The synergy between the press and the public relations division of an organization plays an important role in presenting informative and accurate news to the public. With close collaboration, journalists can rely on public relations to gain in-depth insights, while public relations can harness the power of the media to convey messages more widely and effectively. In the midst of the rapidly developing digital era, public relations practitioners are also required to be more proactive in building good relationships with the media.
In order to foster a sense of solidarity between the press and public relations,Universitas Indonesia (UI) through the UI Public Relations Bureau and Public Information Disclosure (KIP) held a workshop to explore the important role of the press and its relationship with public relations. The activity, which was held on Tuesday (21/11) at the Integrated Laboratory & Research Center (ILRC) Building, UI Campus, Depok, was attended by the UI Public Relations Bureau and KIP team as well as representatives from several public relations teams from faculties, graduate schools, and UI vocational program.
In her remarks, the Head of the UI Public Relations Bureau and KIP, Dra. Amelita Lusia, M.Si. said, “At UI, the entire public relations team works together to build UI branding and jointly maintain UI’s reputation. There are still many things to improve, explore, and learn. Today’s activity is not only for sharing, but also for dialogue. We hope that what is conveyed today will be useful for all of us.”
This workshop presented Asmono Wikan, S.Sos., M.I.Kom as a resource person to discuss press dynamics and media relations practices. Currently, Asmono serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PR Indonesia Group and is a member of the Press Council. According to Asmono, 70 percent of public relations work is media relations practice, either with conventional media or social media. Therefore, public relations practitioners must maintain relationships with press colleagues because the media is an important stakeholder.
In his presentation, Asmono revealed several challenges facing the press today. Almost all media workers currently depend on social media platforms or Google algorithms to find out what news is currently being discussed. Therefore, it is feared that the media will fail if there is no platform. Apart from that, the economic aspect in the world of the press is also experiencing instability where it does not always guarantee the production of quality work.
“To attract readers’ attention and increase traffic, clickbait is now emerging. This is a media game that can corner public relations because the content of the news often does not match the title. Meanwhile, several mainstream media are trying to win over the public to support them in providing quality journalism by subscribing. Unfortunately, most Indonesians are not willing to pay to read the news,” said Asmono.
Public relations is considered to have a very strategic function because it plays the role of advising an organization’s Board of Directors (BOD) in communicating. In many cases, leaders do not understand the media landscape, thus public relations practitioners must choose media with good quality and independent journalism. Not only do they know the reporter, public relations practitioners also need to know the editor and owner of a media to understand their ideology.
Asmono said, “As a publicist, the basic rule is never make a mistake. The first task of public relations is to correct everything so that the information coming out of the organization is perfect. When an organization experiences problems, public relations needs to prioritize crisis communication as an error recovery effort to repair a damaged reputation. Apart from that, public relations as communication practitioners need to speak clearly and with accurate data. We may speak carelessly, but when we communicate, there must be a message conveyed.”
Author: Dyra Daniera | Editor: Finda Salsabila
