- by Gabrielle Sheehan, Senior Consultant
I recently had the privilege of visiting the Cook Islands with one of our clients – the Coral Reef Targeted Research & Capacity Building for Management (CRTR) Program.
Essentially, I was there to be an in-house journalist, covering a forum of senior managers and a practical training course related to natural resource management in the Pacific. I was also seeking local media coverage of these events.
In standard media relations practice, before I left Australia I sent a short email to local news outlets, advising them of the upcoming activities and that I would be in town to facilitate any media coverage, set up interviews, provide photographs and generally make their lives easier.
As it turned out, this was not exactly the best way to go about things. In a country where relationships are critical in communications and transactions, I really needed to introduce myself better and provide information on local affiliations.
Things worked a lot better when I was taken personally to the TV station by a helpful local contact. I was welcomed with open arms, quite literally, and with kisses on both cheeks – a bit different to the reception you’d get at Channel 9!
This experience was a reminder to me how relationships with journalists are critical, no matter what country you are in, and that we must always take into account the media’s needs and context if we want successful coverage.
I am pleased to report that we did achieve some great coverage of the events. In one story, all the sponsors were even mentioned – a rarity in the Australian media where they are often actively excluded.
One thing did not change, however – news is news all over the world. When a cyclone threatened Rarotonga, we got bumped from the headlines. (Just as well, as we had to rush home to batten down the hatches!)
