Scenario Questions Flashcards
You are responsible for an internal employee newsletter. A freelance photographer provides several photos you intend to use in the next issue. Your supervisor quickly reviews and approves the newsletter before leaving for an extended vacation. You are nearing your deadline and in final preparation of the files, you notice fine print copyright information by the photographer in the corner of the images. Which one of the following is the best course of action?
A) This is work for hire so you can follow the directive of your supervisor and proceed with publication of the newsletter.
B) Contact the freelance photographer directly to get verbal approval for publication.
C) Coordinate with your legal counsel to review the contract terms before taking further action.
D) Include the copyright information from the photographer in the photo caption and proceed with publication of the newsletter.
Answer: C) Coordinate with your legal counsel to review the contract terms before proceeding with publication. (EPR 10th, pgs 157-158 and PR: S&T 10th, pgs 302-303)
You are the public relations manager at a automotive manufacturer, reporting to the company president. Your company is about to announce an expansion, which will be a major economic boost for the community, at a press conference. Your boss would like to share some additional details about the acquisition “off the record” with several community partners following the press conference at a VIP event, which some media may attend. What counsel would you offer your boss?
1. We trust our partners and this will improve our community relations
2. It is acceptable to share these details if we inform the audience that what we share is off the record
3. It is acceptable to share these details if reporters do not attend the event
4. You should never share things off the record unless you really want it t get out
Answer: 4. You should never share things off the record unless you really want it t get out. (EPR p.231)
Which of the following two statements are correct in order for you to use these photos in ads?
A. The company hired and paid the photographer for the professional event photos and owns them for future use.
B. These photos can only be used if the photographer has provided written permission to reproduce the event photos beyond the original purpose of an internal newsletter.
C.The employees and family members photographed must have a signed consent release to have their photos used in an ad for the company.
D. Company employees are not required to sign releases, but their family members would need to have signed releases to be used in the ads
Answer: B. These photos can only be used if the photographer has provided written permission to reproduce the event photos beyond the original purpose of an internal newsletter.
C.The employees and family members photographed must have a signed consent release to have their photos used in an ad for the company. Reference: Public Relations Strategies and Tactics (10th ed): Page 298: Photo Releases and Page 302: Photography and Artwork.
As the internal communications officer of a large corporation, You’ve discovered numerous unofficial newsletters being published and emailed to 3,000 employees without your knowledge. On further investigation you discover in each newsletter a national ad appeared with the copyright symbol listed, but with digital modifications made to each ad changing the color and size. What three significant copyright laws were violated here?
A. Downloading materials from the Internet, Fair Use, and Statutory Copyright
B. Product Publicity, Photography & Artwork, Copyright Act
D. Common law copyright, Fair Use Doctrine, and Infringement
E. Trademark Infringement, Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and Copyright Infringement.
Answer: E. Trademark, Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and Copyright Law.b(APR Study Guide, pgs. 105-107)
You assign your intern the job of finding a royalty free image to illustrate a blog. She brings back a great photo - it’s from BING images. What law do you talk to her about?
A) Copyright
B) Plagiarism
C) Slavish copyright
D) Defamation - libel
Answer: A. the image on Bing may be copyrighted, you need to show her how to check. Plagiarism is when you pass off someone’s else’s work as your own or without attribution; Slavish copyright is when you copy word for word, and defamation-libel is when you disseminate a public falsehood about a person or organization.
Jonah Lehrer, the 31 year old wunderkind author of Imagine, was recently fired from the New Yorker. He was caught for several violations - made up quotes including one attributed to Bob Dylan. A Dylan scholar hounded him for the source and Jonah had to confess he made it up. The publisher of Wired.com hired a journalism professor to review his work for authenticity. The professor discovered Lehrer paraphrased without attribution and some of his conclusions were found to be from the work of another scientist.
Which of the above are violations of copyright?
A) Making up quotes
B) Paraphrasing without attribution
C) Copying another scientist’s work for his own book
answer: C. A is unethical, b is plagiarism.
Your public relations department wants to share a magazine article from another nonprofit organization with your members. For which of the following scenarios would you need to obtain permission from the copyright owner to share the article? (Choose 3.)
A) If you email the article to the members of your organization
B) If you send the members of your organization a link to the article on the other organization’s website
C) If you distribute the article to the members of your organization at its annual meeting
D) If you reprint the article in your organization’s newsletter
Answer: A, C, D. [From Cutlip & Center’s Effective Public Relations, 11th ed., p. 140]
While looking for material for the next round of commercials, a campaign staffer hands you a transcript containing unflattering information about the opponent and illicit affairs he’s had with several women other than his wife. The staffer said that this information was overheard by a former staffer of the opponent while at a local bar. Which would be the most ethical choice in this situation for handing the information you were given?
1. You can use the information because there is no reasonable expectation of privacy at a bar.
2. You can not use the information since the former staffer did not give express permission to use what he said.
3. The information is fair game since it was gathered during the bar’s normal business hours.
4. You can not use the information since you aren’t sure if the source had a confidentiality agreement while as an employee of the opponent.
Answer: 4. Reasoning: Similar to “tortuous interference” liability claim by tobacco industry v. CBS for using information based on a source who was party to a standard confidentiality agreement as an employee of the tobacco industry. Source: AP Stylebook 2012, Briefing on Media Law, p. 333.
You are the manager of a public relations department for a nonprofit organization. Your department director has asked you to help with selecting a summer intern. She says she would prefer that the intern will not be paid and receive college credit for the internship instead. You are unsure about the terms of this agreement. Specifically, you are concerned about whether it is ethical to offer the internship as an unpaid position. What is your next step in deciding how you will advise the department director?
A) Identify the key values that you need to consider in making your decision.
B) Identify ethical principles to guide you in making your decision.
C) Identify who will be affected by your decision.
D) Identify the economic, legal, and social factors that may influence your decision.
Answer: D (APR Study Guide, page 21. After you have defined the specific ethical issue or conflict, the next step is to identify internal and external factors that may influence the decision.)
You are the communications director at a youth serving nonprofit. The president of the organization asks you to start taking photographs of the youth members during the programs and posting them through social media to highlight the good work the organization is doing. It seems like a great idea, so you:
A) Start clicking away with your camera and begin creating a social media campaign utilizing the pictures.
B) Go ask the program staff for permission to take photographs of the children to post.
C) Review perimeters of taking and using photos of youth under 18 with your legal team.
D) Begin creating a media release form to give to the youth members to sign off on.
Answer: C. Coordinate with legal team for counsel on taking photographs of youth members and retaining the proper permissions for use. Remember First Amendment protections and that minors cannot give legal consent. (EPR 10th, pgs 162-163)
You are the public relations manager at an active adult community reporting to the community’s developer. The community is about to announce an expansion, which shows growth, and is intended to drive awareness of available lots. Your VP would like to share this news via the company’s blog and Facebook page. What are the benefits of using these information channels?
1. Actively engage stakeholders to create a conversation
2. Reach a broad audience
3. Third part credibility
4. The results are easily measured
Answer: 1 and 4. Social media is the only marketing platform that allows you to engage and interact with your consumers - it’s a two-way relationship The results are measurable, and practitioners can take immediate action to spot trends and re-align campaigns (Cutlip & Center’s EPR, 11th Edition, pgs. 209-221)
As the communications director for a federal agency, you have been reacting to a law enforcement incident that has received negative public and media attention. To make matters worse, today, a congressman called you and requested information about the investigation. Which one of the following is the best course of action?
a. Do not provide the congressman the information due to the Freedom of Information Act.
b. Quickly provide the congressman the investigation information he requested.
c. Delay your response and consult with legal.
Answer: a. found in EPR 10th Edition pg. 150.
You are the Public Relations Director for a local school district. Your superintendent asks you to put together a communication plan to help explain the new standards and their effectiveness to parents, the media, local business/community leaders, and elected officials. You put together a press packet that includes Op Ed stories and a press release; schedule interviews with local reporters; develop newsletters and brochures for parents and the community members; schedule informational meetings for parents and community members to attend; and send informational materials to your local state legislators. These efforts are examples of which communication theory or model (choose one).
A. Diffusion of Innovations Theory
B. Agenda Setting Theory
C. Shannon-Weaver Model
Answer: B - Agenda Setting Theory. Source: APR Study Guide (page 26) - The agenda setting process is a very fluid, dynamic attempt to get the attention of the media, the public, and/or policy makers. The agenda is a “set of issues” that in order for them to become effective and part of the process, must be communicated.
You work for a major multinational corporation which has just implemented a new salary and bonus administration program. The director of compensation calls you into his office and lets you know that the calculations allow management to receive a bonus but based on the formula, the manufacturing employees did not earn a bonus. He wants you to put a “spin” on this scenario for the communications plan. The scenario best demonstrates which ethical principles of public relations practices. Choose two.
A. Avoid conflicts of interest.
B. Do not damage the reputation of others.
C. Use honesty and integrity as your guide.
D. Ensure accuracy and truth.
E. Deal fairly with all publics.
ANSWERS: C and D. Rationale and Source: APR Study Guide Ethics and Law Common Ethical Principles of Public Relations Practice, page 20 and 21. A and B pertain more to agency relationships. E is a possibility. However C and D , particularly not to disseminate false and misleading information takes a higher priority.
An employee in the sales department has turned in her two week notice, and one month later, your supervisor calls you in to discuss a negative posting on a company review site that she believes was the former employee.Your supervisor accuses this former employee and would like to explore the option of pressing charges for defamation of character. Your supervisor asks you to confirm that the former employee made these same negative statements in her exit interview.Which one of the following is the best course of action?
A. Contact the former employee and inform her that the company is looking into a defamation case.
B. Provide your supervisor with the exit questionnaire filled out by the former employee at the exit interview.
C. Share your personal reactions to the exit interview.
D. Discuss previous conversations other employees have had with the former employee.
Answer: B.
You have been tasked to put together a web page containing op-eds pertaining to your organization’s mission that members might be interested in. Which of the following do you not have to seek copyright permission for:
a. Publish the entire article on the web
b. Publish excerpt of the article on the web
c. Email the article to your members
answer: b. You do not have to seek copyright permission if if you post just an excerpt from the article and link to the original source of the article (EPR, 10th, pg 158
You are the Public Relations Manager for a company that is contracted by the Federal Government. The National Sales Manager has asked that the company website be updated to include testimonials and quotes from various departments in the organization, customers and potential clients, and affiliated membership organization partners. You agree and begin to gather quotes directly from sales team members and management; however, your third party affiliates tell you to just pull from their website. Which of the following protects the right to include such information?
a. Freedom of Information Act
b. First Amendment
c. Commercial Speech
d. Copyright Protection
e. Consent
answer: e. Citation: Cutlip and Center’s Effective Public Relations. 10th ed. Chapter 6.
You represent a large pharmaceutical company. Your client asks you to develop a public relations campaign for a new drug that will be released soon. What is your first step?
a) start planning an official launch party
b) research the industry and similar products in the market
c) hold a focus group to review and offer feedback on messaging options
d) call a member of the media to offer them an exclusive on the story
Answer: B
You are a Public Relations Director for a major medical center, and are being asked to set up a photo shoot for your “Annual Report” - a publication sent to donors worldwide. You are photographing your local mayor, chief medical officer and a pediatric patient, who has appeared in numerous campaigns, in the past. The photographer is eager to begin shooting, and you ask for all three to sign a consent form. The photographer says, “it’s not necessary to get forms signed, since one of the people is an elected official and public figure, and pictures are part of their job description, as they interact with their publics.” What do you do?
a. You allow the photographer to take pictures
b. You ask the mayor, medical officer, and patient’s parent to each sign a consent form
c. You get the participant’s verbal permission to take pictures
d. You contact your hospital’s legal department
Answer: b - You must always have each participant sign a consent form if they are taking part in any pictures, etc, in which their likeliness is being used. Reference: Cutlip & Center’s Effective Public Relations, Chapter 6, Legal Considerations, page 144.
You manage the Facebook page for a prominent software company. Last month you posted a link to an article that reported on trends in your industry and included a quote from an industry analyst who stated that the CEO of your main competitor was on anti-depressants and “crazy.” You featured that quote in your post. You just found out that this quote was based on information from a leaked medical record. Now your competitor is threatening to sue your company for defamation. What should be your course of action?
A) Claim that you were only quoting someone else accurately as well as using accurate information (Fair and accurate report) and therefore are protected so your post is defensible in court.
B) Tell your supervisor the situation and let them handle it.
C) Post a full retraction and apology on your Facebook page and engage your legal department about your actions.
Answer: C. Citation: The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law 2013, pp 328-368.
You start a Facebook page for a hospital birthing center. Several people “Like” your page and start posting comments about wonderful experiences they have had in your birthing center. You share them with your VP of Women’s and Children’s Services, who immediately says she wants to use those comments as testimonials on the hospital website.
a) You contact each of the people who posted positive comments and ask for their written permission to use their comments on the hospital website.
b) You use the comments on the hospital website, but leave out the names of those who posted them to protect patient information and privacy.
c) You post a request on the hospital Facebook page, thanking people for their support and asking them to send you their comments for the hospital website.
d) You do not post the comments, but you do link to them from the hospital website.
Answer: C. The power of social media is the honest sharing of good and bad experiences. Asking permission to reuse a comment for marketing purposes, when that comment was posted out of good will, is not as ethical as soliciting fans to submit comments and letting them know specifically how you will use them.
As the public affairs officer for a military installation, you must be fully informed about both state and federal open access legislation. If you are searching for information and meeting notes from a government agency meeting, you would use which of the following to obtain access to those records:
A) Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002
B) Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946
C) Freedom of Information Act of 1966
D) 1996 Electronic Freedom of Information Act
Answer: C. Freedom of Information Act of 1966 from Cutlip & Center’s Effective Public Relations, Tenth Edition, p. 150
You are the marketing director for an independent nonprofit hospital in a competitive market. Your new supervisor, vice president of marketing, at a department meeting, requests that your staff start writing anonymous posts bashing a competitor in a local newspaper’s popular “Talk of the Town” daily column. You:
A) Figure she must know what she’s doing and let your staff proceed.
B) State your opposition to her privately and see where the chips fall.
C) Report her request to your legal department for review.
D) Refuse to partake but suggest appropriate actions that don’t deceive stakeholders.
Answer: d. Reasoning: Honesty and integrity need to be your guide to act in the public interest. You also want to maintain ethical relationships with the media and maintain the credibility of your organization which would be tainted if people knew who wrote these anonymous comments. (General principles underlying public relations practice)
You are a manager in the public relations department, not the department head, who is away on holiday, when an accident occurs on one of the assembly lines of your company. Hence, you have to take charge of the situation. Which of the following steps do you not carry out as part of your decision-making process?
1. Identify internal and external factors (legal, political, social, economic) that may influence the decision.
2. Identify the audiences who will be affected by the decision and define your obligation to each.
3. Select ethical principles to guide your decision-making process.
4. Give false information if it ensures that your company will not be painted in a bad light.
Correct
answer: 4. Ensure accuracy and truth; hence, do not disseminate false and misleading information. (APR Study Guide, page 20.)
You receive call from a reporter about a new hotel opening, what should you do when talking to the press?
1) Talk about how it benefits the organization and not the public
2) Argue about the design of the hotel
3) Respond with direct answers if the reporter asks direct questions
4) Respond to a question even if you don’t have the right answer
Answer: 3. Effective Public Relations / page 259 Chapter 10.
You are the vice president of corporate communications for a Fortune 500 company that is within a day of announcing plans to divest and then merge its distribution facilities into a newly formed entity. In reviewing your packet of internal and external communications for tomorrow’s announcement, your CEO is suggesting that you share this good news with a local business reporter to help spark interest and excitement among potential investors and community leaders. Which of the following steps should you take?
A. Remind the CEO that American Stock Exchange disclosure policies require simultaneous release of investment-oriented announcements.
B. Caution that a premature public announcement defies the company’s shared value to inform employees of organizational developments first.
C. Voice concerns that favoritism to a single reporter over others will damage important relationships with national and regional media.
Answer: A. Rationale: According to Cutlip’s Effective Public Relations, page 156, announcements of material information must be shared at the same time with national business and financial news wire services, the national news wire services, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Moody’s Investors Services and Standard & Poor’s Corporation. This is done in compliance with federal legislation (Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002) and Securities and Exchange Commission and the New York Stock Exchange rules all aimed at increasing transparency and eliminating unfair advantage in compensation or stock trading.
Your supervisor provided you the presentation materials and in preparation for the first workshop you conduct research to better position yourself for responding to questions. As part of this research, you discover that several statements in the presentation are misleading and promote changes to the home that are not energy efficient upgrades and even recommend a specific contractor to complete this work. Is it ethical to present the workshop information as provided by your supervisor ? (select 2)
a. Yes, If you present this information you are acting in the public interest.
b. No, If you present this information you are not using honesty and integrity as your guide.
c. Yes, loyalty to your employer and management comes before other obligations.
d. No, If you present this information you are not avoiding a potential conflict of interest.
answer: B & D. Rationale: “The application of ethics to the practice of public relations is critical to our profession”
You are a public relations manager for a large non-profit that operates several homeless shelters. A female resident at one of the shelters sends out a tweet, along with a photo, claiming that one of the shelter’s bathrooms is dirty and has bugs. When you contact the shelter manager, you are told that the bathroom is perfectly clean and the woman who sent the tweet is a troublemaker. What should you do first? (Please choose ONE of the options below)
A) Dispute the resident’s claim by sending a tweet that states “we always maintain the highest standards of cleanliness in our shelters.”
B) Respond to resident’s tweet by acknowledging the resident’s concern and letting her know that your organization will address her complaints.
C) Survey other shelter residents about the cleanliness of the shelter bathrooms.
D) Speak to your shelter manager’s supervisor about the situation.
Answer: B. Rationale: Since you do not have firsthand knowledge about the cleanliness of the bathroom, any factual claims you make regarding the bathroom’s condition may be false or misleading. To deal fairly with all publics, you must acknowledge the resident’s concern, even if you believe her claims to be false. While options 3 & 4 may be part of your response plan, option 2 is the best first response to the situation. Source: APR Study Guide, p.20 (General principles underlying public relations practice)
In order to drum up business, the president wants to put out a commercial and has asked you to oversee the production of this commercial with the hired advertising agency. He wishes to use the visuals of a home and family who are now going through the foreclosure process for B-roll purposes. He gives you photos of the house and family, who you know from previous dealings wish to keep their names and faces out of the public eye. What do you do?
A. This is what the president wants, so you try to convince the family to agree to be in the commercial through use of the photos.
B. Ask them to sign media waivers
C. Go back to the president and explain why the use of the photos would be a violation of their privacy.
D. Explain to the family that proceedings of the foreclosure allows the real estate firm to use their likeness in commercials.
Answer: C. EPR. Chapter 6. The family has a Right to Privacy, and for the real estate firm to uphold their wishes not to be publicly disclosed.
Your public relations department wants to share a magazine article from another nonprofit organization with your members. Which method for sharing the article would you recommend to avoid needing to obtain permission from the copyright owner?
A) Emailing the article to the members of your organization
B) Sending the members of your organization a link to the article on the other organization’s website
C) Distributing the article to the members of your organization at its annual meeting
D) Reprinting the article in your organization’s newsletter
Answer: C. [From Cutlip & Center’s Effective Public Relations, 11th ed., p. 140—Generally, you do not have to seek copyright permission if you post an excerpt from the article and link to the original source of the article.]
You are the Communication Director for a small 250 person company. Your Boss asks you to conduct a survey to determine how many members of the workforce clearly understand the company’s mission statement. As you develop your survey research what type of survey samples would you select?
A. Probability samples
B. Nonprobability samples
C. Cross-sectional
D. Census
Answer: D. Census if your universe is under 300. Source: APR Study Guide (2010) page 62.
You are responsible for maintaining your organization’s corporate blog. As a part of your responsibility, you must manage and edit all guest blogger content, including photos. Your upcoming guest blogger, an employee of the organization’s, submits a photo of his own, but no copyright information is included. Who owns the content, and how do you proceed?
A: The blogger. You must obtain written permission to use the photo.
B: The organization. As an employee, the photo for use on the blog is property of the organization.
C: The blogger. You can proceed with photo use after receiving verbal consent.
D: The organization. You are allowed to use anything for professional use.
Correct
answer: B. The organization owns any work done by an employee for purpose of use within the organization.
You are the Media Relations director in the firm’s Corporate Communications Office. The COO takes offense with a recent editorial that appeared in the local newspaper’s weekend edition. You explain that in order to be defamation the statement made must be untrue. In addition, you should tell him that he would have to prove the following conditions were present (select three)?
A. Hatred
B. Jealousy
C. Contempt
D. Envy
E. Ridicule
F. Unfavorable
Answer: A,C,E - To be defamed or damaged, an exposed person or organization must prove three conditions were present: hatred, contempt, ridicule. APR Study Guide, 2010 UAB, page 24.
You are the media relations director for a posh hotel in Arizona that has just spent $3 million in upgrades. You have issued a news release which includes a description of the hotel as the only one in the state to have three pools and a kiddie splash park. You receive a call from a CEO of a hotel across state that also has three pools and a kiddie park. You research the hotel and find out though they have three pools, only two are currently functional and the kiddie park is half the size of your hotel’s kiddie park. Which one of the following is the best course of action?
1. It is acceptable to continue making the claim because your hotel is a five-star hotel and the other hotel is of a lower caliber.
2. You immediately write a correction to the news release and disseminate it to all of the communication channels you originally contacted.
3. It is acceptable to keep the marketing communications that you have created.
Answer: 2. Ensuring accuracy and truth is an underlying principle of PR practice. If you accidentally make an error, correct it immediately with all audiences. APR Study Guide, p. 20.
You are the director of public relations for a school district that recently got in trouble for a cheating scandal. The media has written a number of negative stories since the incident occurred. The school district was given corrective actions to complete by a certain date and has failed to comply regarding one of the requirements. The school district superintendent wants you to send out a press release touting the changes that were successfully made, ignoring the action that was not achieved. Which two answers best represent the way to address this request?
A. Draft and the send out the release because most of the corrective actions were achieved successfully.
B. Explain the importance of being transparent given the delicate nature of the situation.
C. Go to the media and try to get ahead of the story before any articles are published.
D. Write a release that addresses both the successes and shortcomings
Correct
Answers: B and D. You want to discuss transparency with your boss and underscore the importance of being honest about the progress the school district has made, even if there were shortcoming. There should also be counsel on how to address this shortcoming stakeholders (employees, parent, students, community, community leaders, media) know you are work to correct this action. You want to write a release that touts the accomplishments but also address the shortcoming of not meeting one of the corrective action. You should also address how this will be corrected as the school districts works to make sure cheating does not happen in the future. These answers fall under several areas of the PRSA Code of Ethics - Professional Values (Honesty), Core Principles (Free Flow of Information & Disclosure of Information). (PR Strategies and Tactics 7th pgs 60 - 63; EPR 10th, 151-153)
You are the head of your company’s PR department. The agency often utilizes Get Noticed, a large specialty promotional sales company. Your spouse is the CEO of Get Noticed but was not involved in the the sales pitch or price negotiations for this account. The agency is unaware of your affiliation with Get Noticed and you have never mentioned using their company in the past. Get Noticed offered the most competitive pricing as well as a turnaround time that fits within your time constraints. Which of the following is the best course of action?
A) Allow the PR agency to make the decision independently, without your input one way or the other.
B) Notify the PR agency as well as your supervisors of the potential conflict of interest. Allow them to make the final call on moving forward with the account or not.
C) Notify the agency of your affiliation with Get Noticed and request they not utilize the promo company for a
Correct
Answer: C. Although your company may spend more on the promotional items and Get Noticed may lose out on a large account, the loss of trust and a negative perception of your company due to how this conflict of interest could be perceived could damage the credibility of your company with key stakeholders, employees and community members. Your obligation is to protect your client’s reputation and credibility.
The boss has asked you to compile a 50th anniversary coffee table book in which copies will be made available for sale to the public. She asks you to include aerial photographs that show how the company expanded over the years. Your review of the dozen or so aerial photographs clearly shows that the photos were copyrighted by the aerial photographer, who is now deceased. Which of the following two statements are true about a photograph copyright?
A) Purchasing a print means you have lawfully purchased the copyright
B) Once a photographer dies, copyrighted work he/she created also expires
C) Unless you have permission from the photographer, you can’t copy, distribute
D) Copyright infringement involves a violation of the copyright “rights” of an owner
Correct
answers: C, D; Source: Copyright section in EPR, 11th edition, pp. 139-140 … note: if you cannot obtain permission to use a photograph, you must assume life + 75 years before “assuming” you can use a photograph.
You work for a large PR firm that is working on a special event for a PR client. You’ll be hosting a series of elaborate dinners to promote the client’s line of frozen foods. Food reporters will be invited and a famous chef will be be preparing the meals. You’ve been following the food writers preferences on their social media pages and know many prefer to eat organic over processed frozen foods. What you find most troubling though is that your boss plans to use hidden cameras at the dinner to record the reactions of the food writers when they learn that they are eating frozen dinners from the PR client’s product line.Which PRSA ethical code of values are being violated here? Pick three.
A - Honesty
B - Conflict of Interest
C - Advocacy
D - Fairness
Answer: A, C and D. Conflict of Interest is a Code Provision and not a Value of the PRSA Code of Ethics.
Cotton Cutie is a vertically integrated organic baby clothing company based entirely NC. It serves young urban families who are passionate about investing in their local neighborhoods and economies and want environmentally responsible baby products. At the annual strategic planning conference, the CEO challenges the company to increase sales by 20% and add 10 new retail locations over the next year. As the PR manager, which goal would you set for your department to support the CEO’s challenge?
A. Increase website traffic
B. Leverage new location openings to connect with potential customers
C. Attract three news outlets to grand openings
D. Add five new mom bloggers to your media contacts
E. Launch a charity program that gives $1 from every purchase to a Mexican orphanage
Answer: B. Rationale: Primer Public Relations Research pg 22 - 25 and Strategic Planning for Public Relations pg 69. Public relations campaigns should support the company’s mission and business goals. Only B directly supports the core consumer’s lifestyle interests by demonstrating that your company directly support their local economy. The other options do not directly support the core customer’s life style priorities and are less likely to motivate customers to buy your products. Options C and D are objectives. Options E is a strategy.
You are the marketing coordinator at a local nonprofit. Your daily responsibilities are to create a range of collateral print material, manage the website and social media, and to create four solicitation letters annually. The organization just announced a minor restriction and your boss, the VP of Development, has decided to use this opportunity to promote you marketing director, but you counter with which title?
A. Donor Relations Director
B. Public Relations Director
C. Development Director
D. Marketing Communication Director
Answer: A. Rational: Cutlip & Center’s EPR pg 8 and 23 and Public Relations Strategies and Tactics pg 14. Non-practitioners often use marketing, communications, and public relations interchangeably. This situation is an opportunity for you to explain the difference to your boss and explain how you use public relations to support the organization’s development goals. Your job responsibilities are a mix of typical public relations and development. Option A is the best reflection of not only your responsibilities by also what area of the organization you impact.
You’re conducting a breakout session at an industry conference. The breakout session is included for attendees who’ve purchased a full pass. You’ve identified several pertinent blog posts that were written by an author who used to work at your company as an independent contractor. You’re expecting about 50 people to attend your session and you plan to use the posts as handouts. Which two of the following courses of action are viable?
a. Freely distribute the printed pieces.
b. Share the blog posts electronically via hyperlink in an email.
c. Identify the terms of the author’s contract during his tenure before emailing the link.
d. Create your own version using excerpts from each of the pieces referencing the source.
Answers: b and d. Rationale: (b) is correct since you are not reproducing the article; (d) is correct because you are publishing an excerpt and referencing back to the original work, EPR 11 Table 6.1 p. 140. (a) is not correct because you do not know if the contractor had a written agreement specifying who owns the rights; had the contractor been an employee instead, then a would be correct. (c) is not correct because you’re sending only a link and not the complete work. It would be correct if you were planning to send the full version either attached or in the body of the email.
You are the Communications Director for TLA, a contract agency that provides products and services to military personnel in the Middle East. Celebrity Arnold Schwarzenegger visits troops at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait while filming a documentary. Schwarzenegger takes photos with anyone willing, including members of TLA. You post the photo on the company’s Twitter account with the comment “@ArnoldSchwarzenegger Thanks for visiting troops at Camp Arifjan.” Your boss would also like to use the photo on the front of the company’s magazine which is distributed to customers and potential customers, and on the company’s website. What do you do?
A. Use the photo on the magazine and website.
B. Explain to your boss that using the photo could cost the company millions of dollars.
C. Use the photo on the website, but not on the magazine cover.
D. Cut Arnold Schwarzenegger out of the photo and use the photo.
Answer: B. Explain to your boss that using the photo could cost the company millions of dollars. Rationale: Trademark Infringement. Misappropriation of personality is a form of trademark infringement. TLA is a for-profit company and using Arnold Schwarzenegger could imply endorsement of TLA’s products and services. Unless permission and licensing fees were negotiated, TLA should not use the photo. “The legal doctrine is the right of publicity which gives entertainers, athletes, and other celebrities the sole ability to cash in on their own fame.” Source: PR Strategies and Tactics, Chapter 12, pg 341.
You are working with a group of local business persons to recruit a new minor league basketball team to your town. They have hired you to create the brand pitch including team name and full brand identity package. You brainstormed name ideas, conducted a variety of research to gauge community response to the name and you are in the process of seeking a trademark. Two weeks after your big name / brand reveal you receive a cease and desist from a board of education three states away. Their former high school used the same team mascot and name, and they are claiming you use of the mascot / name is a legal violation. How should you respond?
A. Work with legal counsel to send a letter explaining trademark law and that you are not violating any law because that board held no trademark
B. Stop using that mascot / name and move to your second choice
C. Withdraw your trademark application until this issue is resolved
Answer: A. Rationale: EPR International page 164, Part II Chapter 6. During research and registration you should have checked to see if there was any registered trademark. Also, enforcement is limited to situations likely to cause confusion in the minds of reasonable persons. Because the complaint is from three states away and involving a former high school it is unlikely that any reasonable person would be confused by your brand / name.
You send your photographer out to capture stock footage of New Year’s Eve at your town’s largest party “The Oyster Drop”. Walking back to his car at the end of the night, he snaps a few last photos of a group of people toasting in the parking lot. You run one of those photos the next morning in your daily newsletter. Have you violated anyone’s privacy, pick the best legal argument?
A. No, because the photo was in a public place where there is no expectation of privacy
B. No, because holiday celebrations are newsworthy and celebration is not considered a “private or embarrassing fact”
C. Yes, because that parking lot toast in not newsworthy under this context
D. Yes, because post celebration those citizens have a reasonable expectation of privacy
Answer: C. Rationale: AP Stylebook 2014 pg 349. One of the three elements of invasion of privacy is “legitimate public interest”. If a published piece of information is newsworthy or of legitimate public interest then no invasion of privacy has occurred. In this situation, the published information (photo) is not newsworthy. Your photographer was sent to cover a specific event and you have no way of knowing if those photographed were associated with the event. Further, the photo was not taken at the event. Answer D is also correct, but is not a strong legal argument. Answer A is wrong because not all public places or circumstances constitute privacy. Answer B is true however courts will first rule on the newsworthy factor, thus it is not the best legal argument. Note, that under certain circumstance a parking lot toast may be considered “private or embarrassing” depending on who is in the photo (i.e. if the person was a baptist preacher).
You are the PR manager for an international haute couture fashion house. The board of directors has decided to expand the company and add a mid-price ready-to-wear line for the Fall 2017 collection. After conducting some market and audience analysis you decide you want to use an “agenda building” communication style to promote the new product line. Which of these would you not include as a tactics?
A. News Releases timed weeks before the launch
B. Social Media posts during the launch
C. Pitch calls to industry journalists
D. Sending sample items from the collection to trendy-setting bloggers
E. Scheduling morning new interviews for your head designer
Answer: B. Rationale: APR Study Guide, page 116. Agenda Building is about influencing the news cycle, and assumes that new coverage is a manufactured product. To execute this model of communication, you’re tactics will be heavily focused on news outlets and journalists. Social media would be a good way to create buzz, but not as likely to result in significant news coverage.
In 2011 doctors and scientists officially debunked the well known research study that claimed vaccines cause autism. Since then the CDC and other organizations have conducted numerous related studies that continue to support the belief that autism is not caused by vaccines. In spite of the new research many parents and members of the public still believe the 1998 debunked medical study. Their unwillingness to change their minds about the 1998 study can best be explained by which communication theory?
A. Inoculation
B. Social Judgement
C. Reasoned Action
D. Sleeper Effect
Answer: A. Rationale: APR study guide. Inoculation theory says that people will likely resite a new, persuasive idea when they have been previously exposed to a counterargument. In this scenario the false study and its advocates had been very vocal for a number of years. Their message, that vaccines cause autism, had been received first. This has made it harder for new, accurate information to change some people’s beliefs.
A poll about public opinion in reference to your school’s bond referendum campaign shows that the majority of voters support the plan and are planning on going to the polls to vote “yes” in four months. Your superintendent is excited and thinks that there is no need to continue a public relations campaign. Which dimension of public opinion is he ignoring?
A. Coorientation.
B. Stability.
C. Pertinence.
D. Direction.
E. Salience.
Answer: B. Stability. Stability refers to how long respondents have held or will hold the same direction and intensity of feelings. It is one of three dimensions (the other two being informational support–how much knowledge people hold about an object and social support–the extent to which people think their opinions are shared by others in their social milieu) that are often ignored in public opinion surveys. D) Direction is a dimension of public opinion; it measures positive-negative-neutral. A) Coorientation is when two or more people’s orientations include the same issues or objects. C) Pertinence and E) Salience deal with how individuals assign value to objects. Pertinence is the relative value of an object found by making object-object comparisons on the basis of attribute. Salience is the value that individuals assign to objects on the basis of their previous history with the object and their assessment of the object in the current context. EPR, 11th edition, pages 178-180.
The turnpike authority has hired you to evaluate public opinion related to the relocation of a tollbooth plaza. As part of your research you plan to reach out to residents within a 1-mile radius of the newly proposed location to determine issue salience and identify public knowledge according to John Grunig’s “situational theory of publics”. Three factors will help predict whether your identified public is unaware of their connection to tollbooth relocation, aware of their connection, or organizing to do something about it. Choose three:
A. Regularly attends town/city council meetings.
B. Situation/problem awareness
C. Level of involvement
D. Members of local environmental groups
E. Constraint recognition
Answer: B, C, E. Rationale: EPR Ch. 12 p. 168. Grunig said three factors predict whether a public is latent (unaware of their connection to others with respect to issue or problem), aware (aware of their connection), or active (organizing to do something about the situation). They are: • Problem recognition: extent to which people are aware there is something amiss. In this case, do the residents consider the new location a problem? If so, why? • Level of involvement: level to which people see themselves as involved or affected by the situation. Are residents near the proposed toll plaza already involved in discussions or likely to be involved? • Constraint recognition: extent to which people feel limited by external factors vs. believing they can actually do something. Are the residents too busy or uninvolved to become active?
The university wants to know what types of on campus restaurants will appeal to the student population. In partnership with the PR 304 class, the university plans to survey a sample of the student population. Time and budget are limited so the PR 304 class is brainstorming ways to get the best representation of the study body (based on gender, ethnicity, and credit hours). Checking with the registrar’s office the class learns that 75% of all students are in class on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and most students are in classrooms within 100 yards radius of the founder’s circles, a business pedestrian section of the campus. Which sampling type would best describe the student’s approach?
A. Convenience Sampling, because they are surveying only students that are available
B. Quota Sampling, because they are seeking a population distribution to match the enrollment demographics
C. Purposive Sampling, because they are
Answer: B. Rationale: Primer of PR Research page 201-204. The PR 304 class is seeking to do more than convenience and volunteer sampling by targeting a specific audience. Purposive sampling would require an even more targeted approach to the sampling population based on what the PR 304 class knows of the student body and what they are trying to learn. For example, in purposive sampling they may target students who consume campus food 3 days a week. In quota sampling, the PR 304 class is seeking survey enough students to match the campus demographics. So, they will keep 40% male and 60% if that is how they student body breaks down.
Your town’s signature festival is turning 50 next year and attendance has been declining for several years. You’ve been hired to help turn it around and transform it back into a top tourist attraction. Which problem statement should you use to begin your research plan?
A. The town spring festival in Homer, AK, is not as popular as it once was.
B. The town festival held each spring in Homer, AK, has dwindling attendance (down 30% over 5 years) and the town is losing tourism revenue ($90K over 5 years)..
C. The town festival is losing revenue ($90k over 5 years) because it is not well attended.
D. The Homer, AK, annual town festival held each spring needs more attendees (50K or more) to remain profitable.
E. The town spring festival is suffering a lack of attendees and incurring greater operating costs.
Answer: B. Rationale: EPR Int. chapter 11 page 268. A Problem statement must contain three elements: written in present tense, describe the situation in specific measurable terms, and not imply a solution or place blame.
You are the Development Director of a statewide human service nonprofit. Before you started your position your company participated in an omnibus survey to gain a better understanding of how familiar the public was with your organization. The survey results indicated low public awareness. Two years later, after you implemented a public relations plan, a second omnibus survey indicated a positive change in name and service familiarity. To gain better insights into how your public understood and retained the messages, what research methods should your organization consider (choose two)?
A. Content Analysis
B. Communication Audit
C. Focus Group
D. Telephone Survey
E. Interviews
Answer: C, E. Rationale: EPR Ch. 14 p. 332 Figure 14.5 Pyramid Model of PR Research: Focus groups and interviews are good measurement methodologies to evaluate the 1) number who understand message and 2) number who retain message.
The local zoo is celebrating its 75th year soon. A collection of staff and key volunteers are beginning the planning process and you are in charge of planning the public relations efforts. The board has set some basic objectives (i.e. increase 1st time visitors, etc) and you are now trying to set the public relations goal. Which goal is most appropriate?
A. To be the premier family attraction in the tri-state area
B. The zoo will establish key partnerships that ensure consistent visibility around the community
C. To cultivate local patrons through funny, engaging communications
D. The zoo will be the local attraction of choice for residents within 50 miles
Answer: A. Rationale: EPR International, chapter 12. Goals are the overall outcome (future state) while strategy is the overall approach. Answers B and C are approaches that would guide tactical decisions. Answer D is most like an objective because it has a form of measurement. Answer A explains how the zoo wants to be positioned at the end of the campaign, it’s future desired state. It also state how the zoo will be uniquely distinguished in the mind of the public (APR study guide page 23).
Eat Smart, Move More SC (ESMMSC) is an organization working to create healthy eating and active living options in communities across the state. As the group’s communications lead, you are conducting a public relations audit for a campaign to build a statewide walking trail. What questions will you try to answer in your research stage? (pick 2)
1. How up-to-date is the information in the ESMMSC’s organizational almanac?
2. What do the results of a communications audit show about how ESMMSC communicates?
3. Does the SC Parks and Recreation Agency see a need to learn more about a statewide walking trail as a potential tourism draw?
4. How many email requests and phone calls has ESMMSC received asking for information about available walking trails?
Answer: 3) and 4) EPR, 11th edition, pages 246-247. A public relations audit is another phrase for a stakeholder analysis, an external factor to identify who is involved and who is affected in a situation analysis. EPR identifies 4 questions that must be answered through research. (How much do people use information in the problem situation? What kinds of information do people use or seek? How do people use information? What predicts information use?) 3) is a question to determine how much do people use information in the problem situation; to what extent the Agency sees a need for information. 4) is a question to ask what kinds of information people seek. 1) and 2) are internal factors (organizational almanac and communications audit) in a situation analysis.
You’re corporate communications leader and your employer is considering a change to the company’s health care benefits in an attempt to reduce cost but continue providing a competitive benefits package to attract and retain talent. Research indicates that a majority of employees do not understand their health care benefits and as a result, one in three select the wrong plan, resulting in added costs for the company and the employee. Employees are dissatisfied and the company may be losing good workers. You’re tasked with improving employees’ understanding of their benefits. Your first step is to (select 2):
a. Create a communications plan to educate employees on their benefits.
b. Conduct a survey of employees’ attitudes toward their benefits.
c. Conduct a series of lunch and learns featuring health care insurance vendors.
d. Conduct content analysis of employee benefits to identify common issues precluding employee
Answers: B and D. Rationale: (A) and (C) are not correct because it skips to taking action before first defining the problem. (B) and (D) are correct because they seek research to better identify and define the problem (EPR11 pp244-245, exhibit 12.4 p. 276, fig. 11.1 p. 240
You want to reach X audience to promote the opening of a new G in your community. As part of your awareness campaign you are creating a media relations strategy. In your pre-research you identify the audience’s media consuming behavior and build your strategy accordingly. During implementation, which evaluation method would ensure you are getting your message to the right audience in a timely fashion? (choose 1)
A. Examining the number of media placements about the new G
B. Examining number of media placements against the medium’s readership demographics
C. Website clicks on days when media placements ran
D. Telephone interviews
E. Repeat the pre-campaign audience research
Answer: B. Rationale: EPR chapter 14, pg 346-350 and figure 14.2. In this scenario you are conducting mid-campaign evaluation to ensure the strategy and tactics are reaching the right audience. Answers A and C do not take the audience into account. Answers D and E would not garner your feedback in a timely fashion. Answer B would show you the media placement success as well as show if you were being published in the right media for your audience.
ABC Company’s goal is for its widget to become the leading consideration by companies seeking widgets in its market segment. To succeed, it needs to build awareness for its new product, and industry analysts are a key public. Which one of the following strategies is the best choice?
A. The company will build alliances with relevant industry analyst firms.
B. The company will conduct at least three briefings per quarter with three of the five analyst firms.
C. The company will attend analyst days for each of the five analyst firms
D. The company will educate and inform key industry analysts on its new product through a webinar series.
Answer: A. KSA: 1.5 Planning. Source: EPR 11, P. 273; APR Guide p. 24. Rationale: A is correct because: A strategy is an overall concept, approach or general plan for the program designed to achieve an objective. Strategy is selected to achieve a particular outcome (as a stated in a goal or objective). Strategies provide the roadmap to your objectives. Answers B-D are tactics. They describe specific methods for achieving the strategy.
You work for a community nonprofit created as a partnership between the local university and the county government. Today the university suddenly informed you it was leave the partnership and would no longer support the nonprofit’s mission. This announcement was unexpected and no one in the nonprofit or the county government knows why the decision was made. The university will formally make their announcement in three days at the president’s annual luncheon. Your board of directors holds an emergency meeting to decide how to respond to this situation. What would you advise them to do first?
A. Inform major donors
B. Find a new partner
C. Review the strategic plan and understand how this affects the long term organization goals
D. Issue a press release
E. Cancel their reservations to attend the president’s luncheon in protest
Answer: C. Rationale: APR study guide page 108. The first thing to consider in any crisis in the potential risk to each audience. In this situation all audiences for the organization potentially share the long term strategic risk. Additionally, The first step in responding to any public relations challenge is thoroughly researching the situation. Before any communication responses can take place the organization must be clear on the organizational impact, afterwards formal statements and responses can be created.
You are the VP of Corporate Communications at a startup tech company. The company is five years old, has grown to 60 employees and a publicly estimated value of $2.7 billion. The founding investors have begun to discuss the possibility of an IPO, initial public offering. You know that in general IPO offerings have been hit or miss for tech startups in the last 5 years. To better prepare yourself and the investors for this discussion you decide to research possible issues in the IPO and VC, venture capital, markets. You have identified some concerning trends in the IPO market via industry publications and by looking at three comparable IPOs. What is your next step? (choose one)
A. Report your findings to the CEO
B. Conduct more research
C. Craft a crisis response plan
D. Write a problem statement
E. Assemble a risk assessment team
Answer: B. Rationale: APR Study Guide page 108. Upon identifying an issue the public relations professional is responsible for conducting further research to determine the cause, nature, and scope of the issue in order to later recommend steps at address the issue. Answers C and D are premature because more research is needed. Answers A and D may be appropriate after you understand the issue better and its potential impact on the company.
Your organization has recently embarked on a positive culture change campaign. This has been largely driven by senior management and six month into the campaign change is not happen very fast. Many employees are pushing back “because we tried this last time and it didn’t work” and your previous company culture has not empowered employees to tried new things & learn from failure. The company president now wants to implement an inspirational leadership series on your intranet. This series would feature a collection of positive leadership articles, and leadership quotes with additional reflections from the president. As the PR manager, what counsel would you offer the president on this idea? (choose one)
A. Implement this tactic as is
B. Implement this tactic but include upper and middle management in the quote reflection series
C. Conduct a focus group of employees to learn if these tactics appeals to them
Answer: C. Rationale: EPR chapter 11, research Attitude pg 266 and APR study guide pg 30. Answers A and B skip research and planning, and go straight to implementation without proper understanding of the situation. Answer E is a good option but not useful enough to provide counsel to the president at this stage of the decision process. Answer D is also a good option however it would take longer to implement and the company has a firm grasp on the general barriers. Answer C would allow you to dig deeper into the employee attitudes while also discovering which communication tactics most appeal to them. Pending the focus group results you would recommend an employee survey. The focus group would allow you to get quick, useful decision making information to your president.
A supermarket chain experienced a breach of its computer systems that may have given criminals access to millions of credit and debit cards. Headline news stories blame the retailer for failing to follow payment card industry standards on security. Research has established that the company was hacked even though it appeared to be following all of the security rules laid out by the credit card associations. The supermarket chain PR team has implemented its detailed crisis communications plan to handle the hacking fallout. In addition, they have contracted your PR firm to help them work on major goals for most crisis situations, which include: Choose two.
A. Change the conversation by launching a fun PR campaign
B. Bury the story online with numerous educational social media and blog stories
C. Minimize problems ASAP
D. Educate the public about cybercrime and security measures
E. Erase the event from the minds of the affected publics.
Answer: C, E. Rationale: Study Guide page 109. Major goals for most crisis situations are to minimize the problems as soon as possible and remove the event from the minds of the affected publics.
You want to reach X audience to promote the opening of a new G in your community. As part of your awareness campaign you are creating a media relations strategy. In your pre-research you identify the audience’s media consuming behavior and build your strategy accordingly. During implementation, which evaluation method would ensure you are getting your message to the right audience in a timely fashion? (choose 1)
A. Examining the number of media placements about the new G
B. Examining number of media placements against the medium’s readership demographics
C. Website clicks on days when media placements ran
D. Telephone interviews
E. Repeat the pre-campaign audience research
Answer: B. Rationale: EPR chapter 14, pg 346-350 and figure 14.2. In this scenario you are conducting mid-campaign evaluation to ensure the strategy and tactics are reaching the right audience. Answers A and C do not take the audience into account. Answers D and E would not garner your feedback in a timely fashion. Answer B would show you the media placement success as well as show if you were being published in the right media for your audience.
Company A launched a campaign to achieve X. The campaign is halfway completed. The campaign did not achieve the desired results despite garnering industry accolades for its fabulous design & style. The PR staff has been tracking website clicks and media placements. The campaign was based on 5 years of customer surveys and industry trend research. Which type of evaluation would you recommend in order to identify the cause for the campaigns poor performance? (choose 1)
A. Review the written material against the Gunning B. Fog Index
C. A content analysis to see how the messages align with the desired goals & objectives
D. Look at message distribution
E. Review the customer surveys
Answer: B. Rational EPR chapter 14 page 343. There are three phases of evaluation: preparation, implementation, and impact. All must be completed in order to ensure a campaign is effective. Answers A and C look at implementation, and should be addressed after all preparation evaluation is complete. Answer D is a preparation evaluation tool and based on the scenario appears to be solid. The scenario also address presentation quality by explaining the campaign has high quality design. Answer B is the unknown evaluation area: how well does the campaign message match the goals.
Golden Orchid imports hand woven fabrics from around the world. Several recent, international events have scared the stock market and several analysts are saying the market may be preparing for a bear market. Golden Orchid has not been directly affected by the recent events and your revenues are higher than projected, but the stock prices drop two points in the last week as a result of the overall market sensitivity. What strategy would be best to calm investor concerns?
A. Host your first ever non-deal road show to find new investors in your key cities
B. Focus on increasing customer interest in your products to drive revenue so that Wall St. will see your company is still attractive
C. Continue your analyst relations strategy with added messaging about how your quarterly revenue projections are better than anticipated
D. Do nothing and stick to your current strategy
Answer: D. Rationale: EPR, 10th edition, chapter 15 - Business and Industry Public Relations. Your company is not directly impacted by the international events, so there is no reason to suspect an eminent disruption to your business. The stock market regularly over reacts to current events and corrects itself shortly thereafter. Investors typically do not get concerned about prices drops unless they are three points or more.
A potential new client has requested a meeting with your agency in 2 days. The Senior Partner has asked you to pull together some client research so that the partner and the strategy director can prepare for the meeting. The research is due by the end of the day. Which sources of information would be the most helpful?
A. IRS tax returns, YouTube videos of the company’s annual meeting, the company’s website
B. The company’s website, the company’s current social media channels, the 10K
C. The president’s most recent media interview series, the 10K, and a customer review site
D. Industry journals, YouTube public issues campaign videos produced by the company, the 10K
Answer: B. Rationale: All are very helpful, but in this scenario you are creating a quick summary of the business. One of the most helpful pieces of information are the 10K which will provide the most recent financial data and official business strategy. The company’s website and social media which will be a great indication of how well the business strategies are being communicated to customers and the company culture.
You are restarting a PR department after a one year hiatus. The company is opening a second production facility in your state and you need to send a press release. You found the last media contact list but know that some of the points of contact have changed because you have reporter contacts across the state. How should you distribute the press release? (choose 1)
A. Call all media outlets and verify points of contact
B. Research which reporters specialize in economic development and find their contact information
C. Add in your reporter contacts to the old list
D. Visit each outlet’s website and find the contact information for the editor-in-chief
Answer: A. Rationale: Public Relations Cases by Hendrix & Hayes, page 47-49. Answer A is the best answer because each publication will handle press release differently (i.e. who it should be send to). Answer B is not correct because unless you know the reporter and how their work is assigned you may not be reaching the decision maker. Answer C is not correct because your contacts are still not the editorial staff. Answer D is not the best because websites may not list contact information and still not tell you how the outlet handles press releases.
The CEO for New Tech Company is a vibrant, well-spoken industry leader but has not gotten the media coverage he wants so he hired you to be the media relations manager. One of the first projects he asks you to put together is a set of guidelines to use in media interviews. Which two of these will you include? (Pick two)
A) Use the CEO as the company spokesperson so that media will know that they are speaking with the person in charge.
B) Develop tip sheets on New Tech’s products.
C) Be prepared to answer reporter’s questions about what will happen to your overall revenue picture if your new products do not perform as expected.
D) Do not address certain topics with classified information—such as personnel actions and legal decisions.
E) Learn reporters’ first names.
Answers: B, E. Rationale: A is not correct because the CEO may not always be the best spokesperson for every interview. C is incorrect because you should not speculate. D is not correct because you should avoid “no comment,” even if you can’t comment. B describes the process of developing Q & A. E. allows you to be personable. Page 93 of APR Study Guide Best Practices.
