STEP ONE – CHOOSE AN ORGANIZATION (AS A TEAM): Before you can do Assignment #1, you need to work as
a group to identify an Alberta-based organization that recently faced an issue or crisis.
As part of Assignment #4, your challenge will be to come up with a media relations plan to help this organization
achieve a stated purpose or goal. The purpose of your plan may be to raise awareness, promote a business or social
issue, counter criticism or enhance the organization’s reputation.
See page 101 of the textbook In the News: The Practice of Media Relations in Canada (3rd edition), by William Wray
Carney (2019), for more information on setting a media relations goal.
STEP TWO – DRAFT A MEDIA LIST (INDIVIDUALLY): Before moving ahead as a team to create your media
relations plan as part of Assignment #4, everyone is asked to work independently to create a media list and targeted
media recommendations.
The media list and targeted media recommendations will be created and submitted as individuals. As part of
Assignment #4, you will work as a group to combine your media lists into one collaborative media list for your media
plan.
Your list must consist of both traditional media, such as print, television and radio journalists, and new or digital
media, such as podcasters, bloggers and social media influencers.
STEP THREE – CREATE A MEDIA RELATIONS GOAL (AS A TEAM): Before you can select the right traditional
and digital media, you need to take one step back. As a group, take your chosen organization and confirm your
media relations goal. Your goal can be refined later. Once you’ve agreed on your goal, identify your target audiences,
target markets and target media. Read Hunter LaVigne’s chapter on “Proactive Media Relations” (Chapter 12),
focusing on pages 289 to 292. This book is available online in Mount Royal University’s library:
LaVigne, M. H.. (2015). Proactive Media Relations (Chapter 12, pp. 283-305). In W.W. Carnay & L.A. Lymer (eds.),
Fundamentals of Public Relations and Marketing Communications in Canada.
As a group, narrow your selection of target audiences to two or three key audiences.
STEP FOUR – SELECT ONE KEY AUDIENCE (INDIVIDUALLY): Each member of your group should select one key
audience for the purpose of this assignment. More than one student in each group can select the same key
audience, but please work as individuals.
It’s essential to define each audience so you can choose the right target media, journalists and influencers to reach
them. There will be crossover of media sources among the students in each group and the audiences being targeted
by your group.
STEP FIVE – CREATE A MEDIA LIST (INDIVIDUALLY): Now it’s time to create your media list. A media list is a
document that keeps track of contacts for potential stories. Storing this information will speed up the process of
contacting the media in the case of a crisis or time sensitive event. It also allows a media relations officer to keep
track of which stories are being covered by their media contacts.

 

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