media update’s Adam Wakefield spoke to two experienced spokespersons to find out what their job entails and the challenges, especially those posed by social media.

According to Gabriel Milland, deputy director of the British government’s Government Communication Service, media relations when “done well, is a highly-strategic discipline capable of delivering important objectives”.

Modern media teams, beyond replying to journalists’ queries and writing press releases, must be able to create content, share it, and be ready for stories that break in seconds and ebb away in the time that it takes a journalist to write the 600-word header for the next day’s paper.

Media relations: Facts, a public face, and protocol

Shirona Patel, communications manager at Wits University, says her role as a media spokesperson is diverse and varies from day-to-day, especially within a university setting.

“It vacillates from communicating science to lay audiences to facilitating engagement between academics, experts, and the media. From reputation management to managing internal communication channels; from managing a multimedia studio to compiling annual reports. And from representing the institution to meeting famous people and young learners who visit on any given day,” Patel says.

Altaaf Kazi, head of media and communications at Cricket South Africa (CSA), sees his role as being crucial in ensuring correct facts are relayed to the media.

“The spokesperson should ensure that there is a media protocol document for their organisation as this will streamline the communication and who should comment on specific types of queries,” he says.

“Spokespersons should try, as often as possible, not to be in the media or quoted in the media, but allow the respective senior figure heads to make a comment. The spokesperson should be at the forefront of managing and enhancing relationships with media.”

Kazi says while state organisations might require a different approach, tools such as WhatsApp voice messages make it easier to get authentic comment from key figureheads and distribute it to media for both radio and print.

Patel herself has also used WhatsApp to good effect in the performance of her duties.

“During the #FeesMustFall protests, it was easier to send voice notes and statements to the media in real time through a dedicated #WitsMedia WhatsApp group,” adds Patel.

The key skills of the modern spokesperson

Given a spokesperson’s responsibilities, a range of skills are required for the position and, according to Kazi, on-the-job training and observation served him well in attaining these skills.

“I never studied journalism or a communications-related degree. I learnt everything from key people on the job and through reading and observing how things were done by spokespeople and media managers,” he says.

“You can learn basic skills from studying journalism which will allow you to understand the environment. Skills wise; patience, courtesy, and ability to handle pressure are all pre-requisites, as well as being able to write. You also have to remain calm at all times.”

Patel believes that being a media spokesperson requires excellent listening skills. You need to be accessible and knowledgeable.

“You need to be well prepared with an army of facts, understand the issues or topics, and know when to share the information appropriately with the interviewee or audience,” she says.

“You need to know who you are speaking to and who the wider audience is, and answer specifically rather than generally. Share your message with the interviewer and readers or listeners, but be prepared and open to listen to and consider opposing viewpoints.”

Especially important is being truthful, and never speculating or blaming others. The skills required, according to Patel, are those that can be learnt, but the best training is probably on the job.

As a spokesperson, social media is ever-present

Social media has changed the way journalism works and, unsurprisingly, it is a big part of Patel and Kazi’s day-to-day.

They both scan social media early in the morning, listen to the radio, and scan relevant online and hard copy newspapers so they are aware of possible controversies and good news stories.

When potential controversies arrive, Patel and Kazi address them as soon as possible, connecting the relevant media with the right persons who would also require briefing, or informing media of the facts if a mistake has been made.

“Social media has significantly changed how we do business, as everything happens in real time. Nothing at Wits stays within Wits – I have to be available 24/7, which is important for my job, but also intrusive,” Patel says.

“It was especially applicable during the #FeesMustFall campaign, where we had to learn quickly as to how best use social media to communicate with students, the media, and others.”

Kazi says social media has changed the landscape , as its capable of doing “enormous reputational damage”, with it being very difficult to get a retraction on social media if a news organisation tweets something that is incorrect.

“I do believe that the same sort of fact-check needs to apply to journos and news organisations when they tweet. However, because of the instantaneous environment, there is a certain element of irresponsibility,” Kazi says.

One such example was a tweet from a radio station newsreader implying that CSA had transported children to a game via the back of a bakkie, when, in fact, safe transport was offered to the club in question. The club, however, decided to arrange transport themselves.

“It’s a grey area. A spokesperson should be fairly active from a monitoring aspect on social media, but should be careful not to engage directly on social media when addressing a concern. I prefer to engage directly with the source of the tweet or post where possible.”

The good, and bad, of being a spokesperson

Asked what the most challenging aspects of her role are, Patel says it is determining who you represent.

“Who is the university and which constituency do you serve?” Patel says.

For Kazi, the toughest part of his role is dealing with “unscrupulous journalists” and not being in control of your time away from work.

When it comes to most rewarding aspects, Patel says she is learning something new every single day.

“There are thousands of stories to tell – from people searching for the beginning of the universe, to academics finding lost continents, to the launch of a new multimedia hub and magazine. There is so much to tell,” she says.

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