By Viviane Mathieu
AUSTIN, Texas –Understanding how to work with reporters in public radio is extremely important, said Joy Diaz, producer and reporter for the Texas Standard, during a guest lecture to the PR 348 class at the University of Texas at Austin on Nov. 16.
Joy Diaz, Mexican-native and mother of two, has garnered considerable recognition for her work in public media reporting. She currently works for the Texas Standard, a show produced by KUT, Austin’s NPR station. Diaz covers many stories concerning education, healthcare, immigration, politics and city news.
With 11 years under her belt, Diaz described from her experiences how to work best with reporters. She started with her most valuable piece of advice which is knowing how to write a good press release that is compelling and attention-grabbing.
“Write a story. Don’t just tell me to talk about a product, because when you are telling a reporter that you want them to cover something, talk about how it changed someone’s life,” Diaz said. “Remember to always ask the question ‘Why should I care?’”
Diaz told the students, as public relations professionals, to make sure they know the different media outlets. Diaz recalled many experiences where conflict arose because publicists did not know how radio promotions were handled.
“In a way you will have to craft your press releases according to the people who are going to read them,” Diaz said. “You will not only have to learn who your audience is, but you also need to learn how you are trying to position the story.”
According to Diaz, every PR student should know exactly what a reporter needs when on a tight deadline. Her best experience was working with the former publicist for Seton Medical Center who knew exactly what she needed. It’s very helpful, she said, when PR professionals bring all the needed elements together when the reporter is pressed for time.
“Part of your job is making sure that your client is taken care of, but you also have to think about the reporters, that we have time constraints and that your job will be to act as a facilitator,” Diaz said. “Making sure that two worlds are communicating with each other well is crucial in this business.”
Diaz concluded her lecture by emphasizing the idea that journalists and PR professionals oftentimes have to work together to accomplish their individual goals.
“Knowing the different media outlets was interesting to me because I hadn’t realized how different each field in media was with content and interviews,” said Chris Pham, a student in PR 348.
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