IMPACT ON MEDIA
A lot of public relations specialists and managers have been very busy communicating their messages out to the public. This has also made a huge impact on the media. This is the first health crisis in the social media age, we are all watching this virus unfold right in front of our eyes.
As communication practitioners, need to sympathize with the journalist because they are really going through a hard time.
Many journalists are staying at home for the first time. In other crises like war or natural disasters, journalists and reporters are usually going out into the action and reporting from the newsroom. Now a lot of broadcast companies are only allowing a limited amount of people to be in the newsroom. Also, a lot of freelance writers are suffering now more than ever because of the lack of events going on. We should reach out to those people and keep a good relationship.
This virus had totally changed the landscape when it comes to media, here are a few tips to keep in mind when conducting an interview for the media.
First, its location, when thinking about where the interview should take place you should always ask to see what the journalist is comfortable with. For example, a simple email asking if they want to do the interview outside or in a large room would be great. Always have video interviews available, a lot of interviews are being done through zoom, Google Meet, and Skype.
When using these platforms to do interviews, it is important to test the technology and to have everything in place, just in case.
Also, make sure that everyone in your household knows that you are conducting an interview so that everything can run smoothly. Another thing to do to help out the reporter is to provide downloadable videos, photos, or graphics that can help explain your story. In this era of the Covid-19, we need to help each other and know that we are all in this together.