Keep it Classy Milledgeville

It is not everyday that national breaking news hits a small town, and as a Mass Communication major I have found it to be more of a learning opportunity.  

I have taken away two things from this recent 'crisis' that occurred in my college town and that is 1) reporters will do almost anything to get information and 2) the news will never be 100% unbiased. 

Reporters of all media types flocked to my small college and basically went to great lengths to get information.  When I say great lengths I mean they were almost pathetic looking as they  bought meals for students, followed them around, called them to the point of harassment etc.  Is this really how the information on the major television and newspaper news sources is found?  At what point do reporters give up and move on?  At what point is the story worth less then the bribe?  

I do not hold the answers, but I do know as student wanting to go into a field where I will be working with reporters and news sources, this definitely has opened my eyes to the reality of of the news world and how crisis news stories are handled.   

The truth is biased to the eye of the beholder (or reporter).  One day after the 'crisis' our town has been painted with a bad reputation.  This could have happened anywhere, yet the media has taken isolated occurrences to the extreme in terms of describing the 'true Milledgeville.'  GCSU has not escaped from the media reputation storm either.  

Being on the other side of the story and hearing what actually makes the cut to the public is very interesting to me.  It has shown me that the media can curve any story to make it fit into the 'newsworthy' category.  (Milledgeville is not just a 'party school with a Piggly Wiggly that sells beer kegs'). 

As a public relations student this event has taught me to edit and control the amount of information that the news media receives.  Also on a side note the first thing that everyone should do when in a crisis is to remain calm, so you can think through the problem clearly.  The quicker you loss your cool the easier it is to be manipulated and attract more unwanted attention.  

I hope that people will take them to realize that Milledgeville and GCSU have class, history, and culture (more then what is getting credited for in the media).  Also realize that what you hear and read you have to take with a grain of salt in terms of the percentage of truth that you are receiving. 

As a side note through this crisis I have lost respect for a certain news media considering their glaring AP style errors (that I would have gotten counted off for as a student) and lack of research they put into their story.  

Integrated Communication in the Digital Age

Integrated Communications uses several methods of communication to transmit a consistent and affective message. In the digital age of media, Integrated Communications now has a new wave of media to discover and use accordingly. Clients are now faced with the challenge of fitting and molding their messages into the 24/7 spectrum of digital media.

The evolution of wireless internet is a key compound to consider in the digital age of Integrated Communications. What started out as small internet ‘hotspots’ has expanded across cities as ‘wireless internet clouds’ in epic proportion. The revolution of wireless internet has made it possible to access information anywhere on laptops, cell phones, iPods and other portable media devices. People now can access the world by the swipe of a finger in the palm of their hands. To create an effective Integrated Communications campaign in the digital age, agencies should discover and create innovative ways to harness and use this medium of information.

As a result of the 24/7 availability of information, people are now the ‘gatekeepers’ to their own information. With this in mind, it is also important to consider who people are trusting as their source of information. The average person most likely does not choose to receive his/her information from one source. Instead, they might watch it on television, read an article online and then read opinions on the topic through various blogs they follow. To have an affective Integrated Communications campaign, a client should attempt to cover a ‘solid’ amount of digital informational media. Traditional media will only cover a portion the media spectrum that is being used in today’s society. In the digital age, the public is now becoming part of the media because of their ability to contribute to the informational world. People like to know that their opinions can be heard and could possible influence others.

In order to stand out among the clutter of the digital world, clients need to stay one step ahead of the information cycle. They need to have an online presence and reputation in the digital world in order to survive. Reputations can fall in a matter of seconds in the digital age, but this can be prevented or repaired by building supporters and a strong respectful presence in the digital world.

The digital age is a 24/7 world, where seconds matter and old news is counted in minutes. The rate of information is now traveling faster then ever and people become impatient and will turn to other sources when they are forced to wait. The good news for Integrated Communications is that now there is a whole other ballpark to play in. The key to implementing a successful Integrated Communications campaign in the digital age will call for creativity, a fast informational turn-around, and the ability to reach the masses without overpowering the message. With these key skills in mind clients can succeed in conquering and harnesses the masses in the digital age.