Week 8.

Readings: Sallot, M. & Johnson, A. (2006). To contact … or not?: Investigating journalists’ assessments of public relations subsidies and contact preferences. Public Relations Review. 32(1) 83-86.
The Importance of Writing Skills by Kurt Wise in Public Relations Quarterly; Summer 2005; 50, 2; ABI/INFORM Global. pg. 37
How To...Ten Steps to Press Release Perfection PR News. Potomac: Mar 20, 2006. Vol. 62, Iss. 12; pg. 1

I think the key points to remember from this week's readings were "the closer the correspondence between the practitioner's subsidy and the journalist's story expectations, the greater the probability of placement". (Sallot & Johnston, 2006).
Sallot and Johnstons article found that 60-100% of US news media is sunsidised by Public relations practitioners.
Kurt Wise's article stresses the importance of quality writing skills from students graduating public relations. Wise's article investigated the opinions of practitioners working in the PR field. The study found that the major concern for potential practitioners is an ability to adapt their writing style for the internet. The study also found that teachers of public relations need to change the focus of their teachings, too much time is being spent on writing traditional media releases and not enough time is spent on client-focused writing pieces.
The last article is in itself an important note to remember for PR practitioners, it provides 10 points that are essential to remember for writing a press release. The whole article is important and will be essential for the upcoming PR plan and report assignment.

The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that public relations influnce journalists to a greater extent than I first realised with studies finding that PR practitioners can influence "the media agenda, in turn influencing public opinion and the public agenda. Estimates of the percentage of news content influenced by public relations’ subsidies or journalists’ contacts with practitioners range from 25% to 80%." (Sallot & Johnston, 2006).
Wise's article made me think of the expectations employers hold for graduating PR students. The need for concise and clear writing is evident, also the ability to adapt to new media forms is essential.
The last article made me think of the important steps to remember when writing a media release. Concise and genuine information must be conveyed, not as an advertisement. The main point is to make the release catchy, succinct and journalist friendly, this will ensure your release has the best chance at being published.