FPRA - Florida Public Relations Association Blog

There may have been a time or two in the past where you failed to catch the morning news before going into work. Maybe you overslept, forgot to charge your Blackberry, your spouse was on the computer, your newspaper was stolen or the TV was taken over by the kids watching cartoons. Whatever the reason, it’s something most of us have done at some point. Hopefully, there wasn’t a crisis—or a horde of reporters—waiting for you to arrive at the office.

As public relations professionals, it is our job to know what is going on in the world around us. And we should know what is going on before it actually happens. Even if it doesn’t have to do with your company, industry or region, it’s important for you to be aware of emerging issues.

But you’re smart. You know what’s going on. You read the major newspaper in your area everyday (and the others as much as possible), watch every television newscast you can, listen to talk radio and scan the other stations on the drive in to work and have a news clipping service catch what coverage you don’t. Heck, you even subscribe to breaking e-mail alerts, mid-day updates and visit various news Web sites throughout the day. It’s simple, right?

Continue reading "New Tools for Issues Scanning" »

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“This proposal is so bad, so anti-competition, and hinders local governments so much, it defies logic that anyone would want to bring it back. Yet it actually may be worth another debate just so the public knows who’s in the pocket of the rich, powerful telecom interests.”

That statement, made in regard to a proposal to limit municipalities’ ability to provide wireless internet and other telecom services, was not made by a local activist, a city attorney or an outraged citizen. It was made by the Ocala Star-Banner, a daily newspaper serving more than 50,000 readers.

Continue reading "Including Editorial Boards in Your Communications Strategy" »

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Few things test the mettle of an organization and its leaders, and sometimes its very future, as a crisis that is played out in the news media. Years of good work, planning, growth and a secure position in the marketplace can be undone in the fall-out from a crisis. They don’t have to be.

Through proper planning and adhering to a few common-sense principles – like telling the truth and doing the right thing – an organization can preserve its reputation and move forward with minimal harm despite the worst media allegations.

Continue reading "Crisis Management" »

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