- 1. Bureaucracy and Media How to establish equilibrium? Dr.
Mrinal Chatterjee Professor Indian Institute of Mass Communication,
Sanchar Marg, Dhenkanal 759 001, Orissa
2. First, a bit of history
- News media hostility to bureaucracy is a fixed field in Indian
political culture that has its roots in the 19th-century
antigovernment agitation.
- Post-independence media has taken onto themselves the role of
constructive opposition.
3. Therefore..
- Contemporary negative coverage must be understood as deeply
embedded.
4. All responses to it must be based on that premise. 5. While
some public administrators in occasional situations may receive
positive coverage, that is the exception, rather than the rule. 6.
Civil servants need to accept this harsh media environment rather
than bemoan it. 7. Please remember..
- Media is not merely a PR tool.
- Media can play a critical role as an agent of change.
- Examples: Indias independence.
8. Having said that, let us examine can the situation improve?
Can we establish equilibrium? 9. That precisely mean
- Can we minimize negative coverage?
- Can we make the media an ally in the development process?
- Can we engage media in a constructive way?
- Can we engage media in the way we want?
10. We can. For that we have to understand the dynamics of
media. 11. Media dynamics
- Reporter sends news for processing by sub-editor at the desk
for possible use
- News-editor decides on a day to day basis, what goes in a
newspaper/channel
- Articles may be both by staffers or outsiders, commissioned or
voluntary contribution.
- Proprietor and/or Editor frames broad policies
12. Strength and weakness of Media in India: Strength
-
- Press enjoys and jealously guards its freedom of press. It
enjoys strong legal and extra-legal protection in India.
-
- Press enjoys societal sanction and credibility
-
- Many of the journalists have impeccable integrity. They work
for social cause
-
- Media is irreverent. This may be bad news for official managers
of the society, but it is good news for democracy.
13. Strength and weakness of Media in India: Weakness
-
- News-media is increasingly becoming capital-intensive, making
it vulnerable to financial pressure
-
- Politicians and sundry moneybags are entering this field for
their vested interest.
-
- There is no check at the entry to journalism as profession.
Hence one finds all kinds of persons here.
14. Media in Orissa: Mainstream Media
-
- 42 daily Oriya newspapers (8-10 major), 4 major daily English
newspapers, 3 TV channels, including Doordarshan, 4 radio channels
including 3 private radio; AIR has 13 stations in Orissa, 15-20
websites
-
- Major National and International media
-
-
- 30-32 in print, 18-20 in TV and radio
15. Media in Orissa: Alternate/Social Media
- Magazines likeSamadrusti ,Ganuli Vichar , etc.
16. We are more concerned about mainstream media. 17. What you
expect from media
- Good publicity for the cause you are championing/ work you are
doing
- Good image of the organization
18. What the media expect from us?
-
- Most of the correspondents of national, international and
state-level media want news/story. News in a form and format that
they can use.
-
- Some correspondents of state-level media and most from the
local media want advt.
19. How do we meet the expectations of the media? And achieve
ours
- I will restrict my deliberation only to the news/information
part.
- Regarding gratification, I can only tell you that no
self-respecting media/journalist wants gratification. Those who do,
are not important enough to be considered.
- Advt.- follow existing policy to the letter.
20. Decide your Communication goals and key messages
- Communications goals begin with clear, concise and compelling
messages. Whether you are pursuing a public policy initiative,
launching a project or responding to negative attacks in the news
media, in order to advance your position you must have a solid
message foundation.
21. How to form key messages
- Run a message session with key stakeholders to develop a
"message platform" - a concise set of messages that form the basis
for the strongest strategic message position. The session should
include:
- A strategic analysis of the communications environment,
including an assessment of the strengths, weaknesses, threats and
opportunities;
- Creating a message platform of defining messages and
affirmative responses to negative attacks.
22. How to get the message across
- Engagement with press/mainstream media
- Engagement with alternate/social media
- Engagement with people at the grassroots
23. Engagement with Media
- Constructive responses can include professionalizing public
information activities, being sensitive to public relations
implications during the policy development process, and
-
-
- Ill tell about the and at the end.
24. Engagement with Media: Content
- Provide information that the media can use. Appreciate their
need. News for them is information that is interesting and/or
important for their audience.
- Provide back-ground materials
- Provide need-based information-on request.
- Information need for different journalist may be
different.
25. Engagement with Media: Form
- Provide information in a easily understandable and usable
form.
-
- Do not expect the journalists to know technicalities and the
jargons.
- Provide photographs, info graphs, etc.
26. Engagement with Media: Response
- Continuous engagement with media is desirable
- When situation warrants, try to respond as promptly as
possible.
- Reporters, editors and producers are on constant deadline. If
they don't get what they want from you quickly -- they WON'T wait
-- they WILL move on to another source.
27. Engagement with Media: Ways and Means
-
- Hard copy, e-mail, VNR(Video News Release), down-loadable
posting in website
- Perso-professional relationship.
-
-
- Caution: Dont get too personal.
28. Engagement with Media: Relationship
- Cultivate relationships before you need them.
29. Engagement with MediaThe Spokesperson
- There should be designated spokesperson.
- In normal situation, the PRO or a person designated should
engage the media.
- In crisis situation it is important that one individual(with a
back-up team) should be designated as spokesperson to make official
statements and answer media questions through out the crisis.
30. Handling antagonistic media
- At times one finds antagonistic media. Reasons may vary. From
personal ego tussle to ideological differences.
- Ways to handle antagonistic media
-
- Try to find out the reasons, and sort it out.
-
- Provide your side of the story. Credibly and fast.
-
- Try to good-humour concerned media, but never over-do it. That
will be counter-productive.
-
- Treat the journalists with respect and dignity.
-
- Do not take things lying down, if it is from large/alternative
media, react.
-
- If it is from fringe media, ignore. But if antagonism persists,
take legal action.
31. FAQ:How do I ensure my opinions are not misrepresented?
- Please note that it is usually not intentional.
- News, often is subjective, based upon the journalist/chief of
staff/editors particular view on life
- there are some things you can do to try and alleviate this
concern.
-
- Present the journalist with background information that
supports your opinions
-
- Providing written support documentation gives the journalist
something to refer to when composing their article. The interview
they conducted with you backs up the written material, lessening
the chances of misunderstanding and potentially
misrepresentation
32. FAQ:How do I control the interview to ensure the points I
want to make are made?
- A journalist likes to be in charge of an interview. However,
there are some ways you can get your point across. Always answer
the question, then move from your response into a particular point
you might want to make. Make sure there is some relevance to the
comment or youll lose your credibility. And if you present your
opinions using descriptive, non-jargon language, in ways that are
relevant to the journalists listeners/viewers/or readers, your
points are more likely to be included.
33. Now, about that and 34. And
- . with the development of more sophisticated e-government
technologies, bypassing the mainstream media to reach the public
directly.
35. New Horizons: Internet
- The prevalence of high speed Internet is facilitating a new era
of digital communication. With streaming video and podcasting- it
is changing the media scene.
- All govt. dept.smust have its interactive website. It has to be
maintained and updated regularly.
36. New Horizons: Mobile phones
- Mobile platforms with multi-media capabilities are fast
becoming a staple of media landscape. Mobile phones are emerging as
primary source of telecommunication in India.
- These phones streaming capabilities improve substantially with
each passing year.
- It can be used to dessiminate info. Fast.
37. New Horizons: Social Media
- Photo and Video Uploading sites, etc.
38. New Horizons: Online community
- Online communities are growing rapidly. These emerging online
communities represent a powerful new venue for disseminating
information and hold tremendous potential for engaging social and
political activists
- Social networking sites continue to emerge as influential
venues for online communication .As new and different loci for
community building continue to emerge, tactics for engaging users
will have to evolve accordingly.
39. To end, some tipsto deal with media
- Respect media persons, treat them with dignity. But dont
mully-cuddle them.
- Dont restrict information
- The approach should be: engagement, not management
40. Articles you can read
-
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a792052621~db=all~jumptype=rss
41. Books you can refer..
- Bland Michael, The Art and Science of Public Relations:
Effective Media Relations: How to get results, Vol-1, Crest
Publishing House, New Delhi.
- Treadwell Donald F. Public Relations Writing: Principles in
Practice, Sage Publications, London
- Shrivastava K.M., Public Relations in the Digital Era, Pilgrims
Publishing, Varanasi
42. Surf the following sites for more info.
- www.unicef.org/sowc03/childrenskit/pdf/ media
-tips-eng.pdf
- http://www.spreadthenewspr.com
-
http://www.newtactics.org/en/announcements/engaging-media-human-rights#comment-736
43. For info regarding short courses, training in media
handling, surf..
- http://www.essex.ac.uk/comms/what/media.htm
- http://www.spaethcom.com/mastering.php?sec=2&sub=1
-
http://www.as.bham.ac.uk/study/assess/psa/modules/media.shtml
- http://vestcomm.com/index.html
44. Thank You. Ill be grateful for your feedback.
[email_address] 06762 225975, 224274