extraneous issues and domestic squabbles. I have had cause in the past to plead against the publication of volatile and sensational stories that got the attention of newsmen.