As public relations majors we are trained to consume media. It is our job to know what is going on in the world, as well as what is happening in our neighborhood. From sports, to business, it is our responsibility to stay up to date on the newest information.
The problem is that there is just SO much going on.
I keep an RSS feed on Google reader and sometimes going a few hours without checking it can give me hundreds of new stories. How do I know what is important? What is relevant to me and my clients and exactly how do you apply all this information?
In public relations it is vital to appear to be well-spoken and educated. Chances are if there is a story featured numerous times in an RSS feed it is something a client would want you to know. Just being able to engage in political and business conversations is vital for a practitioner.
Public relations is a very dynamic field. It has an elements of journalism and advertising, and also requires some business saavy. Not only must practioners stay on top of the news, but they should be knowledgeable about how the market and econamy works as well. Staying on top of stock prices is important as well.
It is important to be knowledgeable on basically... everything. Practitioners must know all aspects of the envirionment (social, economic, political...etc) in which they are launching a campaign or a message. For example, it probably is not a good idea to make make public a CEO's bonus check amidst a time of economic hardship.
Even though RSS feeds are far from REALLY SIMPLE, as a public relations major it is vital that it becomes an everyday part of my life.
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