J.E.Gruning in the book ‘Excellence in Public Relations and communication management’ wrote: ‘Excellent public relations needs the media less than poor public relations does’. Further in book author describes that the public uses mass media mainly to get attention when making issues out of a problem. In order to get attention they stage protests, marches and strikes.
He is not the only one claiming that media strategy is not the most important and essential element in leading a successful Public Relations campaign. Gruning quoted Steven L. Vibbert from the meeting of International Communication Association, who said that the media plays an active role only in two of the four stages through which issues progress. The media polarizes two sides of the issue and forces people to identify with one of the sides. The first two stages ‘definition’ and ‘legitimating’ generally take place without media engagement.
When thinking about media usage in any NGOs campaign, public relations practitioners have to remember that media do not play the most important role. Sean Kidney during his lecture at the University of Westminster pointed out that the media helps to build the climate and atmosphere around the issue, but very rarely they help to combat the problem. He admits that according to his experience and knowledge very few people change their behaviour because of media. Media coverage aims to get people’s attention and build solid foundation under the behaviour change, but the overall strategy has to be focused on something more than just getting media coverage.
Sociologist, Dr Reiner Grundmann, talks about his research into the media's reporting of climate change:
