Why don’t more PR pros watch the news?
Reporters sometimes lament that local PR professionals don’t seem know who they are. Here’s how you can keep up.
“I don’t think I’m that popular anymore,” one said. “Maybe I need a new beat.”
This was said by a general assignment reporter with a fair amount of airtime and prestige in my fair burg. What could have sparked this drama over meatloaf and a healthy side of broccoli? We did. Yes, public relations professionals. Before I could pass him a tissue and argue the point, another colleague chimed in: “I know exactly what you are saying. I answer their calls but still, nothing.”
I figured this casual dining experience had to be a set-up and I was about to get punked. And then the question happened: “Would you please ask your people to remember who we are?”
Yes, more than a decade in a newsroom gets discarded when you are in the company of playful chums like this. However, their cries did not fall on deaf ears and I’m here to do their bidding. My PR colleagues, we should watch the news.
When students and young professionals ask me for advice I always tell them, “Watch the news.” Well, my friends, the same advice applies to even the most seasoned PR pros among us.
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