A known cliché in the media industry is that public relations practitioners (or media consultants) have the worst PR. How did this happen? The reasons are myriad. In any case: It is about time to denounce the “consultants” and to retain those who wake up every morning not with the intent to “stir the pot”, but rather to improve communication
It was recently published that Israel Police recommended the indictment of a media consultant involved in the “Submarine Affair” (Case 3000 against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu). In another investigation , the “Bezeq Affair” (Case 4000) a media consultant became state witness. What these incidents have in common is not only that they featured two consultants affiliated with the political sphere – but also, and more importantly, that both men were not media consultants in the way commonly referred to and understood by those in the trade. They were something else – something that keeps on besmirching the endeavors of thousands who conduct themselves professionally, and who suffer from their vocation’s tarnished reputation.
A known cliché in the media industry is that public relations practitioners (or media consultants) have the worst PR. In reality, when we are asked about our profession we are often embarrassed to admit what we do for a living. Do you know many professionals who feel somewhat ashamed of their line of work?
How did this happen? The reasons are myriad. Perhaps it was the stories of media consultants gone astray because of too close ties to their clients, becoming “fixers” and dragging their peers’ name through the mud; perhaps it was unqualified practitioners who by their amateur-like conduct, smeared the entire industry; but perhaps it was the consultants who staunchly defended people or companies that were not worthy of such defense.
Whatever reason it may be, it is saddening that media consultancy – which has the ability, or at least potential, to bring significant changes to the discourse reflected daily in media – suffers from a bad reputation, which not only deters decent individuals from choosing the profession, but also belittles and cripples those that are already in the trade. The direct implications of this are clear: instead on attracting the finest, those who end up jumping on-board are those who had less of a choice – and the results are seen in the profession’s reputation and in its personnel.
It is important to explain that when working with both journalists and clients, media consultants are required to reconcile two contentious requirements on a daily basis: individual liberties including the right to privacy, and the freedom of the press and its right to uphold a free and open discussion. We can plainly formulate this in the following way: what the client wishes to conceal, the media wishes to uncover. What the client wishes to uncover, the media does not always find interesting. By the way, there isn’t always a conflict of interest between the two sides. Sometimes one just has to find a way of bridging the gaps between them.
In our line of work, we use all our capabilities, skills and expertise to create that said bridge. In order to uphold a civil discussion that maintains the delicate balance between the clients’ best interests and their privacy, and media’s right to report. All this while not compromising our professional and personal integrity.
This task is becoming more and more complicated and challenging at a time when information overload leads to lowering public attention to the media, which is required, in turn, to handle the influx of information and the need to stay relevant.
As professionals and confidants, media experts have an obligation to tell their clients’ stories in the best possible way. Yet, this does not mean we do so by lies or cover-ups. Some of us do our jobs with a high degree of credibility and with immense appreciation of the value of a free press.
Many people still tend to think that the media consultant’s job is to bicker with journalists over promoting a positive news item or giving more credits for their clients. However, we still believe that our job has a mission – albeit less heroic.
In spirit and in practice, our role is to often act as mediators between members of the business community and media outlets covering them. Mediators, whose work leads eventually, to a bigger more balanced, more moderate and complete picture presented to the public. It is as hard to explain to clients that their story will not be accepted by any reporter, as it is to tell a reporter that the real story is different from the one he had envisioned. It is about time to denounce the “consultants” and to retain those who wake up every morning not with the intent to “stir the pot”, but rather to improve communication.
The writer is co-founder of OH! Orenstein Hoshen, a media and crisis management firm, specializing in media consultancy and strategy.
Read the article as published on TheMarker: https://bit.ly/2Mkgm4w
A known cliché in the media industry is that public relations practitioners (or media consultants) have the worst PR. How did this happen? The reasons are myriad. In any case: It is about time to denounce the “consultants” and to retain those who wake up every morning not with the intent to “stir the pot”, but rather to improve communication
It was recently published that Israel Police recommended the indictment of a media consultant involved in the “Submarine Affair” (Case 3000 against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu). In another investigation , the “Bezeq Affair” (Case 4000) a media consultant became state witness. What these incidents have in common is not only that they featured two consultants affiliated with the political sphere – but also, and more importantly, that both men were not media consultants in the way commonly referred to and understood by those in the trade. They were something else – something that keeps on besmirching the endeavors of thousands who conduct themselves professionally, and who suffer from their vocation’s tarnished reputation.
A known cliché in the media industry is that public relations practitioners (or media consultants) have the worst PR. In reality, when we are asked about our profession we are often embarrassed to admit what we do for a living. Do you know many professionals who feel somewhat ashamed of their line of work?
How did this happen? The reasons are myriad. Perhaps it was the stories of media consultants gone astray because of too close ties to their clients, becoming “fixers” and dragging their peers’ name through the mud; perhaps it was unqualified practitioners who by their amateur-like conduct, smeared the entire industry; but perhaps it was the consultants who staunchly defended people or companies that were not worthy of such defense.
Whatever reason it may be, it is saddening that media consultancy – which has the ability, or at least potential, to bring significant changes to the discourse reflected daily in media – suffers from a bad reputation, which not only deters decent individuals from choosing the profession, but also belittles and cripples those that are already in the trade. The direct implications of this are clear: instead on attracting the finest, those who end up jumping on-board are those who had less of a choice – and the results are seen in the profession’s reputation and in its personnel.
It is important to explain that when working with both journalists and clients, media consultants are required to reconcile two contentious requirements on a daily basis: individual liberties including the right to privacy, and the freedom of the press and its right to uphold a free and open discussion. We can plainly formulate this in the following way: what the client wishes to conceal, the media wishes to uncover. What the client wishes to uncover, the media does not always find interesting. By the way, there isn’t always a conflict of interest between the two sides. Sometimes one just has to find a way of bridging the gaps between them.
In our line of work, we use all our capabilities, skills and expertise to create that said bridge. In order to uphold a civil discussion that maintains the delicate balance between the clients’ best interests and their privacy, and media’s right to report. All this while not compromising our professional and personal integrity.
This task is becoming more and more complicated and challenging at a time when information overload leads to lowering public attention to the media, which is required, in turn, to handle the influx of information and the need to stay relevant.
As professionals and confidants, media experts have an obligation to tell their clients’ stories in the best possible way. Yet, this does not mean we do so by lies or cover-ups. Some of us do our jobs with a high degree of credibility and with immense appreciation of the value of a free press.
Many people still tend to think that the media consultant’s job is to bicker with journalists over promoting a positive news item or giving more credits for their clients. However, we still believe that our job has a mission – albeit less heroic.
In spirit and in practice, our role is to often act as mediators between members of the business community and media outlets covering them. Mediators, whose work leads eventually, to a bigger more balanced, more moderate and complete picture presented to the public. It is as hard to explain to clients that their story will not be accepted by any reporter, as it is to tell a reporter that the real story is different from the one he had envisioned. It is about time to denounce the “consultants” and to retain those who wake up every morning not with the intent to “stir the pot”, but rather to improve communication.
The writer is co-founder of OH! Orenstein Hoshen, a media and crisis management firm, specializing in media consultancy and strategy.
Read the article as published on TheMarker: https://bit.ly/2Mkgm4w