PR managers tilted towards print media

In an age where digital media is ruling the roost, public relations practitioners and business professionals still see the benefits of traditional media coverage, says a new study.

The study finds that those who use news sources to convey certain information about their products prefer independent media coverage.

"We have this intuitive idea that getting our messages covered by the news media makes those messages more credible than when we put them out there ourselves," said study co-author Lynne Sallot, a professor of public relations at University of Georgia.

Independent media coverage is a more traditional form of news content like a TV broadcast, newspaper article or radio show, whereas more controlled sources of media are paid media such as advertisements or an organisation's own website.

"When asked directly, public relations practitioners and business people in this study said they see independent media coverage as more credible than controlled, or paid, media," said Pauline Howes, an associate professor of communications at Kennesaw State University.

The research conducted by Howes and Sallot looked at the potential value behind using traditional news media versus controlled media as a practice in business.

"Both types of communication are used by business people, but an independent source may be viewed by audiences as having more credibility because it is not controlled or influenced by the subject of a story," said Howes.

When determining what goes into a business's story, the editors and producers behind these independent news sources have no vested interest in the company or its products.

"This study supported the belief that our corporate or our public relations messages that are carried by news media do have enhanced news credibility," Sallot concluded.

The study was published in Public Relations Journal.