Media Relations

[Page 437]The term media relations is most often used to refer either to (a) the individual, strategic relationship between a public relations practitioner, working on behalf of an organization, and a journalist or (b) a program set in place by an organization to help guide the public’s agenda to favor the organization or, in other words, to enhance the organization’s reputation. The goal of media relations is to establish effective relationships between the organization and the media in order to garner positive attention, establish an organizational voice within media outlets, and mitigate negative information dissemination.

Media relations most often refers to relationships with journalists in external mass media outlets, most commonly the news media; however, it may also involve working with journalists in an internal or ...