More governments using TV for public relations<\/p>\n
By Prapti Widinugraheni<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Television is replacing the press as the most
\neffective public relations medium for governments to convey their
\npolicies, an American communications expert says.<\/p>\n
Public relations today is no longer a hospitality service but
\na wider application of communication skills and techniques to
\nachieve a public policy objective, said John W. Rendon, president
\nand co-founder of the Rendon Group Inc.<\/p>\n
The tool of public relations is becoming essential for the
\ngovernment, Rendon told The Jakarta Post on Thursday after
\nspeaking at a discussion on \"Public relations, the media and the
\ngovernment\" held by the Dr. Soetomo Press Institute.<\/p>\n
Rendon, whose company provides strategic communications
\nservices to public and private sectors worldwide, said public
\nrelations can be achieved with the help of the mass media and
\nconducted through personal contacts or through various means of
\ntelecommunications.<\/p>\n
\"The recent interview by CNN's Larry King with Pakistan's
\nBenazir Bhutto, for example, was clearly not for entertainment.
\nShe used the media, which was very smart of her, to channel to
\nthe world her government's objectives,\" he said.<\/p>\n
More governments and world leaders will follow the same course
\nas they become more aware of the importance of public relations.<\/p>\n
\"Governments feel the press can't always correctly convey
\ntheir messages...and they will choose to communicate directly
\nthrough the media,\" Rendon said.<\/p>\n
Television and electronic data are playing a significantly
\nbigger role in society and replacing newspapers as the main
\nsource of information, he said.<\/p>\n
Addressing the fate of the newspaper industry, Rendon said
\nthat to survive newspapers will resort more to controversial
\nissues and gossip to bolster circulation.<\/p>\n
There will also be tougher competition for advertisers, the
\nmain source of revenue.<\/p>\n
\"The trend can be seen in America. Lots of newspapers are
\nclosing down and evening papers are swallowed up by morning
\npapers. Meanwhile, the rate of advertisements in papers are going
\nup,\" said Rendon, who has 18 years of experience as a senior
\npolitical consultant.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, he said, although there are presently many
\ngood-quality television stations presenting reliable information,
\nthe role of television has also shifted. \"News and information on
\ntelevision are rapidly becoming news and entertainment, purely
\ndriven by ratings and revenues,\" Rendon said.<\/p>\n
The media business, Rendon said, spells money, \"even at the
\nexpense of truth and fairness\".<\/p>\n
\"If there was space for one article and you had to choose
\nbetween a six-car accident with three fatalities and an article
\non how to use safety belts properly, which would you choose to
\npublish?\" he asked.<\/p>\n
Newspapers, he said, will choose to run the story on the car
\naccident, which cost three lives, while the article on safety
\nbelts would save hundreds of lives.<\/p>\n
Although there will always be good-quality journalists who
\nproduce good reports or analyses, editorials and commentaries, in
\nthe end, everything will go back to economic considerations: the
\nmore controversial, the bigger the circulation and the bigger the
\nprofit, Rendon said.<\/p>\n
Journalists, he said, also have a tendency to \"rush things
\nrather than check to see whether they get it right\".<\/p>\n
Although deadlines and the drive to be the first to get a
\nscoop are often used as an excuse, he pointed out, checking and
\nrechecking are the responsibility of the press.<\/p>",
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