Gender Parity: Female Is the What PR Means to Them, As Individuals and from Their Agency Or Company’S Perspective New F-Word Too?
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Shout! Out Spring / Summer 2019 News, features and tips about Broadcast PR Embracing the dark side of PR By Catherine Bayfield Can we still call PR “the dark art”? It’s been described by some journalists as “the dark art” and by disgruntled PR professionals as an industry struggling to adjust; the latter claim it’s a sector which has many health issues and doesn’t like to self- diagnose. It’s always good to take a peek behindthe PR curtain but as a PR practitioner I’m disappointed to see so much negativity and confusion about who we are and what we do. Earlier this year my co-founder at Shout! Communications, Keren Haynes, appeared on The Media Show on Radio 4 to talk about the art of public relations. There was a mixed response and the programme created a Twitter storm. Leaders of the PRCA and CIPR described the discussion as “shockingly inaccurate”, P&O Cruises' flagship Britannia “wholly unfair” and “somewhat naive”. A member of the Shout! Communications team filming on behalf of Founders Forum in Tel Aviv, Israel. But surely debate is good and allows communications professionals to identify Gender parity: Female is the what PR means to them, as individuals and from their agency or company’s perspective new F-word too? The gender pay gap, HeForShe and #MeToo have This sentiment is especially incumbent on the BBC, pushed gender parity to the forefront of 21st which is publicly owned. Jonathan Munro, Head of century societal changes. Broadcast by definition BBC Newsgathering, emphatically endorses this. includes the widest possible audiences; it, He says: “There needs to be greater gender therefore, plays a unique and important role in this balance and diversity across the media and we gender revolution. are seeing real progress across BBC News, but TV and radio have a particular responsibility to we want to go further and faster. That’s why we accurately represent society, both in terms of who have initiatives in place such as the 50:50 appears on our airwaves, and with the journalists Project which seeks to ensure that there are an who put the programmes together. equal number of male and female expert Despite making up 51% of the population, contributors across our output.” Broadcasters love to create drama and women are still severely under-represented, both debate – and Keren was very clear about how on and off-air, in news and current affairs she viewed her role ‘very much at the coal broadcasting. Broadcasters claim an obvious face’. reason is that women are under-represented in At Shout! Communications we are sectors across society; for example in the City Jonathan Munro, implementers and strategists who know what there are currently just 30 women in full-time Head of BBC executive roles at FTSE 250 firms, down from 38 works to ensure consistent, quality, positive Newsgathering last year. broadcast coverage for our clients. It’s not surprising then that women are under- Others said the show was very one represented on business radio and TV dimensional and didn’t reflect the strategic programmes, although broadcasters are adamant, side of our business. They claimed the media By Keren Haynes, Joint MD they want to diminish the use on our screens of Shout! Communications show had over simplified the industry; but, is “white middle-class men in grey suits.” Continued on p2... this really a bad thing? Continued on p2... Shout! Communications, Broadcast PR Specialists. 13 Great James Street, London, WC1N 3DN Shout! Out Spring / Summer 2019 Page 2 Continued on from 'Embracing the Dark Side of PR', p1 In the broadcast media training we offer clients, between the world of journalism and the world journalists require great skills from the PR we quote Lord Northcliffe describing what it means of PR. These days the journalism industry people they work with; therefore, the later to be a journalist. He says it’s: “A profession wouldn’t exist without PR professionals and PR need to know what makes news and the whose business is to explain to others what it wouldn’t exist without journalists. “ingredients” required for a compelling personally does not understand”. That’s not In these stricken times, in both broadcast and story. belittling a profession, it’s the truth. Couldn’t Lord print newsrooms, there is a reliance on PR That sort of know-how means we should Northcliffe’s theory also be true of the PR industry? generated stories and content. But discerning adhere to the journalists’ deadlines and How many times have we been blindsided by a work round organically breaking news. complicated brief or a client who requires us to What’s required is integrity, trust and explain or justify a complex or controversial issue? confidentiality on both sides, allowing PR We are all “Jack of All Trades”. The importance of professionals and journalists to work knowing a little bit about a lot of things is as equally together harmoniously. important in both journalism and PR. At its most basic, PR is the art of managing the Read more about my spread of information between our client and the colleague’s experience on public. Public Relations is all about reputation – Radio 4’s The Media Show what you do, what you say and what others say in the article (opposite) on about you. Like my business partner I’m a poacher turned Page 3. game keeper and can see so many similarities Continued on from 'Gender Parity', p1 John Ryley, female case studies and spokespeople when Channel 5 News has been a women-led Head of Sky News, pitching their stories. "Attempting to make newsroom for more than 5 years and that’s argues not only is such seismic changes inevitably comes with undoubtedly had an impact on the stories they this fairer, it makes some challenges. The BBC for example, tell and the contributors they use. for better content too: has recently come under fire for its gender pay gap of 9.3%, in particular the disparity “The more people in pay of some of its biggest names. Channel 5 News Editor Jo Whiley’s stint as co-host for the Radio Cait Fitzsimons says: we have from all 2’s drive-time show with Simon Mayo also sorts of walks of ended in a spectacular misfire; it was widely “It’s important to find a diverse life the more in touch we will reported that managers added her to the show purely for gender balance and the range of voices to help bring be with what is going on in decision resulted in both presenters leaving different perspectives to our the world.” the programme. Subsequently Zoe Ball was programmes and digital content. announced as Radio 2’s Breakfast presenter While we’ve made progress, women Gender diversity, regarding on-screen in an historic move as the first woman to of colour are still under-represented talent and guests, is a pressing issue for all present the show; the presenter has on-air so we are always looking for UK broadcasters. We know from candid described the role as a "privilege". disclosures that broadcasters are keeping Last year, the BBC pledged that women better ways of working.” tallies of women versus men regarding on- will make up half of the workforce on air appearances and will take proactive screen, on air and in leadership roles by Obviously in broadcast PR it is incumbent on us steps to redress the balance. 2020. It’s made a good start with the latter: to field a spokesperson based on the relevance No broadcaster would argue you should the Editors of Radio 4’s Today programme, to the campaign, rather than choosing a woman engineer diversity but, unless they take The World At One, Newsnight, Panorama, for the sake of diversity. that kind of action, change isn’t going to Question Time and 5 Live News are all But realistically, given a choice between a male happen. female. and a female spokesperson, you’d stand to gain Andrew Dagnell, acting Head of News more by choosing the latter. Gathering at ITV News explains: “We go The lesson here is that we need to give women through each story and try to see how we a genuine voice,be it presenting a show or can get more women on-screen as experts, representing a campaign, but they must have contributors and journalists”. The PR credibility, rather than being used as an easy industry, he claims, can support way for a company or broadcaster to appear broadcasters’ initiatives by “offering more representative. Shout! Communications, Broadcast PR Specialists. 13 Great James Street, London, WC1N 3DN Shout! Out Spring / Summer 2019 Page 3 Getting A Word in Edgeways Or how to avoid sitting like a lemon on a panel show! By Keren Haynes, Joint MD, Shout! Communications Left to right: Alan Edwards, presenter Andrea Catherwood, I was feeling less nervous than the previous Holly Curtis, Ian Gregory and Keren Haynes. time. In media training we always say a repeat A programme like The Media Show is very invitation is a sign of a successful interview. well organised; the producer has done his or 4. Use body language to engage. I can’t have been that bad I thought, as I made her research, the presenters are well briefed, Look at the presenter, to indicate you’re ready my way to BBC Broadcasting House to take and, within reason, the production team has a to speak, just as you might in every day conversation. Nodding in a positive way can part in Radio 4’s The Media Show, or they pretty good idea of the direction the show also suggest you have something to say.