The changing role of a multimedia press officer

Having worked as a media officer for exactly 12 years, I have witnessed a great deal of change across the media landscape. A decade ago my work was dominated by obtaining media coverage around core issues. Writing features or taking photographs for in-house publications were occasional activities punctuating the grind of writing press releases and briefing journalists. The core duties haven’t changed, in fact they’ve become ever more important, but the digital age is extending the remit of press officers and PRs in several areas:

• Firstly, we are now encouraged to gather a variety of content, such as audio and video files, which we couldn’t have dreamt about a decade ago.
  
• Secondly, the growth of the number of each media outlet is creating additional demands for content.
  
• Thirdly, the expansion of media websites creates a hungry and diverse market: newspaper websites now want video as well as photos, features and news stories, while broadcasters now demand still photos and written copy as well as audio and video content.

Press officers should now be thinking about the possibilities of gathering this additional content themselves, especially when two further drivers are considered: advances in technology; and an economic climate that is favouring the multi-skilled. New technology will make it easier to gather the content, and shrinking budgets make it an imperative to get the most out of story and assignment.

A typical assignment for me will now be built around several or all of these key themes:

• Briefing and escorting journalists;
• Liaising with local staff, volunteers and partner organisations;
• Acting as a spokesman for broadcast interviews;
• Making a video for a newspaper website;
• Gathering audio for the corporate or external podcasts;
• Taking a selection of still photos for the corporate website and picture library; and to illustrate newspaper, magazine or website articles;
• Returning home with enough copy to write features for in-house or external publications or websites.
  
  The media world is changing and the world is better for it.