According to the interview I condected with a PR practitioner and lawyer, both of them talked about the close and amicable relationship between them.
However, we tent to hesitate a littel in predicting the future of this rosy relationship. It might be that both parties were saying these sorts of answer to try and benefit their particular field of interest by not adding "fuel to the fire."
There is an interesting articles about this relationship in 1984.
In the article "PR Counselors' Prickly Relationship with Lawyers" (Sidney, 1984) , Alec Been, president of Benn & MacDonough, stated that "Lawyers don't want to say anything. Lawyers often famage a firm's reputation in their eagerness to avoid suits. Lawyers are necessarily antagonistic. Theirs is an asversary profession. Public relations people often don't make their recommendations pertinent enough to the corporation's interest." (Sidney, 1984, p.26)
Even though this article was published years ago, this statement is completely qualified by the PR practitioner in the discussion of previous employment (see the former posted blog-interview with PR practitioner).
It was said that the lawyer in his or her previous firm did not let anyone speak with the press or publid, to the point that it made employees not want to perform their job as a PR person. It did seem that this type of incident had ceased to exist in teh current employment though.
Showing posts with label PR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PR. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Interview with PR practitioner
How we can describe the relationship between lawyers and PR practitioners?
By conduction interview with each of them, we would have some idea about this relationship.
Interview with PR practitioner of a health insurance company
1. The PR practitioner implied that they work together on an weekly basis, but interaction can become more frequent in an time of crisis.
2. The PR practitioner stated that "the most common thing is that we want to be upfront, open, and honest about what has happened and to assure that whatever the problem is, we have addressed it, are in the process of addressing it and have a plan to make sure it does not happen again."
3. The PR practitioner described that the relationship between lawyers and PR practitioners is close.
4. Unlike the lawyer, the PR practitioner shared a story regarding her previous employment where the two did not get along as well. The situation composed of a lawyer sho did not want PR people talking to anyone in the press for any reson without approval. This made the PR practitioner's job much more challenging.
One thing noted by the PR practitioner and not the lawyer is that the feeling of cooperation is helped by teh fact that both groups report to the same executive level.
By conduction interview with each of them, we would have some idea about this relationship.
Interview with PR practitioner of a health insurance company
1. The PR practitioner implied that they work together on an weekly basis, but interaction can become more frequent in an time of crisis.
2. The PR practitioner stated that "the most common thing is that we want to be upfront, open, and honest about what has happened and to assure that whatever the problem is, we have addressed it, are in the process of addressing it and have a plan to make sure it does not happen again."
3. The PR practitioner described that the relationship between lawyers and PR practitioners is close.
4. Unlike the lawyer, the PR practitioner shared a story regarding her previous employment where the two did not get along as well. The situation composed of a lawyer sho did not want PR people talking to anyone in the press for any reson without approval. This made the PR practitioner's job much more challenging.
One thing noted by the PR practitioner and not the lawyer is that the feeling of cooperation is helped by teh fact that both groups report to the same executive level.
Interview with in-house Lawyer
How we can describe the relationship between lawyers and PR practitioners?
By conduction interview with each of them, we would have some idea about this relationship.
Interview with in-house Lawyer of a health insurance company
1. The lawyer explained that, in terms of dealing with crises related to lawsuits or mistakes the company made, ,the company needs both the legal and PR communication perspective.
2. The lawyer does not specifically know about the communication styles or strategies the PR practitioner uses.
"Do not say 'no comment'" was the one she gave me as an example.
3. The lawyer described the relationship between lawyers and PR practitioners as a close one.
4. In terms of decision making, it is hard to figure out who has more power, but it appears that in a crisis situation both lawyers and PR practitioners share equally in helping to resolve problems.
By conduction interview with each of them, we would have some idea about this relationship.
Interview with in-house Lawyer of a health insurance company
1. The lawyer explained that, in terms of dealing with crises related to lawsuits or mistakes the company made, ,the company needs both the legal and PR communication perspective.
2. The lawyer does not specifically know about the communication styles or strategies the PR practitioner uses.
"Do not say 'no comment'" was the one she gave me as an example.
3. The lawyer described the relationship between lawyers and PR practitioners as a close one.
4. In terms of decision making, it is hard to figure out who has more power, but it appears that in a crisis situation both lawyers and PR practitioners share equally in helping to resolve problems.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Getting a job in the PR field
If you introduce yourself as a young PR professional, some might still ask you what you actually do except lie. Some want to explain PR work as maintaining a long-term, positive relationship with important publics, but it sounds vague and not persuasive. To persuade others and to make them understand, we need more concrete and tangible evidence that we can actually show.
Similarly, in terms of getting jobs, we need substantial abilities which can be proven as well as creativity. These abilities that PR students needs are not limited to communication skills but including other knowledge and techniques for the PR world.
Even though most of the PR major is in the Journalism or Communication department, in my opinion, students should take a few business courses and media technique classes to learn photography, filming, Web design, and publication. Students also should be equipped with strong research ability as well as communication skills. Analyzing data is as important as collecting data, and for this job, students should have statistic knowledge as well.
There is no doubt that creative thought and different perspectives are important for PR work. However, these above abilities are fundamentals which are required of everyone while creativity is not. If you think about getting a job practically which is the main concern of most students, these cannot be overlooked for them. In the beginning, people who only have these abilities but lack creativity would get a job because ability can be written in their resume. However, people who have no knowledge and ability but only creative thought and different perspectives would have difficulty getting a job in the first place.
Similarly, in terms of getting jobs, we need substantial abilities which can be proven as well as creativity. These abilities that PR students needs are not limited to communication skills but including other knowledge and techniques for the PR world.
Even though most of the PR major is in the Journalism or Communication department, in my opinion, students should take a few business courses and media technique classes to learn photography, filming, Web design, and publication. Students also should be equipped with strong research ability as well as communication skills. Analyzing data is as important as collecting data, and for this job, students should have statistic knowledge as well.
There is no doubt that creative thought and different perspectives are important for PR work. However, these above abilities are fundamentals which are required of everyone while creativity is not. If you think about getting a job practically which is the main concern of most students, these cannot be overlooked for them. In the beginning, people who only have these abilities but lack creativity would get a job because ability can be written in their resume. However, people who have no knowledge and ability but only creative thought and different perspectives would have difficulty getting a job in the first place.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)