Media Relations and NGO

Media is essential for the inflow and outflow of information from and to the wide public.

I had a discussion with my supervisor about the relationship of PILS and the media. He was hooked up with this topic. I wanted to have his point of view on the matter as he frequently deals with the media.

He said that PILS enjoys an excellent relationship with the media and that all the media in Mauritius are keen to help the NGO. It is pleasurable to see that the media is helping and doing something good for the society and its citizens.

But, I have already written in my previous blog that media has been on the forefront to help and to communicate information that PILS wants to convey to the public. From the press conference, I have witnessed that it does have a good relationship between the NGO and the various media in Mauritius.

I have read somewhere that a newspaper here offers freely its advertising space to PILS to put their ad for SIDA Info. It is a hotline service where people who have questions about AIDS and all related topic to it can call. It is anonymous and free.

But I know that other NGOs in Mauritius do not benefit from such good media relations because they do not have a public relations officer to deal with the media and create tactics to promote their NGO to the public. This is unfortunate as public relations do help an organisation to do that. It is one of our main tasks, that is, to be the bridge between the organisation and the media. This is an opportunity to be taken and put in practice.

Hope this blog has helped you got an insight of media relations within an NGO.

Regards,
Joyce