Mass Comm Week Pt. 2

I went to listen to Mike Cox speak on media relations on Tuesday. He has had a jam-packed career. He is a writer for Texas Escapes. He’s done media relations for many government offices. Mike has seen the aftermath of some graphic events such as shootings. He talked about how to have a level head when informing the public about sensitive content. As a media relations specialist, he was often the brains behind the words for many law enforcement officers when they would enter into press conferences. He taught officers how to speak to the general public without giving them any concrete evidence to write on. He told us that he would get on the phone with a reporter, give them facts, then the story would come out very different with partial truths in it. I think that speaks a lot on journalist and the style of news telling currently. It’s a big deal reporting on heavy events like shootings and the responsibility to rely the truth is of up-most importance. I learned a lot from Mike Cox about the darker side of journalism that isn’t touched often. It opened up an interest for me.