The coronavirus crisis is changing the way we relate to each other, including between corporate communications professionals and journalists.
Press conferences in which journalists met with members of a company's or public body's communications office allowed for a greater exchange of information and the establishment of a climate of trust between them.
Over the years I have learnt that, always, at a press conference, even if it is about a minor or unimportant matter, it is possible to extract information or contacts that were not available at the outset.A statement from someone unexpected; a piece of information I didn't know about; or the possibility of meeting a person who could be useful to me in the future to elaborate some information. We miss those press conferences in which we journalists tried to put the convenor on the spot, to extract a demonstration that could be used to make a powerful headline. One only has to look at the press conferences organised by the government today to understand that it is difficult to force a news statement out of them. There is practically no possibility to cross-examine, to insist on a certain question..
The interviews or private meetings that the editors of a media outlet could have with representatives of companies or an administration through the intermediation of a communications professional also seem distant now. Now, communication is mainly by telephone or emailor through platforms that connect us to each other in person. And it is likely that this format, even if the number of coronavirus infections and deaths is decreasing, will continue in the future.
The coronavirus has not changed the essence of journalism.and neither does that of corporate communication. But the current formats for meetings between journalists and their sources reduce the climate of trust. This makes it difficult for journalists to get a story out, and also for press offices to communicate. If I used to receive 500 e-mails a day, now, since the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis, I receive 1,000 or more. And I delete most of them. I am aware that behind these e-mails there is someone who has put a lot of effort into drafting the communiqué and sending it to my e-mail, even though they don't know me at all and this is the first time they have done so. Moreover, these days, many of these messages tell of a donation, an action by a company aimed, within its means, at contributing to the fight against the pandemic. But it is impossible for me to open them all, let alone read them; if I did, I wouldn't have time for anything else.
The essence of journalism remains the same, to publish news. We are living in a historic moment and journalists must seize it.. But sending a torrent of communiqués left, right and centre is of no use. I understand that it is difficult for communication offices to make the company's management see that, however important they think it is what they want to communicate, it is not something that everyone is interested in.
Now is the time to be selective. Want to get a journalist's attention? Do the usual, tell him or her an exclusive story.
Alberto Ortín
Graduate in Information Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid. He has also studied Law and Philosophy at the UNED. He has worked for more than 20 years in the financial press, at Cinco Días and, for the last five years, at Vozpopuli.com. He has also worked for Canal + and several radio stations in Madrid, among other media. Founder and director, between 2000 and 2003, of the portal Elnie.com, aimed at the immigrant population in Spain.