1A Under Pressure: The Press Needs Us & We Need Them

Blake Serrano

The United States First Amendment grants citizens five distinct freedoms: press, religion, assembly, speech and petition. However, the recent dismantling of government-funded media, such as the U.S. Agency for Global Media and entities like Voice of America, raises concerns about censorship and restraints against fact-based journalism. 

Journalists are facing the impacts of this action, specifically on their reputation. As it’s known, reputation innately matters, and hostility is rapidly growing against those in this profession, with incidents increasing by more than 50% compared to the previous year, according to Voice of America. 

Supporting transparent, factual communication

The move is harmful not only to journalists but also to public relations practitioners. As honest, transparent communicators, we rely on journalists to amplify our key messages through brand storytelling and humanization, affecting crisis communication, public trust and reputation management.

For example, communicators working with media outlets during a crisis is a key component of the response phase. Due to recent events, there is a potential for misinformation to spread without credible media oversight. 

Reduced press coverage also impacts trust between organizations and audiences. Gen Z relies heavily on honesty and is reluctant to interact with unethical companies. A new challenge arises with these laws, as companies will need to maintain transparency and credibility in light of limited media scrutiny. 

Ultimately, press restrictions may strain relationships between PR practitioners and journalists, causing a domino effect of negative impacts. Earned media coverage significantly helps businesses relay key messages and brand values to audiences, serving as an important element of a communication plan. It also helps with generating buzz around outlets. 

There may be increased difficulty for companies to secure positive media coverage or correct misinformation. PR practitioners must continue to monitor these current events and practice ethical judgments while navigating through them. 
 
Advocating for press freedom

Luckily, there are steps we as ethical practitioners can take to ensure transparency in a restricted media landscape. For starters, we can focus on using social media to relay messaging and build trust with audiences.

We can also advocate for press freedom as part of corporate social responsibility, fostering trust with journalists and strengthening media relationships. Finally, we can prepare for crises in low-transparency environments by developing contingency plans with limited press involvement and utilizing alternative media to ensure the brand perspective is heard. 

Press freedom amplifies, humanizes and expands public relations messaging to numerous audiences, increasing overall impact and reach. This critical component of communications must be protected through advocating for press transparency and ethical media practices. Practitioners must maintain trust and credibility in our increasingly restricted media landscape.