PR strategies should include a tool to protect against partial and inaccurate reporting, says Newswatch
A negative media report can be devastating for a brand’s reputation—yet Newswatch warns few in-house communications teams and PR firms have the capacity to track in detail what broadcasters actually say.
It said PR strategies should include a tool to protect a brand’s status against partial and inaccurate reporting.
Newswatch boss and former PR adviser David Keighley: “If I were an airline company chief, for example, I would want my PR team to know exactly what broadcasters are saying about issues such as global warming – too often, airlines get a hammering on their contribution to air pollution, but is the reporting fair and well represented?”
He added: “In the world of 24/7 broadcast news, it is almost impossible to keep track of what is being said about complex topics such as the effects of global warming and this is exactly why we formed Newswatch – to provide a tracking device to show how topics and issues are handled.
“Our brief is to defend blue chip companies, big organisations and political parties against the increasingly aggressive media as so-called self policing watchdogs such as Ofcom and the Press Complaints Commission fail to rein in hostile coverage,” adds Keighley.
“We use a range of robust analytical tools to study the British broadcast media – our methodology is firmly based on established academic principles utilising core quantitative and qualitative research techniques,” he explains.
