Question 1

Do you think there are possible conflicts with a media company providing the measurements for songs and artists?
Why?
Explain.

Accepted Answer

There are possible conflicts of interest when any organization is responsible for measuring its own products and success without transparency in the process or independent oversight. When great amounts of money rest on the outcomes - as happens with rankings of music - the suspicion by outside observers can be increased with or without evidence that anything untoward has occurred.

Question 2

The problems with AVEs provide a valuable exercise in critical thinking: why or why not would an AVE score for editorial matter be equivalent to the same amount of advertising?

Accepted Answer

AVEs provide a broad directional approach to measuring impact of PR efforts. But equating the number of column inches or area taken up by a news release for example, can hardly show the impact that the release had. The differences between advertising copy and news-release copy are many. Advertising is often viewed by readers as suspect and not as honest as the content found in news columns, which are supposed to be written by journalists. Further, the decline in print readership in recent years has produced a serious decline in the "pickups" of news releases in print, so that there are fewer options to measure as AVEs.

Question 3

In the case of wedding rice, what kinds of questions might a PR person have asked or sought answers if advising the legislator who proposed the law banning rice at weddings?

Accepted Answer

Students should approach claims that don't contain specific data or evidence with a good deal of skepticism. In this case, a good PR person might have asked where the legislator got her information; if any bird experts had been consulted; if there were documented situations that would lend credence to the stories; if this subject was one that the elected official wanted to spent time, energy and money on.

Question 4

What elements in the overall communications environment are making it possible to do pointed, quick and detailed research that was not possible until recently?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What elements in the overall communications environment...

Question 5

What are the positive and negative aspects of the Barcelona Principles?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the positive and negative aspects...

Question 6

Look up urban legends on the Internet and suggest ways of examining two of them to suggest if they have some basis in truth or are just folklore.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Look up urban legends on the Internet...

Question 7

How can research be used to help support and define a PR campaign?
When should research begin in the plan for a campaign?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How can research be used to help...

Question 8

When hearing a claim that sounds too good to be true or stretches credibility, what should your first step be?

Accepted Answer

The answer of When hearing a claim that sounds too...

Exam 1: Perspective on Public Relations Research, Truth and the Researchers Attitude

Do you think there are possible conflicts with a media company providing the measurements for songs and artists? Why? Explain.