BOOK REVIEWS ON

A DOZEN TIPS FOR MEDIA RELATIONS

BOOK:                       A Dozen Tips for Media Relations

AUTHOR:                  Yushau A. Shuaib

REVIEWER:             Sani Zorro (former president Nigeria Union of Journalists)

(This review was published in New Nigerian December 31, 2005, The Guardian January 2, and Leadership January 8, 2006)

A dozen tips for media relations is a 145 page affair, including its front and cover jackets. As observed in the previews and testimonies of leading scholars and various leaders of the public relations practice (Ned Barnett USA, Peter L. Walker UK and K Srinivasan India) on the back outside cover, this work is a hand-book, a must-have, a bed-side reference material for all those who care about practical reputation management.

As they say in this clime, it is the morning that shows the day. The content pages of the book capture the readers’ attention and guide him towards what to expect from the main body of the book. Aesthetics wise, while the typesetting is capable of undermining the quality of the topics slightly though, the dedication of the book to the memory of late Alhaji Waziri Kyari Mohammed whom the author described in glowing prose has more than made up for the imperfection.

I also think that Yushau has already succeeded with his project given the caliber and weight of those who have positively testified to the relevance of this particular book. Apart from vibrant editors and writers such as Olusegun Adeniyi of Thisday, Kabir Alabi Garba of The Guardian and Akin Olaniyan of the Independent, the book had also gotten the endorsement of Mallam Kabir Dangogo – without argument a shining authority in both media and public relations practice in Africa. An all-rounder having worked with the NTA, New Nigerian newspapers, USIS, Bank of the North and Union Bank of Nigeria, Kabir who is presently an official of the African Institute of Public Relations, wrote a matter-of-factly foreword to the book.

It is instructive that from the outset, the author had made it clear that this compressed ABCD of public relations is ethically-driven as captured in the preface to the book, on page 12. His first chapter, ‘Know the media’ contains 6 bullet-points which would assist the reader in absolving the fundamentals that need to be known in a summary form. They include knowledge and understanding of the media environment, media hierarchy, strength of various medium, differences between print, electronic media as well as blogging.

I must say that the author had done adequate justice to these sub-topics. He has defined what the media’s responsibilities are, and how they operate especially in the new context of the information and technology revolution.

Of particular interest to me is the argument by the author that media relations as a department of public relations is not yet standardized in the absence of clear ethical principles and code of conduct for practitioners that could help guide its practice in Nigeria.

That’s why I believe lazy practitioners mistake media relations with the denting practice of inducing journalists with money, as opposed to persuasion and other methods of obtaining favourable mention in the media. The author is however not oblivious of the corrupt Nigerian climate.

More out of concern than any other thing, he also laments the great recession that has hit investigative journalism in this country. I cannot agree less that this unfortunate circumstance is partly due to the mobility and loss of trained manpower from the media industry for greener pastures, especially the financial sector.

At a chance meeting with Mallam Kabir Dangogo and President of Nigerian Guild of Editors – Halilu Dantiye in an office a couple of months ago, I had cried out that without substantial investigative reports in Nigeria’s media today, what is really left are public relations from corporate organizations and propaganda by politicians in government. And I stand to be corrected.

I am also impressed that the author has identified as an aberration, the appointment of non-professionals in manning PR beats, especially in government circles. Without mentioning names, he has succeeded in his innuendo on well-known ‘masters-of-ceremonies’ and the spectacular case of our brother, Dr. Doyin Okupe, a medical doctor who became President Obasanjo’s first senior special assistant on media and publicity.

Yushau’s argument is that while such people may look like doing a fine job at the end of the day, the fact remains that they suffer knowledge gaps of the structure and editorial hierarchy of the media, their various house-styles, publics and other factors which only the tutored in the professional would grasp with utmost ease.

Apart from categorizing the media along national and regional lines, he has equally and correctly separated them according to differences in editorial focus, such as financial, political, general, human or special interest publications and programmes, to enable the media relations function arrive at making choices in planning campaigns, sponsored communication or programmes.

A spectacular style of the author is in attaching his varied articles which he calls samplers, to illustrate the 12 chapters of the book. The first of these is a moving dirge in his remembrance of late Joseph Sesebo, before his death, the Group Business Editor of Independent newspapers.

Often, such articles had appeared in various papers in Nigeria and the author truly deserves commendation for considering them appropriate in his present work.

His second chapter is tagged: ‘Understanding the organization’, with 4 templates. These are the need to understand the operation of your organization and its dynamism, its linkages with relevant stakeholders and other publics and examine how channels of communication are coordinated. The fourth is in ensuring that the organization meets the aspirations of its workforce and general expectations in a clear and transparent manner.

Yushau has justified why most public relations departments are directly under the supervision of chief executives (CEOs) of Nigerian private enterprises and government ministries. Apart from tending to the external publics, a PR practitioner worth his salt must also be able to design internal communications policy to close gaps and serve as effective feed-back mechanisms for his employers.

To underscore the need to apply credibility to all PR efforts, he says on page 27 that “an organization must be transparent in its activities before seeking media attention”. Corrupt organizations spend huge sums of tax payers’ money to cover up their nefarious activities”.

‘Studying the boss’ is one of the critical success factors in PR management. Here, the author recalls the propensity by political office holders to appoint their townsmen and strangers as press officers, chief press secretaries or special assistants on media and publicity. That way, trained and experienced hands are displaced and rendered redundant.

He has also prepared the mind of the would-be PRO to realize that not all bosses are media-friendly. In fact and indeed, many are not used to, or do not like their activities to be captured by the media at all. There are those who prefer to operate under the radar for whatever reasons or are too timid to face the media and give account of their stewardship through them.

Although the author has not said so, there are also those who avoid the media like plague, for genuine reasons. Here, I am quoting victims of the media, who had either been misquoted in the past, or blackmailed altogether by a section of us. Regrettably, such cases are going out of hand these days.

In addition, would-be PRO’s should stop thinking that their bosses are obligated to accept their suggestions or advises on all occasions, or at particular times. Stubborn bosses or those who are more advanced than their image makers usually, indeed usually, do have frictions with their bosses.

You therefore need to know your onions, be patient and persevering when you get embedded with such bosses. For example, I wouldn’t know the magic or the marabout whom our colleagues used at Aso Rock to change President Obasanjo’s disposition to the press. In the past, the president was known to have equated reporters with robbers and had evaded them like plagues, in and out of office.

In this disposition however, he voluntarily appears before journalists at the monthly chat of the NTA, at which he calls, or appreciates reporters by their names. On his regular flights out of Nigeria, the president even manages to walk to reporters’ compartment on board and cracks jokes with them.

Or take the case of Mallam Abba Dabo and his former boss, President Shehu Shagari in 1983. Sick and tired with a long cap on, Mallam Abba bought new shorter caps called ‘zanna-bukars’ for his boss to consider, just for change-sake.

He honoured his Press Secretary only when he put the hats on to see his face in the mirror. He was later to return them back to sender because at that age, Baba Shagari seemed to have settled for what his wardrobe should look like.

Sometimes therefore, it is futile to obtain attitude change from bosses who have long made up their minds. For instance, it will amount to attempting to squeeze water out of the rock for Chief Obasanjo’s PRO to convince him to start appearing in corporate suits, complete with business or dinner ties.

In studying your boss therefore, the author would want us to understand his/her personality disposition, his likes and dislikes. He would want the boss to be updated with media reviews and press clips. A practitioner must be self-confident in offering truthful and honest advise, and should at all times endeavour to carry along other management staff.

Other solutions include the need to avoid negative personality traits, loyalty and adherence to the oath of confidentiality and secrecy. Before capping the chapter with a befitting essay on Engineer Hamman Tukur, his present boss, Yushau had pointed out how press secretaries conduct SWOT analysis on their principals, lobby their family members and friends or engage in all sorts of ridiculous things in order to gain acceptance by their bosses.

            In the befitting tribute to Hamman Tukur, the author narrates his experience under a selfless, patriotic and exemplary man. To quote him on page 42 of the book, Yushau told us that his boss had never traveled officially outside Abuja or the country for that matter, since his appointment as Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission. What a feat, what rare specie in Nigeria of today!

The author has also devoted substantial space to write on the need for a practitioner to take advantage of networking. Citing membership of professional bodies such as NIPR, ACAMBS and NUJ as examples, he insists that that way, a practitioner’s career would be enhanced, his/her knowledge updated while the opportunity to interact with others, especially older practitioners enriches knowledge and provides solutions to numerous puzzles.

That way too, a practitioner stands to benefit from training programmes and has opportunity to access industry journals and other publications as well as participate in community activities. Belonging to such professional clubs also affords you the chance for recreation. I particularly feel special and proud as a journalist each time I find myself on the 32nd floor of the Dubai Press Club towers – which I have belonged to in the last 7 years.

He stressed the need to endeavour, to service the relationship with media practitioners as frequently as possible through phone calls, emails or occasional distribution of media kits to journalists. No wonder, I merited a mention along with Mallam Garba Shehu on page 48 of this book, among other practitioners with whom the author remains in touch.

            Elsewhere, Shuaib finds himself in open clash with official view points and policies of professional organizations like NUJ and the Guild of Editors. A typical case is over the ‘deregistration’ of beat associations by the professional bodies which he considers wrong and unhelpful.

In a persuasive argument, he sees such associations like the ‘Finance Correspondents Association’ from the perspective of a group that encourages specialization and integrity through lectures and other types of activities and one that does not accommodate quacks in its midst. He therefore differs from people’s impressions, which have reduced them to cartels of extortion, blackmail and other name-staining activities.

At this stage Mr. Chairman, I am sure you are convinced that I have read this book. I wouldn’t therefore discourage you from reading or buying it, by engaging in an exhaustive exercise. The aim is simply to wet your appetite and not to pre-empt what the author has painstakingly compiled for you to buy and read, work with and keep in your libraries.

With your permission therefore, I would want to run through the other chapters by merely mentioning them. Like I pointed out earlier, Yushau has made the reading of his books much easier by highlighting the essence of each chapter in the fashion of power-point presentation.

He has therefore and adequately too, covered the issues of ‘Human Relations’, Budgeting for Media Relations – a chapter particularly acknowledged for global application by K. Srinvasan, a leading practitioner in India. Others include ‘Tools Acquisition’, ‘Message Presentation’ which he prefers to call ‘Construct the Message’, the art of Public Speaking, Media Placement, Crisis Management and the Feed-back mechanism.

To my disappointment I have been unable to spot either spelling mistakes or typographical errors worth bringing to your attention, in spite of my training as an eagle-eyed proof checker. But I must mention one inadvertent though factual error on page 50 of this book in which the author says “the brotherhood of media moguls, NPAN and the league of gate keepers, (NGE) may claim not to belong to Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), they are nevertheless, from their professional attachment, seen as part and parcel of the union and offshoot of the Nigerian Press Council’. Fact is, they are collectively referred to as Nigerian Press Organization (NPO), and not Press Council which is the official regulatory body for journalism and journalism practitioners, although practically in a comma for so long.

The quality of information as well as the techniques of effective media relations exemplified in this book is not only the first of its kind from this part, the truth is that its rich contents have global application as testified earlier. Therefore, the printing quality, cover design and present layout of the book should be greatly improved upon, in order not to short-change its marketing reach. May I congratulate the author for this invaluable work.

Sani Zorro

Columnist and former President

Nigerian Union of Journalists

PROMOTING YOUR INVESTMENT THROUGH MEDIA RELATIONS

By Akeem Lasisi

Published in the Punch of January 3, 2005

It is better to get a bad media than not getting any at all.” That is the way media freaks always put it while underscoring the power of getting consistent media presence. You need not mind the hyperbole in the statement. But the fact is that good media relation and patronage are an essential elements of personal and business development. One way or the other, as an investor, you need the press, and a “good” and positive one for that matter. For one, no matter how good a product is, good media exposure is definitely a plus for it. And the media faithful are never surprised when, with aggressive media drive, bad products at times sell better than their superior but ill-promoted counterparts.

            Abuja-based media executive and public relations expert, Mr Yushau Shuaib, says it is very important to master the logistics of dealing with journalists and media organisations, so that you can always get maximum benefits from whatever resources you invest in media relations. How to tap the press to the best advantage of one’s business or organisation is the subject of Shuaib’s recently-published book, A Dozen Tips for Media Relations.

            Since the business of dealing with the press largely rests on the shoulders of media relations officers of different companies, Shuaib notes that they should imbibe some principles to get results for their companies or bosses. Among others, they should have human relations. For instance, the personality of a media relation officer must be attractive, regardless of the attributes of his boss and organisation. Apart from having character strength and being eloquent, “he also needs to have control over his temperament in the face of tension and provocation.”

            Also, he should be conversant with the media environment, the media hierarchy of responsibility, editorial slant and the subject interest of each press group, for him to be able to push his information through the right channels. Coupled with this is the fact that he needs to establish networks with media houses and experts.

            One of the most important contacts investors have with journalists is the press conference. But if you fail to pay attention to certain technical and logistic details, you will not get good results from the encounter. At times, problems begin when the communication tools mounted at the venue of the conference fail to function properly, thus preventing journalists from getting the message being read or explained by the authorities clearly. A way out of this is to ensure that the tools are serviced and tested before the commencement of the programme.

            Another problem arises if the write-ups meant for distribution to journalists are not well written. According to Shuaib, who is also the Head of Press and Public Relations of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, whether it is the press conference’s write-ups or other press releases intended to be sent out to the press, you should construct the message in a straightforward and meaningful way. “You should avoid flattery, arrogance and unsubstantiated insinuations,” he adds, while equally noting that the material should be delivered on time lest it gets stale.

            Related to the above is the failure of some organisers to promptly make available to the media, copies of speeches made by key officials at the conference. Some people (organisers) are fond of coming to the event with only one copy of such speeches. At the end of the programme, they then begin to scout for where to make photocopies of the speech. This is a brilliant way of frustrating journalists who need the addresses badly and promptly, for journalism is a function of speed and accuracy. You should do everything practical to save the journalists’ time, as the earlier they get back to their offices the better, even for the project for which you had invited them.

            At times, the problem stems from the venue chosen for the occasion. Unless your office environment is strategic to the theme of the press conference, you may consider a venue that is conducive and popular enough to eliminate the risk of some of the media men missing their way. In choosing the time for the conference, too, consider the fact that journalists’ working hours are not the same as those of civil servants who resume by 8 am and close by 3: 30 pm. As a result, it may not be advisable to hold the press conference “too early” in the day, perhaps not earlier than 9 or 10 am, when, even in a place like Lagos, traffic is likely to be less chaotic. Again, whatever time you begin the press encounter, you should bear in mind that most of the journalists are still going back to their various offices to file in their stories.

Another point to consider is that, unless you are facing an emergency situation, you should dispatch your letters of invitation to relevant media groups on time. Besides, do not hold the conference too close to the time you expect the news of your project or product to break. While some events are so newsworthy that stories about them will begin to appear in the media from the day after the press conference, it may take some time before others begin to appear. Part of the reason is that many forces, including adverts, contest for space, say, in a newspaper.

            One other thing: Beware of fake journalists. The moral decadence, or corruption, if you like, in the country is so acute that there are certain people who frequent media spots and events, claiming they are journalists, but without any attachment to any media house.

The PUNCH, Tuesday, January 03, 2006 page4