Nordmedia 2007 Helsinki Relations Between Journalists and Public - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Nordmedia 2007 Helsinki Relations Between Journalists and Public Relations Officers in Estonia: The Application of Bourdieu’s Concept of ‘Field’ to Public Relations Kaja Tampere University of Jyväskylä Kristel Sarapuu University of Tallinn

● The study focuses on relations between public relations (PR) and journalism. ● Several public relations theorists (Grunig etc) who say that media relations are loosing importance, although relations with media are still considered very important line of PR work (research in Estonia and Finland).

Research anatomy ● Interviews with journalist: ● For this research project, in-depth interviews were conducted with 21 Estonian journalists from different media forms, different positions in these media, and different age groups and experience in media, as well as examining differences between nationalities (Estonian and Russian). As the sample of Estonian journalists is representative, the study provides comprehensive and valid picture of the current state of PR in Estonia from journalists’ perspective. ● Generalizations from previous studies – long term project under my guidance

Theoretical background ● French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu describes the field of journalism as a microcosm following its own rules and journalists as agents of the journalistic field. Journalists are the ones who shape the discussions on the mass media that is widely viewed as the central institution of the contemporary public sphere. ● Large explanation of Bourdieu's concept

● The public sphere, as Habermas has described it, is now certainly to an extent influenced, and even produced by public relations. These power lines and relationships between public relations and journalism need to be constantly studied as these two have means to produce messages that may at the end influence the audience. ● Emerging new media is also a growingly more influential factor that changes today’s public sphere. New media provides opportunities for citizen journalists

● Grunig considers media relations as fading area, as he states in his article “Theory and Practice of Interactive Media Relations”: “Ironically, the better public relations becomes, the less public relations practitioners will need the media”. He explains: “ If they public relations strategically, they will communicate with key publics about problems and relationships long before they become issues that interest the public”.

● Several PR and communication researchers, as discussed in this paper, perceive public relations and journalism as actors on the larger information field. Both have their own role but both are members of communication process. ● The latest trends of communication research are to study the effects of public relations on media?

Public relations and journalism as public ● communication actors ● Intereffication model of public relations – Bentele representing the understanding that public relations and journalism are equal actors in communication process (inspiration from JL) ● Pressures on journalism ● Media, public relations and news: we live in ‘promotional times’ when states, organizations, different interest groups and social movements all want to make their message heard and pursue their interests ( BUT anonymous and abstract media audience...) ● Relationship between journalists and public relations practitioners – from history till today

Research problem and questions ● Authors of present study propose that public relations is a field similar to the journalistic field as described by Bourdieu and relates to the field of journalism and to the public as a field. ● The research questions of current study are: ● Do journalists who work daily with public relations practitioners feel the existence of a public relations field and how do they describe it? ● What are the main factors in the contact area of these two professions that influence journalists’ attitudes?

Methodology and data collection ● This research used qualitative methods to achieve the objectives set in beginning of study. As the goal was not to provide extensive perspective but rather intensive insight into the subject matter, a limited but carefully selected sample was pulled from the target population ● The target population for the study was Estonian journalists working for written and audiovisual media. Interview respondents were selected by non-random theoretical sampling.

● Invitations to participate in the study were sent out to 44 journalists. 19 journalists did not reply or their e-mail addresses were not correct and they were not reached by call-ups. Overt non-responses came from 4 journalists, who asked not to participate in the study for following reasons: (1)one journalist said he does not communicate with PR practitioners in principle and he does not participate in any common “field” with them; (2)another said he has shared all his knowledge in this sphere and has nothing new to add; (3)one explained that he has no knowledge of PR and based on his observance has never been an object nor a subject to PR work; (4)one journalist said he simply does not like to be studied.

● i n-depth interviews were conducted with 21 Estonian journalists. ● Written media ● Newspapers: 8 ● Weeklies: 3 ● Audiovisual media ● Radio: 4 ● Television: 6

● Respondents hold different positions in these channels: ● Editor 4 ● Editor/program producer 2 ● Senior editor 2 ● Head of editorial opinion 1 ● Head of news department 3 ● Deputy editor in chief 3 ● Member of the board 1 ● Program director 1 ● Acting editor 2 ● Editor in chief 2

● Respondents divide based on their language of reporting as follows: ● Estonian 18 ● Russian 4 ● Respondents represent for both private sector and public broadcasting media: ● Public broadcasting 9 ● Privately owned 12

Findings: generally Journalists were open to discuss about their working relationships ● with PR practitioners as they recognize them as partners. Journalists described PR practitioners as “guide dogs” , “corridors of information” , ”PR person is a professional hedgehog in the bushes who advises what to do”, “PR person is like a navel-string that connects the organization with the public through immediate information and sometimes even more importantly through background information so that journalists would understand what and why is really going on and what might follow that makes it even more important”.

● More negative connotations had expressions like “it seems that if there is no other work to do, person goes into PR” and “PR person’s slogan is “Truth, truth and once more truth, but not the whole truth and definitely not a lie”. Thus, as these descriptions show, journalists are in many cases divided into two groups, those with very positive and others with mainly negative or even patronizing attitudes about PR and PR practitioners.

Findings: PR as Field ● Public relations, as the interview results suggest, comply with these field characteristics (more deeply in full text). Public relations, through its work with the information from different organizations change journalists’ understandings and opinions and add viewpoints and aspects to the general information flow. Public relations is a field interacting with journalistic field and the result of that interaction produces new knowledge or changes in the old one. The amount and depth of information provided by public relations causes the activities or passiveness of journalists. Public relations itself without being practiced does not exercise force. There are rules on the public relations field and ways of practice that, if put in effect, will cause one or another reaction.

● It is possible to apply the term ‘field’ to the area of public relations also because public relations is an analytic are where there are people acting on their own and as members of organizations or specialized agencies. The force on public relations field is the information it handles and canalizes inside the organization, to journalism and to the public. ● Following Bourdieu’s concept of the field and analyzing public relations sphere in that light it is possible to find parallels in the public relations field.

PR in relations to journalism ● The responses from the interviews describe the daily contacts of public relations practitioners and journalists mainly as cooperative and open. ● Almost all respondents admitted that they have daily contacts with PR practitioners and that is the regular practice and a natural part of journalists’ work today. Estonia as a transitional society has come through rough developmental periods and both professionals, journalists and PR practitioners have developed over time along with the society.