Public relations is an activity that almost any organization is forced to engage in today. The most important part of this work is the establishment of communications with the press. For this, departments of work with journalists are organized at enterprises of various patterns of ownership. There is, for example, a press service at the governor or at a large bank. We will tell you about the features of this structure and what functions it performs.
The concept
According to the dictionary on public relations, the press office is a structural unit of the company that deals with interaction with the media. These departments can be called press services, press bureaus, press centers, the essence of this does not change. These are units whose tasks include establishing productive relationships with journalists and representatives of the media.
History
For the first time, the idea of ​​drawing on the side of power appeared at the dawn of the formation of a system of mass communications. So, in Germany at the beginning of the 19th century, a bureau was functioning at the court of the Prussian king, which read newspapers and did digests for the ruler with comments. Under William the Fourth, a special unit was created under the Cabinet of Ministers, which essentially controlled newspapers and journalists who were supposed to propagate the views of the ruling class.
Thus, the first press service is part of the state machine, which was supposed to regulate relations with the press and influence the position of journalists. Later, a whole press department of Foreign Affairs was created in Germany, and its head, Otto Hammann, was the first spokesperson recorded in history. After that, services appear in many governments that interact with the media.
In the United States, from the beginning of the 19th century, press services are an important part of the political machine, and later such units also begin to appear in private companies. During this period, in many developed countries, government departments work with journalists to interact with journalists.
In Russia, such activity begins under the Soviet regime, but these units were more likely to oversee and manage the media than to interact with them. The situation changes with the advent of free journalism after perestroika. Then the first press services appeared on the side of private capital.
Targets and goals
The press service has many different functions. The main goal of this structural unit is to create a favorable image of the organization in the eyes of the public. To do this, the press services must:
- Develop and implement the company's information policy.
- Form with the assistance of the media a favorable public opinion about the organization.
- Interact with journalists and the media in order to cover the activities of the enterprise.
- Establish communication with the press services of authorities, partner companies and organizations working in the same markets.
- To monitor the media materials about the company, the market, the activities of the head of the enterprise, prepare on this basis information for the management of the enterprise about the market situation.
- To analyze the development trends of specialized and industry media platforms.
The main tasks of the press service are:
- Constant interaction with the media. For this, the department’s employees prepare various informational materials about the organization’s activities, hold events for journalists, plan and conduct communication campaigns.
- Information support for the activities of the first persons of the organization. For this, the spokesperson prepares materials and texts for the public speaking of the head.
- Preparation of information digests on media publications about the enterprise and the situation in the industry.
- Planning communications aimed at creating and maintaining a positive image of the company.
- The formation of corporate culture, the establishment of information exchange within the organization.
- Establishing feedback with target audiences.
- Responding to crisis situations and their information support in order to maintain the reputation of the company.
Features of functioning
The press service usually works in two directions: these are external and internal relations. In the external environment, the unit carries out activities to establish communications and create a favorable image. And in the internal environment, the activities of the unit are associated with the establishment of information flows and the creation of materials for the media.
The functioning of the press services is based on the following principles:
- Timely and reliable public information about the activities of the organization. For example, the governor’s press service should regularly inform journalists and the general public about what the first person in the region is doing and what decisions it makes.
- Ensuring an open organization policy. This is especially important for authorities and political organizations.
- Promoting the implementation of the laws of the country, the rights and freedoms of citizens.
- Implementation of activities in accordance with the requirements of ethics and corporate culture.
Legal regulation of the press services
The activities of company divisions in public relations are primarily subject to the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The employees of these services should contribute to the realization of all the rights and freedoms of citizens. In addition, the press service is a unit that falls under the laws of the media. According to him, the press service must comply with the following principles:
- media freedom;
- balance of interests of all parties;
- non-interference in the media;
- ideological diversity.
These services are also subject to corporate codes and guidelines.
Corporate ethics in the work of press services
Press officers must strictly adhere to professional codes of ethics in their work. There are a number of international PR codes, as well as two official Russian codes adopted by professional communities. According to them, any public relations unit, whether it be the press service of the city administration or the president of the Russian Federation, must respect human rights, maintain the confidentiality of information received, avoid unfair competition, not benefit from the information received, respect the rights of journalists and the independence of the media, accept remuneration only in the form of wages or fees.
Structure
In each company, the structure of the press service corresponds to the responsibilities assigned to it, so the number of staff and the functionality of employees can vary greatly in organizations of different sizes. In its fullest form, the structure of the media service may include the following units:
- Monitoring service. This unit monitors publications about the organization, and also prepares informational and analytical reviews of media materials on the problems of the company’s industry.
- Service of operational work with journalists. Employees of this department write press releases, give comments, organize events for interacting with journalists.
- Electronic communications services. Employees of these departments are engaged in filling sites and social networks with content, track comments on the Internet, work with reviews and opinion leaders.
- Departments for interaction with authorities and public organizations. Such units are usually present in large organizations and government agencies, for example, in the press service of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia there are employees who interact with various voluntary communities.
Responsibilities of the Head of Unit
Each head of the press service is responsible for the development and implementation of the organization’s information policy. His responsibilities also include:
- development of long-term work plans of the unit;
- monitoring the implementation of plans and the implementation of strategic and tactical tasks;
- media coverage of the organization;
- establishing relationships with representatives of the media, negotiations with representatives of the media, holding events for journalists;
- encouragement and motivation of employees of the unit to productive work;
- monitoring compliance with ethical and legal standards.
The heads of the media relations services are related to the organization’s management, therefore, they are liable for developing a company development strategy, resolving personnel issues, and training personnel.
Forms of work
Interaction with journalists takes place in established formats. The most common type of material for journalists is a press release. This is a text about some informational event at the enterprise. It is compiled in order to interest a journalist who, based on a press release, can create his own material for his publication. Also, forms of working with the press are briefings, press conferences, interviews, press breakfasts, press tours, presentations, round tables and other special events for journalists.
Types of Press Services
There are several classifications of media services. All press services can be divided into types in accordance with the form of ownership of the organization: state and private. The level of management distinguish federal, regional and local press services. In this case, at the top of the pyramid is, for example, the Kremlin’s press service, and at its base are small departments for working with journalists in city or town administrations. There are also press services that are part of the structure of the organization or structure involved in outsourcing.
Press services of state bodies
Historically, press services initially appeared precisely in the structure of governing bodies. And today, every government body has staff members who are responsible for interacting with the press. A feature of such units is the need to form public opinion about the work of the body, to fully cover its activities.
Today, authorities cannot work in closed conditions, the public must be informed about what the body is doing, and government agencies must work with the population and respond through the media to public inquiries. An example of such work is the press service of the government of the Russian Federation or the president. Employees of these structures regularly inform the population through the media about what the government is doing, what decisions it takes, what the president thinks about this or that occasion. For example, regional press services should inform the public about how local authorities solve their problems and how to defend their interests at the federal level. The purpose of such communications is to increase public satisfaction with the work of the authority and the formation of a positive image of the administration in the eyes of the population.
Press services in commercial organizations
Press services in private organizations face slightly different tasks. They also work to build an image and public opinion about the organization, but so that people make purchases of goods and services from this campaign. In this case, the activities of the press service begins to border on the work of the marketing department, since they have a common goal - promoting the company in order to maximize its profits.