Transcript Helsingin Yliopisto

Journalistic and public relations
texts
 Texts intended for publication in a newspaper
or magazine
 Also texts for broadcasting on radio or
television, or for presentation through Internetbased news dissemination channels
 Information about news and current events,
sports, entertainment and other topics of
public interest
 A genre of its own in many classifications of
texts
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17.7.2015
 The profession of reporting, photographing
and editing information
 Types of news publications: international
newspapers, national newspapers, city
newspapers
 Various types of news gathering operations:
editorial department, production department,
business department
 Texts modified at various stages for different
reasons (informational, economic, ethical)
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 Ethical issues in journalism
 People’s right to obtain uncensored news
 Openness and honesty in gathering
information for writing the texts (what is
included or omitted)
 Accuracy, fairness and completeness in
reporting news
 Respect for privacy and confidentiality
 Respect for the public good and for laws
 Personal integrity untainted by bias, bribery,
etc.
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Texts often written for the purpose of handling
public relations
 Whose interests are being safeguarded?
 Public relations texts typically results of
teamwork
 Public relation texts often establish and
maintain mutual lines of communication,
understanding and cooperation between an
organization and its public
 Effects on politicians and other public figures
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 A management function: for managing an
organization’s reputation and visibility
 Also a leadership function: helps an
organization fulfill its mission by coordinating
communication (but cf. Costa Concordia)
 Part of the decision-making of an organisation
 Built on two-way communication
 Performance-based: rooted more in what an
organization does than it what it says
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 Rooted in ethical standards of honesty,
accuracy, decency, truth, public interest, and
mutual good
 Proactive, taking the initiative in developing
the relationship and communicating with its
public
 In some crisis situations, public relations may
also be reactive (explaining or justifying
afterward what happened and why: Clinton)
 Difficult to anticipate everything that may be of
significance to a company
 Corrective action sometimes necessary
www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto
17.7.2015