Conflict in a Media Relations With Company

Ted’s current conflict with George highlights a relatively common conflict in media relations and communications in general. While Ted could have done a better job communicating his position to his ally, George, he was not “wrong” in any way, and neither was George. George could have done a better job as a communications specialist and finance journalist by asking more probing questions that might have enabled or encouraged Ted to open up more. Likewise, Ted could have done a better job as the firm’s media relations specialist by presenting ABC’s position more comprehensively. Ted certainly needed a more comprehensive media relations strategy, but George is simply displacing his own responsibility for a poor job by blaming Ted.
Salvaging Ted and George’s relationship will require compassion and emotional intelligence on both their parts. Ted needs to understand George’s position. George risks serious repercussions for losing the story by being outdone by a competitor media organization. Given George had trusted Ted to divulge without needing extra coaxing, it is Ted who needs to make more of an effort to rebuild trust as they forge a new alliance for the future. Similarly, George needs to take responsibility for his role instead of making the situation worse by blaming his ally. George needs to take a more proactive approach when interviewing sources that he considers friends; Ted needs to develop a more sensible media relations strategy and refresh his understanding of media crises like these.
With niche media in particular like financial reporting, media relations specialists like Ted need to expand their repertoire and revamp their strategies to encompass a wider range of tactics and techniques. As Salzman (2016) points out, the potential for a small miscommunication, like the one that evolved between Ted and George, to grow into a full scale crisis is exacerbated by the addition of social media mechanisms. Ted can ill afford to have a total crisis on his hands, and his claim that he was only remaining loyal to his company rings untrue. Ted’s job as media relations specialist is to consider how to use the media to ABC’s advantage. As Zoch & Moleda (2010) point out, media and press relations have evolved beyond the unidirectional and toward the multidirectional building of relationships. Media relations are complex and multifaceted, requiring cooperation and collaboration from both Ted and George.
If I had been Ted, I would have handled the situation better by understanding the big picture. I would have considered the end-results and goals such as how to minimize the problem with vice president and perhaps spinning it so that ABC came out looking clean and perhaps even helping to sully the reputation of the vice president. With a proactive and even aggressive media relations strategy, I would have been in control, steering ABC’s image in the right direction as per the fundamental objectives of my job. This way, I would be protecting my employer’s interests. Ted needs to consider how ABC needs to present itself and the narrative or story the company wants to tell in each crisis situation.
At the same time, I would recognize the tremendous importance of retaining a solid media relationship with George. George is an ally. To lose George would mean cutting ABC off from a means of disseminating ABC’s stories in ways that keeps the company in control of its own image. Therefore, I would make special amends with George. I would take George and possibly even his family out to dinner. I might even consider buying him an expensive bottle of his favorite spirit. Ted, on the other hand, needs to be willing to accept George’s apology and work hard to prevent such a crisis from occurring in the future. By discovering and building on their common ground, George and Ted can enjoy the type of professional relationship they initially intended to have, with mutually beneficial outcomes.



References

Salzman, M. (2016). Media relations: still important. Forbes. Retrieved online: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mariansalzman/2016/06/03/media-relations-still-important/#30f1241727f0
Zoch, L.M. & Molleda, J.C. (2010). Building a theoretical model of media relations using framing, information subsidies, and agenda-building. In Botan, C.H. (Ed.) Public Relations Theory. Routledge.