According to the Second National Survey of Higher Education Media, conducted in 2005 by the Education Writers Association, several roadblocks prevent reporters and editors from effectively covering higher ed. Respondents identified "lack of time" as the most important roadblock. This was just ahead of "getting information from colleges and universities."
When one knows the importance of media clips in developing and measuring an institution of higher ed's visibility and image, this finding seems paradoxical. Many IHEs invest a good share of their marketing budgets in traditional media advertising, but some shy away from free media exposure by ignoring or declining media requests. When asked to expand on this roadblock from EWA's study, journalists cite the simple refusal to provide information, lack of trained and responsive staff in higher ed Public Relations offices, and the bureaucracy of some institutions.
Too much information, too many media requests. Too little time, too few staff members. These are the problems plaguing institutional PR departments.
Time is a rare commodity for anybody sorting, processing, and repackaging information for a living.
Some schools have one person handling PR, notes Rob Westervelt, director of Brand Management at Biola University (Calif.). "In addition to media relations, these people also are involved in community relations, events, and crisis communication." With the accelerated news cycle, the multiplication of media outlets, and the advent of the information society powered by technology, time has become a rare commodity for anybody sorting, processing, and repackaging information for a living. If your school's PR team can't already keep up with traditional media requests, they're going to get in real trouble. Soon, a few influential bloggers and other would-be citizen journalists will be e-mailing to request access to your president, faculty experts, or student athletes.
No need for these staffers to quit yet. Handled properly, a school's website, e-mail, RSS feeds, and even blogs can help streamline media requests, keeping everybody informed along the way. Designing and improving the Media Relations website should be seen as a wise investment; it's a first stop for most journalists.
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"It's rare for a journalist to not use the internet for research in any story. Often it's one of the first sources they turn to when conducting research for an article. We want to be sure the information we provide is useful and relevant to their needs," says Andrew Careaga, director of communications at the University of Missouri-Rolla.
And why wouldn't reporters and editors use the web? It's searchable, accessible at all times, and a way to get instant answers to basic questions. "I use the web constantly-searching news-related sites and colleges' sites, college papers, academic groups, etc. I use websites to get story ideas, to identify sources, to learn context," says Scott Jaschik, editor and co-founder of the online publication Inside Higher Ed and previously an editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education.
No higher education executive wants to learn from the media about a campus crisis.
Think Jaschik uses the web so much only because he publishes online? Not so.
Angie Weidinger, a TV reporter at KOLR-10 in Springfield (Mo.), also relies a lot on the web. "I generally check several universities' websites and blogs if they have them. UMR's research blog is very helpful because it often has stories on it that highlight some of the students' or professors' unusual research projects. It's a great place to go for story ideas." Media reporters not only visit institutional websites, but they also read the available blogs or RSS feeds.
Although he still checks his e-mail a lot, Tim Goral, editor of University Business, has made the leap to RSS. "I'm a big fan of RSS feeds. I subscribe to maybe a dozen feeds from higher ed organizations, and about the same amount from news sites of various colleges. It makes it easy to find the important message from a college or university."
According to the 11th Annual Survey of the Media commissioned by Euro RSCG Magnet and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, released in 2005, 51 percent of 1,202 journalists said they used blogs regularly. Also, 53 percent of journalists who read blogs reported doing so to research and fact-check, 36 percent to find sources, and 33 percent to uncover breaking news.
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