Tuesday was the day I had my first interaction with official
film and media crew. For me this is a big step in the PR world. There is only
so much theory you can learn about how to deal with media, but my first hand’s
on experience proved to be a worthwhile one.
Due to the birth of the new prince, as soon as we arrived at
the office at 9am the phones were ringing. Initially it was Channel 7,
requesting if we had a baby born around the same time or with any similar
characteristics of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s new baby boy. One of the
PR officers were placed in charge of dealing with this. We found one baby boy
whom was born at a similar time as the prince, but with the exact same weight.
After many calls back and forward between Channel 7 and the PR officer, it was
established that yes, a story was going to be run on this newborn for the 6pm
news. By this time the PR department has also been contacted by Channel 10,
Woman’s Day and the West Australian all wanting similar stories. Personally I
did not see the importance of the story, more the birth of this boy with
similar features to the prince as a ‘fluff piece.’ But none the less this
newborn baby was attracting quite a bit of media. It was my job to help control
the situation and have the best outcome possible of the full shoot about to
take place.
I took this situation as a great opportunity for me to ask
lots of questions to my supervisor. My first question was how the situation was
handled. The lessons I learnt were as follows:
- The
patient always comes first. It needs to be made clear that their comfort
and wellbeing is our number one priority. We are doing the media a favour
therefore they need to abide by this. Make clear to the patient that at
any stage they feel uncomfortable
the interview can be stopped. We as a public relations officer are there
to support the patient acting as a mediator if necessary.
- Usually
hospitals do not give ‘exclusive interviews’ (the story to just one media
outlet). This is only done by through the request of the patient. Even in
that instance it is usually because the media station got in contact with
the patient, telling them to request this. In my case, this did not
happen. Due to the nature of the patient (just giving birth) we requested
that only one film crew and one newspaper crew were to be present at the
interview. Due to Channel 7 and the West Australian being the first to
contact us, they were given the opportunity. All other media outlets were
directed to them to gain footage. Phone interviews could be requested if
required. When speaking to Channel 7 and The West, they were made aware
that it was not an exclusive interview, and if requested by other stations
they were to share the footage obtained.
- Media
at no stage are allowed in the Hospital unattended. This is for security
and patient confidentiality reasons.
Once this had all been arranged, at 1:30 pm the interview
was to take place. Myself and the other PR Officer caught a taxi over to
Kaleeya Hospital (a part of the Fremantle Health Service) to meet with the
patient and media crew. This was the time where we reassured the patient that
we were there for them. At this time we also required forms to be signed
stating they were happy to be interviewed and have their photos taken. After
this we went downstairs to meet the media.
From there on the day ran smoothly. It was my job on the day
to be in the room during interviews, but also accompany the media in and out of
the buildings. During conduction of interviews, the PR officer does not do
much, rather stand there and act as support if needed. This could be in
relation to inappropriate questions asked or the patient getting tired and worn
out (wanting to stop). It is the behind the scenes and preparation where a PR
officer conducts the most work.
Overall I found this a very rewarding exercise I was allowed
to take part in. When the footage was shown on Channel 7, 9 and 10 on the
evening news, along with page 7 of the Wednesday 24 July West
Australian. I had felt this sense of accomplishment. Despite not actually
writing the article I felt very proud that as an Intern PR Officer I has help
create this news story. It was not until the day had ended I realised how tired
I was. I constantly had to be switched on, remembering the conducts and
guidelines that needed to be abided by, acting friendly as possible, but also
conducting myself in an assertive yet professional manner.
The hardest part of the day for me was not letting the media
push me around. They wanted information and they wanted it fast. They took it
upon themselves asking myself and the other PR officer personal questions about
the patient before we had even got to their room. We were not allowed to
disclose this information to them, so a firm foot needed to be put down, explaining
were not allowed to release this. The lady from Woman’s Day was also quite rude
due to the lack of time she was allowed with the patient. I pleasantly reminded
her that 12 hours ago this woman had given birth, and due to that a small
interview was all that was available. The patient needed rest and was doing the
media a favour. After being reminded this she was not so pushy towards me and
was grateful we provided her with any coverage of the story at all.
Overall from this experience I feel I have gained
confidence. One month ago I would not have felt completely comfortable dealing
with this level of media. Now I feel I am confident enough to be assertive,
pleasant and knowledgeable enough to run a similar situation on my own. My PR perspectives
on these situations have also changed. Previously I thought a PR Officer had a
more dominant role. But rather it is my duty to act as a mediator in this
situation. I allow the media to get the shots they need (if appropriate) whilst
monitoring the situation.
