Media Ethics 573 Public Relations vs. Journalism Presented

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Media Ethics 573Public Relations vs. Journalism

• Presented by
• Megan Ilabria, Shelby Danielsen
• Tim Schrag, Herbie Teope

Megan
Shelby
Herbie
Tim
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What is PR?

• Built on the idea of branding and image
• Represent client, get word out
• Handle, teach communications skills
• Publicity
• Community relations
• Government relations
• Crisis management (worst, best case scenarios)

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In the beginning

• One-sided press (could be viewed as unethical)
• Roots in advertising (P.T. Barnum, Press Agents)
• Lack of understanding of public led to arrogance
• William Henry Vanderbilt The public be damned.
• Harvard makes a mistake

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The pioneers behind the movement
Ivy Ledbetter Lee
Edward Bernays
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Ivy Ledbetter Lee

• Business news reporter for New York World
  (1898-1903)
• Political advisor in 1904 Publicist to the
  Presidents
• Hired by the coal industry in 1906
• First-ever PR agency in 1907
• Declaration of Principles

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Edward Bernays

• Claimed to create term PR
• Opened agency in 1919 to compete with Lee
• Hold to same standard as lawyers and doctors
• Taught PR at New York University in 1923
• Made PR a profession
• The Press Release

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Evolution of PR (1950-Present)

• 1947 PRSA first charted
• 1960s issue management becomes part of PR job
  description
• 1970s investor relations booms
• 1980s PR as a management function in full effect
• 1990-2000s reputation management becomes PRs
  main responsibility

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Evolution of PR

• Recent trends in Public Relations
• Bad PR example http//www.fannation.com/truth_and
  _rumors/view/272031-nfl-nflpa-spokesmen-take-snipi
  ng-to-twitter
• Good PR example Update Magazines

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Gray AreaUltimately creating a relationship to
benefit citizens

• Is journalism PR? / Is PR journalism?
• Journalists later entering into PR careers,
  vice-versa
• Personally I think any good PR person should
  put themselves into the role of a journalist
  every day (email)
• Somewhere in the middle you find the truth, it
  does not reside on only one side Symbiosis
  (Gray, not BW, they feed off of each other)
• Interchangeable? Twitter, Facebook, NPR
• blending responsibilities
• Yellow Journalism
• the type of journalism that relies on
  sensationalism and lurid exaggeration to attract
  readers
• Yellow PR? Can Press Releases be
  exaggeratedjump the gun with information? The
  media is competitive how far can they stretch
  the truth? Does each media outlet have the same
  consequences? Do they consider the same ethics
  when making a decision?

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Seeing Black and WhiteDifferent Roles/Duties

• Similar Values and Facts
• Standards are not the monopoly of one and unknown
  to the other
• SPJ, PRSA, IABC agree on key concepts truth,
  accuracy, fairness, human rights, freedom of
  speech, and democratic principles, BUT, loyalties
  and principles differ
• Journalism serves the general public, and
  journalists are expected to act in the public's
  best interests even if such actions have
  detrimental effects on their employers.
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vNgIMEJpwKbM
• PR serves the specific organization or client
  paying the practitioner to build and manage
  relationships that help that organization/client
  achieve its goals.
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vQsxGwshh1oIfeature
  related
• Ethics Codes
• Advocacy, Honesty, Expertise, Independence,
  Loyalty, Fairness (PR)
• Seek Truth and Report It, Minimize Harm, Act
  Independently, Be Accountable (J)

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Bad PR Three Mile Island

• Case Facts

• The accident at TMI-2 essentially was caused by
  several malfunctions in the cooling system,
  beginning at around 4 a.m. March 28, 1979which
  were compounded by instrument breakdowns and
  mistakes by the plants human operators.-National
  Geographic
• About half of the reactors core melted.
• Pennsylvania Lt.Gov. William Scranton, the
  states point man on the crisis, gave a press
  conference on the first day of the crisis, in
  which told reporters incorrectly, as it turned
  out-- that the plants safety equipment had
  functioned properly. National Geographic
• More hype was given to the accident as a result
  of the Movie The China Syndrome Staring Jane
  Fonda and Michael Douglas

• Three Mile Island Nuclear Station in Pennsylvania.

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PR Done Well Tylenol Recall

• Case Facts

• In 1982 seven people in Chicago died as a result
  of consuming tampered Tylenol.
• Johnson Johnson halted production and
  advertising of the product and issued an
  nation-wide recall on Oct. 5 1982. They would
  later relaunch the product introducing a tamper
  resistance product.
• "Johnson Johnson has effectively demonstrated
  how a major business ought to handle a disaster
  this is no Three Mile Island accident in which
  the company's response did more damage than the
  original incident Washington Post

• Seven people died as a result of tampering
  Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules. The case remains
  has yet to be solved.

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Questions?