Deck 9: Media Relations

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT true of news on the Internet in comparison to news in print?

A) News on the Internet is more pervasive than news in print.
B) News on the Internet is less intrusive than news in print.
C) News on the Interest is more accessible to the masses than news in print.
D) News on the Internet is more likely to cause problems for public relations professionals than news in print.

Answer 1

News on the Internet is less intrusive than news in print.

Question 2

Which of the following characterizes the media that today's public relations practitioners must deal with?

A) They have qualms about using anonymous sources.
B) They are less aggressive, less opinionated, and less willing to throw themselves into story coverage than journalists of the 20^th century.
C) They are aggressive, opinionated and throw themselves into story coverage.
D) They are truth-minded.

Answer 2

They are aggressive, opinionated and throw themselves into story coverage.

Question 3

Before the 21^st century, most public relations practitioners came from the world of

A) business.
B) politics.
C) journalism.
D) law.

Answer 3

journalism.

Question 4

Ari Fleischer, first press secretary to President George W. Bush, viewed the press as

A) having gone well beyond their role as devil's advocate.
B) being so negative that they only look for "bad news."
C) trying to fix "broken eggs."
D) being concerned with "informing" the public about all the news.

Question 5

In pursuing their "freedom" under the First Amendment,"
Media have increasingly done all the following EXCEPT

A) played "devil' advocate."
B) regularly challenged authority with pointed, nasty, even hostile questions.
C) avoided "breaking eggs"
D) independently sought the truth.

Question 6

Objectivity, which journalists presumably strive for and public relations practitioners help media professionals achieve, is ideally

A) an attempt at pure and complete neutrality.
B) an attempt to be fair, to remain neutral.
C) an attempt to include enough biased notions so a story is believable.
D) an attempt to satisfy conservative critics of the so-called "liberal media."

Question 7

One Washington Post columnist blamed the American public for the fact that the relationship between the media and public relations people is comparable to that of bitter enemies, saying:

A) "The public wants the truth."
B) "The public wants trash."
C) "The public wants friendly adversaries."
D) "The public wants reciprocity."

Question 8

Reasons print media are an important medium for public relations professionals include

A) unlimited opportunities for original use of news releases on network and cable TV
B) online databases, blogs and other Web-based media use organization-originated material destined for print usage.
C) many journalists at newspapers and magazines still use news releases.
D) All of the above

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT true about newspapers?

A) By the summer of 2012, print circulation was stabilizing and newspaper reading on the Internet climbed.
B) They are sources of news for electronic news directors and bloggers.
C) About ten percent of the nation's daily newspapers have implemented some form of paid digital content.
D) They attract about 66 million daily visitors to the Web.

Question 10

In the United States, there are roughly ________ daily newspapers and ________ magazines.

A) 1,000; 10,000
B) 1,350; 21,000
C) 19,000; 1,500
D) 6,000; 15,000

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT an accurate characterization of electronic media?

A) In the first decade of the 21^st century, there was a dramatic increase in numbers of Americans turning to broadcast network newscasts.
B) On-demand viewing services resulted in a drop of daily cable watchers in 2010.
C) 24/7 cable news means Americans are being bombarded with televising of unrelated events.
D) Talk radio has become an enormous social and political force.

Question 12

Which of the following is not a factor in the Internet complicating relationships between practitioners and journalists?Among the factors the Internet has NOT added to complicate relationships between practitioners and journalists is

A) "new-age news sources."
B) expansion of the online edition of many newspapers.
C) the collapse of longstanding standards and ascendancy of rumor mongering.
D) improvement in longstanding standards of objectivity.

Question 13

Which of the following is good advice for public relations people who want to know how to deal effectively and ethically with people representing the various types of media?

A) Treat them first and foremost professionally.
B) Treat them like all other journalists in any medium.
C) Treat their skepticism with skepticism, realizing that doesn't come with the territory.
D) Treat them with respect because you and they understand what news is.

Question 14

The cardinal rule for dealing professionally and ethically with media is

A) Cop an attitude.
B) Never lie.
C) Make them realize if the story is good, the company will continue to advertise with them.
D) To remind them that you promised your management a placement.

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT among the guaranteed benefits of paid advertising?

A) control over content
B) location where the content will appear
C) credibility of the ad
D) frequency of times the ad is run

Question 16

Which of the following is a benefit of publicity that advertising cannot offer?

A) reach
B) third-party endorsement
C) placement of information provided to media
D) frequency

Question 17

Publicity can be very useful, especially in

A) explaining how easy it is to use a simple product or service.
B) minimizing the effect of a big budget.
C) announcing a new product or service and re-energizing an old product or service.
D) responding to praise from adversaries.

Question 18

The activity of trying to place positive publicity in media, of convincing an editor to consider the publicity as newsworthy, is called

A) selling.
B) advocating.
C) pitching.
D) positioning.

Question 19

In order to achieve placement of a written release, which of the following should you avoid?

A) directing a release to a specific beat reporter
B) frequently using "exclusives"
C) determining how best to contact a reporter or editor by asking them for their preference
D) calling a reporter or editor yourself, rather than have an assistant make the call

Question 20

If you are seeking online publicity,

A) Change how you deliver and format a news release.
B) Take advantage of the nature of the medium and write a long announcement.
C) Virtually ignore a site's library.
D) Bypass use of news wires whenever possible.

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT true of online news releases?

A) Paid wires guarantee the use of your material.
B) They have a shorter life than offline releases.
C) Web events need to be big to attract publicity.
D) The closer you are to online reporters, the more fairly they will treat you.

Question 22

Which of the following activities are likely to attract online publicity?

A) promotion of members in your organization
B) television appearances or book tours
C) long, well-written product announcements
D) "big" events like concerts broadcast online

Question 23

Which of the following wire services does NOT guarantee use of your materials?

A) Internet Wire
B) Associated
C) Business Wire
D) PR Newswire

Question 24

Arguably, the most essential task of public relations people in the eyes of those for whom public relations people work is

A) easing discomfort with their personal appearance.
B) placating executives with easy practice questions.
C) coordinating interviews for their executives with the media.
D) setting an agenda for meetings.

Question 25

A reason executives tend to be uncomfortable with interviews is

A) discomfort with their personal appearance.
B) distrust of liberals.
C) inexperience being put on the spot.
D) public relations professionals failed to prepare them.

Question 26

The first question to ask before engaging in a media interview is:

A) What purpose will this serve the organization?
B) How many questions will s/he ask me?
C) What should I wear?
D) Will it put me on the spot?

Question 27

In interviews, the interviewers seek

A) someone with whom they can have an intellectual conversation.
B) someone who can provide material for a "good story."
C) someone with whom they can develop a lasting friendship.
D) someone who will make them look good.

Question 28

In interviews, the interviewee seeks

A) to have an intellectual conversation with the interviewer.
B) to intelligently respond to all questions on any topic.
C) to convey the key message.
D) to provide material for a "good story."

Question 29

What should the interviewee know about the interviewer before the interview?

A) his/her point of view.
B) his/her interests.
C) his/her likely questions.
D) all of the above

Question 30

A key point to remember when dealing with reporters, especially in interviews, is

A) saying "no comment" is an indication that you may be hiding something.
B) debating a reporter if you disagree with their premise establishes respect.
C) even if you don't know the correct
D) answer hypothetical questions to indicate just how well-informed you are.

Question 31

For a successful media interview,

A) bluff if you don't know an
B) welcome naïve questions.
C) look to go off the record.
D) provide promised information whenever you have time to.

Question 32

Because of the prominence of 24/7 cable news, talk radio, and the blogosphere, it's never been easier to develop solid media relations.

Question 33

The "devil's advocate" role is the key to why many people don't like the press.

Question 34

Because the "acceptable rate of accuracy"
is 70 percent among Internet journalists, dealing with some media has grown increasingly challenging.

Question 35

In the old days, print reporters wouldn't risk their "objectivity" to voice their opinions on television; today, however, reporters and news organizations like getting attention for such opinions.

Question 36

The role a journalist fulfills in working with or dealing with officials is that of a skeptic.

Question 37

Spokespersons who effectively substantiate the official organizational view and demonstrate its merits should reasonably expect media to avoid editorial distortion in presenting the information.

Question 38

Public relations people still consider print media important because they still typically use more material presented them than do network or cable TV.

Question 39

Jon Stewart showed up fourth on a national poll of "most admired journalists."

Question 40

New-age news sources include the Drudge Report and Salon.

Question 41

Manipulating the media is a goal of effective media relations.

Question 42

Good media relations require organizations to adopt a formal media relations policy and practictioners to deal fairly, honestly, and intelligently with media representatives.

Question 43

The cardinal rule in dealing with the media is to make sure they know who is in charge.

Question 44

A major and distinct advantage of advertising over publicity is frequency.

Question 45

Publicity differs dramatically from advertising but typically costs dramatically more than advertising.

Question 46

The reason publicity is considered more credible than advertising is that it has passed the standards of a third party, the media.

Question 47

Pitching in public relations is similar to throwing a curveball in baseball: The idea is to trick the recipient into accepting whatever you throw at them.

Question 48

The downside to promising one paper an exclusive is how that might affect your relationships with other newspapers.

Question 49

When all is said and done about the Internet, for public relations practitioners, it is still about building relationships.

Question 50

For online publicity placement, public relations practitioners ought to make good use of paid news wires because they guarantee the use of material and provide newsrooms with content.

Question 51

Since the Internet has become a more commonplace communication medium, the bar for what qualifies as a Web-worthy event has been lowered.

Question 52

Coordinating media interviews for their management is a key role of public relations practitioners.

Question 53

Two keys to effective interviews-interviews that help further good media relations-are to bluff and go off the record.

Question 54

How does online media affect public relations?

Question 55

What is the role of media that public relations practitioners need to understand?

Question 56

Why is targeting newspapers and magazines in a public relations campaign still worthwhile?

Question 57

Discuss how advertising differs from publicity.

Question 58

Discuss steps you should take to insure the success of an interview.