Two-thirds of PR practitioners believe online technologies have strengthened their relationships with journalists, but more than half agree that email does nothing to enhance
interpersonal skills. These mixed results come from a new study from The Institute for Public Relations and Worldcom Public Relations Group. "The Magic Communication Machine:
Examining the Internet's Impact on Public Relations, Journalism and The Public," was conducted before Sept. 11 and released in December. Among the results:
- Email has become the preferred means of communication for PR pros, with 20 percent of respondents saying they spend at least 30 hours per week online. Among all
respondents, the average time spent online was 15 to 19 hours per week. - Ninety percent said they were somewhat or very likely to use email to deliver information to a journalist in the next few days, compared with 85 percent who cited phone and
fax and 36 percent who cited snail mail. - More than 55 percent think technology does nothing to improve interpersonal skills, and respondents said email encourages sloppy grammar and punctuation.
- Fifty-three percent of PR pros said the Internet's ability to deliver information immediately has raised client expectations and increased pressure to push communications out
the door quickly --thereby increasing the opportunity for error. - Sixty-nine percent said email has caused information overload, wasting journalists' time and contributing to their negative attitude about PR.
For a complete copy of the survey, contact The Institute for PR at P.O. Box 1184400, Gainesville, FL 32611-8400, [email protected],
or Joe Epley, Worldcom, P.O. Box 11526, Charlotte, NC 28220-1526, [email protected].