According to the PEW Research/U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 4.6 public relations specialists for every reporter. What does that mean? It means that the relationships that PR pros have with journalists is becoming more and more crucial.
Publications and TV/radio stations are decreasing in staff, meaning there are fewer reporters who don’t have one beat anymore, they have several. What this means for PR pros is that there is a need to get an ‘in’ with the right journalist who has a beat that is relevant for their company/client(s). It’s also now about who you know well, and who knows you and values the information you provide.
Although PR has transformed extensively over the years, the one thing that hasn’t changed is the importance of traditional news coverage. Are there other ways to get a story out? Of course. However, traditional media coverage is an undeniably impactful way to send a message with third-party validation.
Henry Anatole Grunwald put it best: “Journalism can never be silent: That is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault. It must speak, and speak immediately, while the echoes of wonder, the claims of triumph and the signs of horror are still in the air.”
