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| FAILURES
IN MEDIA RELATIONS COSTING DISASTER AID GROUPS |
04/03/04 |
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Emergency
relief charities are losing out on public attention because they fail to
generate enough press coverage of their campaigns, according to a new study.
Research from Reuters AlertNet and the Fritz Institute claims such charities
are not making the most of technology and skills which could boost their
media relations.
The survey examines "working" relationships between aid agencies
in the field and international journalists, and concludes that relief charities
struggle to publicise many disasters, with some getting little or no attention.
It says that using celebrities to highlight an emergency has only limited
value, whereas high death tolls attract more coverage. Also, project offices
often tend to be staffed by local nationals who are inexperienced in press
relations.
Lack of funding for field visits tops the list of journalists' problems,
followed by lack of timely response from groups at the scene. Relief personnel,
meantime, felt they had to push for help from headquarters because they
have limited staff time during emergencies and limited knowledge of how
the press works.
Mark Jones, editor of AlertNet, says: "Even those disasters in the spotlight
often gain a flurry of publicity as the news first breaks, but can be forgotten
on a long-term basis.
"It seems that relief charities are lacking in training when it comes to
media relations. Of course NGOs have limited time and money resources, but
diverting a relatively small proportion of funds to training could reap
big dividends in terms of press coverage, and ultimately, donations."
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