Chris Pharo

Comms professionals might have a great track record of securing media coverage, but it's important to remember that media relations don’t come with guarantees—nor should they! Despite what some might think, it’s not a world of favours or gentle nudges to a media mate. The real magic happens when we craft a compelling narrative and tell stories that truly resonate. The best comms pros know it is a long game and it’s not about promises; it’s about building relationships and sharing stories that genuinely add value. That’s what leads to great coverage! #MediaRelations #PR #Communications #Storytelling

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Has the gap between journalism theory and practice gotten too wide?   That’s the provocative question this project from Nieman Journalism Lab asks. At a time when the economic pressures on the industry have never been so intense, its goal is to explore how academics studying the industry can support working journos through radical change. Lots of interesting links in here – I thought this report was particularly interesting.   #journalism #education #MediaResearch #media #press

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As communicators, we have a profound responsibility to illuminate the stories that remain hidden. While it’s tempting to follow the crowd and cover widely reported events, a journalist’s duty lies in uncovering the complex, underreported issues that deeply impact our world. Take child labor, for instance. It's a challenging topic that requires sensitivity, depth, and thorough understanding. Yet, many shy away from it, perhaps due to a lack of confidence or training. This is where robust journalist training becomes indispensable. By equipping journalists with the right skills and knowledge, we can tackle these critical stories with the nuance and care they deserve. Kudos to those communicators who seek out these important narratives and give a voice to those who often go unheard. Our work has the power to spark change, and it starts with the courage to step beyond the familiar. #Journalism #MediaResponsibility #UnreportedStories #ChildLabor @GCForum #GCForum

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Cracking insights here on the broad implications of the recent licensing agreement between the Financial Times and OpenAI. Media companies rightly should get paid for their IP, but the author doubts whether they're getting the value they deserve. Moral: tech giants generally win. Interesting commentary too about the hype around AI - throw 'AI winter' into your preferred search engine and you'll see why this is a thing. Is AI really as transformative, disruptive and world-changing as Big Tech tells us it is? We've heard these words before about lots of different technologies. Or is it just another way to concentrate more tech money in a handful of big firms? There's a narrative developing about AI's ability to enhance productivity at scale and real concerns about its environmental impact - see the comments for a recent AFR piece on the expected increase in electricity demand. Talking of energy, I'm bed-ridden with flu/Covid today so considering all this through the prism of a fantastic free AI Ethics course from the University of Helsinki. See the comments for a link - highly recommended! #AI #Ethics #Technology #PublicPolicy #Governance #Environment #Media

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Thriving in Emerging Markets Starts with a Global South Perspective. How is the rise of the Global South transforming the corporate approach to public affairs? This was the key focus at the roundtable hosted by PRovoke Media and Global South Advisory. From economic growth to geopolitical strategy, the shift toward emerging markets is significant, and businesses must adapt quickly.

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Launching an ambitious media growth strategy for Europe 🇪🇺 Today, News Media Europe (Victoria Svanberg) jointly with EUROPEAN NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION (Mike Koedinger) and EMMA European Magazine Media Association (François le Hodey) launch a media growth strategy for Europe. The associations stand united in calling on the European institutions to ensure that journalism and the press fully harness the opportunities offered in the digital age: https://lnkd.in/eEQ4JcTW More concretely, they ask for: 1. Better IP protection and enforcement also with regards to generative AI 2. Press freedom and diversity on the platform internet 3. Fair competition and Fair, Reasonable, And Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) access to gatekeepers 4. Rules for a fair and open online advertising ecosystem 5. Increasing publishers’ resilience by safeguarding contractual freedom and the freedom to advertise 6. Ensure fair competition between public and private media to sustain a diverse and high-quality information landscape, vital for democracy. Their full statement can be found here: https://lnkd.in/es_QqVjw

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A really important conversation about media - not just for those of us working in #PR and #communications but anyone who cares about the structures in society in which we place our trust and rely on truth. I look forward to the upcoming articles in this series by The Conversation Australia + NZ as they also cover commercial business models for radio and TV, rural and regional media, the future of printed newspapers, and regulation of social media. Hardman Communications Communication and Public Relations Australia

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A useful handbook for quick reference and a reminder to all journalists covering the #US elections to ensure information integrity. This is worth a look. As in absorb this before #election day #journalists #newsroom #misinformation #disinformation https://lnkd.in/g4heDxVP

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An opportunity to contribute to an industry wide picture of the use of AI and new technology in communications organisations.

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The impacts of the strengthening blizzard of noise/misinformation mean corporate decision makers are increasingly reliant on trusted sources to inform their future direction. Day in day out the FT delivers a level of accuracy that meets this requirement.

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I first wrote on the subject of a coming “convergence” of internal and external communication more than 10 years ago.  It keeps coming up, like it did in Sophie Drummond’s piece titled "Rest In Peace, Internal Communication" in the newly resurrected EACD publication, Communication Directors Magazine (link in comments). Sophie makes a lot of solid points.  I don’t disagree, but I bristle at the idea that it’s internal communication that needs to be subsumed into external communication, a conclusion some might jump to if skimming her piece.  In fact, I’d argue the opposite, that internal communication should be seen as a fundamental driver of external communication - and as a discipline with its own distinct dynamics and leverage. Nevertheless, it’s also long overdue for today’s #internalcomms practitioners to get their heads around why the distinction between internal and external comms is becoming more permeable - and a lot more dynamic. My latest post on the Changing The Terms Blog: Internal Comms and External Comms are not the same. And never will be. https://lnkd.in/ercBY_Kq

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As we hurdle towards polling day, keep abreast of developments and scenario-planning with PLMR’s Insights series and hear from a range of leading political journalists and experts. Details below - do get in touch to register your interest. #publicaffairs #politics #ge2024

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✏️ 🚨 New blog 🚨 ✏️ Bluesky is the latest social media platform to challenge X - journalist adoption may be the deciding factor in whether it succeeds where others have failed. https://lnkd.in/eiUzX4K9

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News Values What is a journalist looking for in a news story? Understanding these factors can help public relations practitioners craft media pitches and press releases. In 2001, Tony Harcup and Deirdre O’Neil published their seminal research on UK news values (an update on Galtung and Ruge's influential 1965 taxonomy of news values). In order of priority, these were: 1, The power elite: Stories concerning influential individuals, organisations or institutions 2. Celebrity: Stories about people who are already famous 3. Entertainment: Stories that people find humorous 4. Surprise: Stories that have an element that surprises people 5. Bad news: Stories with negative overtones, such as conflict or tragedy 6. Good news: Stories with positive overtones, such as rescues and cures 7. Magnitude: Stories perceived as significant because of the number of people involved or the impact 8. Relevance: Stories perceived to be relevant to the audience 9. Follow-up: Stories about subjects that have already been in the news, either very recently or on an anniversary 10. Newspaper agenda: Stories that fit the news organisation's agenda. Since the research was undertaken, social media has become a prime news channel for many people. We often prefer audio-visual news content, especially short videos. The algorithms that run social media and news aggregators like Apple News operate as echo chambers, feeding us topics we have liked before or we pre-select. Exclusive stories are possibly more important nowadays, as competition is fierce when so many media outlets exist. I am sure that for some of the big stories of the last few years, you could name the media which broke that news. Shareability is a newer trend; stories are designed for people to share on social media. There is also the negative trend of clickbait - misleading headlines that attract our attention. In 2016, Harcup and O’Neil again researched UK news values and produced a contemporary, ranked list. These are: 1. Exclusivity: stories generated first by a named news outlet 2. Bad news 3. Conflict: stories about controversies, arguments, strikes, warfare 4. Surprise 5. Audio-visuals: stories with arresting images, video or audio 6. Shareability: stories likely to be engaged with on social media 7. Entertainment 8. Drama: stories about an unfolding event, such as accidents or court cases 9. Follow-up 10. Relevance 11. Magnitude 12. Celebrity 13. Good news 14. News organisation's agenda. What is news? Have news values changed dramatically or just evolved since the original 2001 Harcup and O’Neill research? The ranking order has slightly changed, and additional factors have been added. Only ‘the power elite’ is off the revised list. Overall, Harcup and O’Neill’s original news values have stood the test of time, not just in the study of journalism but in having relevance to public relations practice. [Image: Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash]

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While concerns from The Guardian and The Observer readership, as well as their brilliant staff, are inevitable, it's interesting to note the value that legacy media brands like The Observer still hold. With Tortoise Media in talks to acquire The Observer, the deal has sparked passionate responses, with the possibility of industrial action being raised. But it's also intriguing to see Tortoise Media, a digital-first startup, shifting into physical media. This move may signal a broader trend in the media landscape. While many staff are understandably unsettled, Tortoise has pledged £25m in investment over five years to support the paper. Anna Bateson, CEO of Guardian Media Group, views this as an opportunity to build The Observer while allowing The Guardian to pursue its growth strategy. Could this deal, despite the unease, be a boost for both brands?

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The Reuters Institute Digital News Report is out today, which is always a key reference for me - https://lnkd.in/ek7APDHw It suggests more people are turning away from news because they're finding it depressing, relentless and boring, highlighting the role politics and politicians are playing in dragging it down. Interest in news has almost halved since 2015 in the UK. Lots of people say they feel increasingly overwhelmed and confused by the amount of news, and tired of how much focuses on politics. Women and younger people in particular say they feel worn out by it. Trust in the news is still lower than it was at the height of the pandemic. It improved slightly in the UK over the past year, but remains 15% lower than before the Brexit referendum 8 years ago. The BBC remains the most trusted news brand in the UK. Which is timely news, because you can get an insight behind the scenes at the BBC by joining our lunchtime event on Thursday next week, where we'll host by Julia Caesar, Senior Global Broadcast Editor at the BBC, to explore how businesses can leverage the power of broadcast news. Spaces will be limited, so register here - https://lnkd.in/eU-VqSED.

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It's going to be an interesting week in comms. The 2024 US election presents unique challenges and opportunities for brands considering leveraging it for their PR. Here are some pointers: 1. Exercise extreme caution, as the election is likely to be highly divisive. Avoid explicit political stances, as research shows only 21% of US consumers want brands to take political positions. Instead, focus on nonpartisan messages encouraging civic engagement. 2. Leverage contextual advertising carefully, ensuring ads appear alongside appropriate content. Consider alternative channels to reach audiences, as news programming will likely be saturated with political content. Emphasise authenticity and brand values rather than opportunistically jumping on election trends. 3. Only explore cause-related marketing aligned with nonpartisan issues. Utilise social listening to understand audience reactions to election-related content. Focus on long-term strategy rather than sacrificing brand positioning for short-term gains. Remember, while the election presents engagement opportunities, the risks of backlash and negative associations are significant. Carefully weigh potential benefits against risks before incorporating election-related themes into marketing strategies.

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