How Public Relations Can Change the World

Since my first public relations class at Marist College, two important things have happened to me. First, I have learned to love PR. It is now customary behavior to try and convert everyone to become a public relations major. Second, I have been conditioned to examine everything from a PR perspective. Math majors may see the world through numbers; I see the world through press releases and pitches.

Every morning when I check the news, I first skim the headlines. Some may argue that skimming the headlines isn’t really reading the news; however, so much thought went into each title. The author was responsible for creating one sentence fragment that would entice the reader. This is the pinnacle of public relations. How do we get the reader to care? How do we insert as much information as possible into one sentence?

Next, I pick a few articles that interest me. While I’m reading, I am trying to find why that story was written. What is the message the author is trying to convey? Every sentence and every story is written for a reason.

A good story with a convincing message can mobilize people. If people are involved, they have the ability to improve their community. In the current political scene, I think we could use a little improving. I truly believe that public relations has the ability to mobilize people. I hope to someday use my degree to do just that. It all starts with a good headline.