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(My Free PR ) Professionals and Students Believe New Media
Presents Significant Credibility and Ethics Challenges, According to
Dow Jones/PRSA Survey
Findings in a new survey of public relations
professionals and students conducted by the Public Relations Society of
America (PRSA) and Dow Jones & Company (NYSE: DJ), in concert with
its Factiva suite of products, show that new communication technology
has been widely accepted by the public relations profession.
Simultaneously, communicators at all levels of experience, including
students, strongly believe that new technology tools, such as blogs and
social networking sites, present critical credibility and ethical
challenges.
The survey, “Wired for Change – A Survey of
Public Relations Professionals and Students: Attitudes, Usage and
Expectations in the New Communication Technology Environment,” was
conducted to explore how professional and student members of PRSA and
the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) view the role
of technology in shaping current and future communication practices.
The survey was sent to a random sample of both organizations’
memberships, with response rates of 5 percent for professionals and 2
percent for students.
A majority of respondents in both groups
raised concerns about the credibility of information being generated
through new media sources, such as social networking sites, and placed
the greatest amount of trust in traditional media — including more
technology-driven traditional media, such as online newspapers.
“New
media and communication technology are widely embraced by populations
of all ages, resulting in a virtual cornucopia, a wealth of media
sources and endless consumer choice,” said Rhoda Weiss, APR, Fellow
PRSA, chair and CEO, PRSA. “New media represents a highly effective
means for breaking news and commentary. Organizational crises
dramatically underscore the value of new communication technology tools
in offering instantaneous communications. The citizen journalist with a
high-tech cell phone and blog can turn the role of communications
upside down — from a world of control to a world of community and
conversation. These tools make our work more complex, raising more
questions than answers, like how to translate professional ethical
standards into the world of social media. The survey results highlight
areas where PRSA can help communicators effectively learn to use and
build credibility for these tools.”
More students than professionals
indicated that the use of some of the new communications channels could
present significant ethical challenges for public relations
professionals. According to the survey, 46 percent of the students and
35 percent of professionals think technology makes it difficult to
conduct public relations ethically. Additionally, 41 percent of
students responded that technology makes defending against skepticism
about public relations more difficult, compared to 33 percent of
professionals.
“The proliferation of blogs and social
networking sites are definitely changing the rules of public relations,
and the survey results indicate that both professionals and students
are quite aware of the challenges they present,” says Alan C. Scott,
senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Dow Jones Enterprise
Media Group. “Both groups also recognize that new communication
technology helps them to better manage their organizations’
reputations, so I think we’ll see an increased adoption of tools that
help public relations professionals monitor Web conversations and
engage with stakeholders.”
Key Findings
Nearly
all students (97 percent) and professionals (95 percent) agreed that
technology has positively impacted the public relations practice.
According to the survey, professionals and students believe that online
news, online video and personal digital assistants (PDAs) have had the
most significant impact on how public relations professionals do their
jobs. Professionals also cited podcasting, while students ranked
professional networking Web sites highly. Generally, students have a
more positive view of new communications tools than professionals,
especially professional networking Web sites, Internet TV, blogs,
social networking sites, satellite TV, Internet radio, chat rooms and
video phones.
Both groups believe that the technology-driven
channels that provide the best opportunities for the practice of public
relations are online news Web sites, blogs and social networking sites.
Students are more optimistic than professionals about the potential
usefulness of social and professional networking sites. According to
the survey, 19 percent of students reported that social networking
sites present the most significant opportunity, compared to 10 percent
of the professionals. Eight percent of students said professional
networking sites were the biggest opportunity, compared to 2 percent of
professionals.
This positive view doesn’t necessarily translate
into greater technology resources. In fact, most professionals believe
their organizations lag in broader communication technology use, with
20 percent saying they are ahead of the trend.
The survey
suggests that both groups believe new technology channels, such as
instant messaging, are most effective for disseminating information
quickly, reaching broad audiences and monitoring trends. Eighty-eight
percent of professionals and 75 percent of students indicated that
technology enables public relations professionals to easily reach mass
markets. However, they also acknowledged that while blogs and social
networking sites are clearly increasing in popularity, they are
unregulated, and the potential for reputational harm and for rumors to
spread quickly exists.
“We are hoping to repeat this survey
later this year to determine evolving trends in the new and next media
and how opinions of public relations professionals and students have
changed. We must continue to seek guidance to the tough questions we
face daily on the most effective methods to deliver messages in this
fragmented communications world and the best way to integrate social
media into public relations programs while translating our professional
ethical standards into the environment of social media,” adds Weiss.
About the Survey
The
survey was conducted in the last quarter of 2006 and the first quarter
of 2007. There were 482 surveys completed by PRSA members, with a
margin of error of +/- 4.4 percent, at a 95 percent confidence level.
PRSSA members returned 367 surveys, with a margin of error of +/- 5.1
percent, at a 95 percent confidence level, says Dow Jones, who
conducted the survey. About two-thirds of the PRSA members surveyed
were employed by for-profit or nonprofit organizations, with the
remainder working in public relations agencies or practicing
independently. All PRSSA respondents were full-time or part-time
students.
Weiss, Scott to be Interviewed on WebmasterRadio.FM’s “Cover Story,” July 25
On July 25, from 2 – 3 p.m. EDT, a special edition of WebmasterRadio.FM’s “Cover Story”
will feature an interview with Weiss and Scott, who will discuss the
survey in greater detail, including methodology and key findings.
About Dow Jones & Company Dow
Jones & Company (NYSE: DJ; dowjones.com) is a leading provider of
global business news and information services. Its Consumer Media Group
publishes The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Market Watch and the Far
Eastern Economic Review. Its Enterprise Media Group includes Dow Jones
Newswires, Factiva, Dow Jones Client Solutions, Dow Jones Indexes and
Dow Jones Financial Information Services. Its Local Media Group
operates community-based information franchises. Dow Jones is co-owner
with Hearst of SmartMoney. Dow Jones provides news content to CNBC and
radio stations in the United States.
About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) The Public Relations Society of America (www.prsa.org),
headquartered in New York City, is the world's largest organization for
public relations professionals with nearly 32,000 professional and
student members. PRSA is organized into 109 Chapters nationwide and 20
Professional Interest Sections and Affinity Groups, which represent
business and industry, counseling firms, independent practitioners,
military, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional
services firms and nonprofit organizations. The Public Relations
Student Society of America (PRSSA) has 285 Chapters at colleges and
universities throughout the United States.
About WebmasterRadio.FM WebmasterRadio.FM
is the premier online radio/podcast network focusing on the B2B
marketplace, offering 100 percent original programming led by industry
leaders. WebmasterRadio.FM strives to lift the "veiled curtain" of the
Internet to bring the business community together through an
interactive radio network. Its listeners are a global group comprised
of everyone from corporate executives and decision makers to
individuals who work for themselves; from small and mid-sized
businesses to those just starting out. WebmasterRadio.FM's stellar
radio programming includes "CoverStory" with David McInnis, founder,
PRWeb, WebmasterRadio.FM's official newswire; "The Hook with Katie
Kempner" with Katie Kempner, vice president, Crispin Porter + Bogusky;
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emeritus, ad:tech, and CEO, Cendara, Inc.; "The Daily SearchCast"
featuring search authority Danny Sullivan, SearchEngineLand.com; and
more. To tune into WebmasterRadio.FM's live content, or to check out
the lineup, please visit WebmasterRadio.FM.
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