The Practice of Public Relations - Coursework Example

The Practice of Public Relations Name Course Date Introduction Shark culling was a policy by the Western Australia government that aimed at eliminating sharks from the public swimming places. This initiative was adopted after seven people died on the Western Australia coastline between the year 2010 and 2013 due to attack by sharks while swimming. The sharks were to be eliminated through capturing and killing by use of baited drum lines. These are aquatic traps that could attract and capture the shark by use hooks with bait. The drum lines were put in use in Western Australia along seven beaches between January and April 2014 managing to capture 172 sharks that were among the biggest. According to the Western Australian authorities, this was a necessary move that would restore the confidence of beachgoers. This move was however not received well by the members of public and the animal rights activists who really opposed the policy attracting international attention. Political parties in Australia such as the Australian Labor Party and the Australian Greens also opposed the policy. Those opposing the policy claimed that culling the sharks, some which are protected by the federal government, was an inhumane, ineffective and an environmentally irresponsible method of preventing attacks by sharks. Australians came out in great numbers to demonstrate before and after the policy implementation also gaining support from other protestors in South Africa and New Zealand. Implementation of the policy was however abandoned after ten weeks following recommendation by Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA)1. Influence of social media on the Shark Culling policy Social media refers to various online channels of communication created by users for purposes of social networking. They bring together an online community through which the members can communicate and share all manner of information ranging from ideas, personal information as well as videos. Such online sites include facebook, twitter, Google+, and Linkedln among others. Social media has been used for business marketing and also for sharing opinions regarding actions of governments or leaders. As the government of Western Australia was preparing to implement the Shark Culling policy, campaign from the protestors has already gained popularity in social media sites. This was after the policy attracted international attention forming part of news coverage by the big media houses such as CNN and BBC2. In twitter, a lot of people posted messages against the policy using tags such as #nosharkcull and #noWAsharkcull. Examples of tweets on these tags included one by Richard Branson read “Western Australian #shark culling based on politics not science. Should be condemned around the world” while another one from Ricky Gervais read “I love everything about Australia. The people, the attitude & especially the wildlife. Please protect your sharks. They were there first :)”. Tia McQueen also wrote “@TiaMcQueen I don’t believe in the #sharkcull and I’m disgusted my home state of #westernaustralia would even trial it – shame on you Mr Barnett”3. Information regarding the shark culling policy spread very fast especially due to the role of social media in bringing people from different parts of the world to one common platform. In an article by Steven White titled WA shark cull, he acknowledged how striking it was that the issues had caused a lot of public uproar despite the policy being less damaging compared to what had happened in the East Coast of Australia where thousands of marine animals were killed in the first shark culling programme. Steve White explained that the much attention and how fast the information was able to spread was a possible indicator of the influence of mass communication though the social media. The social media was at that time able to spread messages so fast than was the case in the previous years4. Public relations in the new era of social media Public relations refer to a strategic process of communication used by organizations with the aim of building relationships that are mutually beneficial to themselves and the members of public. Public relations is currently taking a new direction due to the great influence of social media which they must embrace, failure to which they will be viewed as being poorly equipped and fearing technology. Public relations have therefore changed with the new social media trends to strengthen communication with various stakeholders. Government and government organizations must also recognize the need to up their public relations in the current era of social media. Dennis Rutzou in his article titled “getting the social media game” states that “We are living in a new era of influence. An era where news break around the world in seconds and citizen journalism is on the rise. An era when the majority of the world's population has now plugged-in to a powerful online platform and where the continuous stream of new content and opinions never cease. We are living through a time when one word - the internet - stands as the most significant revolution in communication history”5. He further explains that there are three steps that can be used to integrate public relations into the online platforms. The first step is to listen and watch the conversations that are being held on the online platforms. This includes knowing the key people who are driving those conversations and where the conversations are taking place. This helps one to have the confidence required in entering into the social media communication channels. The second step is to create content that will respond to what is being discussed in the social media. Any information that is posted on the social media should be carefully thought about and should be of interest to the target audience. The third step is to continuously make use of the social networks as communication channels to ensure continuous engagement with the audience. It is important to continuously interact with the social media users by following them on twitter, posting comments and updates on twitter and also on Facebook. These three steps if effectively followed can enhance an organization’s public relations as well as strengthen relationships with the members of public6. Similarly, the governments needs to be keen on the social media world and try to engage the social media uses effectively since it is a very fast growing network. If well used, it can enhance the image of the government and on the hand if poorly used, it can taint the image. How Governments can protect their reputation in the digital age The digital age is characterised by need for frequent and open communication between the government and its corporations, and the members of public. The presence of social media however offers a very important opportunity for the government and its agencies to communicate with the member of public. It has eliminated the communication barriers that existed there before that made it difficult to disseminate information to the people. Social media sites such as blogs, twitter and Facebook provides the government with a means of communication that does not require editors and reporters who may censer the information. Also, due to the increasingly busy lifestyles among the people, reading of newspapers and watching television is declining and therefore government officials must adopt use of social media to reach the people. However, use in social media can make contribute to vulnerability of the government to crisis emanating both from with its organs and from outside. Inside the government, care should be taken to ensure that the information released to social media sites does not damage the reputation of the government. From outside the government, there can be negative criticism with false information especially from the scoundrel activists and this can as well harm the government’s reputation7. However, if well used, social media can be used to promote the reputation of the government. For example, it can create a dialogue platform with members of public where the government can engage the members of public in honest exchange of ideas and opinions. This can be based on the fact that a proper communication that is well conducted by public relations practitioners can play a role in building good relationships. In the current era with digitally informed people, governments must engage citizens through online platforms to allow them contribute their views on government developments. Governments can also use social media as an indication of transparency. Transparency refers to making public information available to the citizens and allowing them to participate in making political decisions. The digital era citizens have a lot of mistrust for the government and are more interested in scrutinizing the government. The government can use social media to avail information to the citizens and allow them to evaluate the performance of the government and hold them accountable. Availing information to the citizens is also a principle of democracy which requires regular communication with the citizens8. Public communication model can be adopted by the government by engaging in open, honest and timely communication with members of public since it offers a communication platform where they cannot manipulate the information. The communication opportunity offered by the social media can offer such an opportunity. The new concept of “e-government” is a new concept that various governments have adopted and is getting along well with this era of social networking. This includes government initiatives such as online communications and use of technology in other government activities9. Conclusion Public relations is a very essential concept in all corporations as well as the government. The current generation is well informed and up to date with the technology and therefore to win their trust, they must be constantly engaged. Social media therefore offers a good opportunity to engage them through properly managed public relations. Bibliography Carroll, Craig. The handbook of communication and corporate reputation. New York: John Willey& Sons, 2015. BBC News. More than 170 sharks caught under Australia cull policy, 7th May 2014, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27304580 White, Steve. WA shark cull, June, 3, 2014, http://seeseeeye.csu.edu.au/eastwest-2014/story/wa-shark-cull/ Rutzou, Dennis. Getting into the social media game: The benefits of online public relations for businesses, 2015. http://www.drpr.com.au/public-relations/social-media.html Graham, Missey and Avery, Johnson. Government Public Relations and Social Media: An Analysis of the Perceptions and Trends of Social Media Use at the Local Government Level. Public Relations Journal Vol. 7, No. 4 Lee, Mordecai. Government public relations: A reader. London: CRC press, 2007. Sea Shepherd. EPA shuts down Shark Cull Program, September, 11, 2014 http://www.seashepherd.org.au/news-and-media/2014/09/11/epa-shuts-down-shark-cull-program-1620 Read More