Are political strategists fueling corruption by demanding exorbitant fees from political candidates?
This question came up during a lecture on "Political PR — Challenges and Opportunities," conducted by the Department of Communication and Journalism at Osmania University on Friday.
Dr S Ramu, a journalist, media educator, and PR expert with over 30 years of experience, explained pros and cons of political PR.
A Professor of Communications and Director of Collaborations at MNR University, Dr Ramu provided valuable insights for aspiring media professionals, emphasising the evolving role of political PR in shaping public opinion and governance.
He outlined three major phases of political PR: before elections, during elections and after elections.
"Before elections, the primary focus is on building a leader’s public image and managing campaigns. During elections, responsibilities shift to handling media relations, crisis management and organising events. After elections, the emphasis is on maintaining the leader’s reputation and managing governance-related PR," he added.
As traditional journalism faces challenges, political PR presents lucrative career opportunities that require strategic thinking, crisis management and media expertise.
As far as the requirements are concerned, Ramu added: "Professionals in this field must be proficient at handling complex political dynamics and maintaining a leader’s public image effectively."
He added that a Political PR Officer (PRO) plays a crucial role in leader management, issue management, and man management, while also handling events, crisis, news and media relations.
Success in this field requires key skills such as ego management, analytical ability, strong communication skills, coordination, creativity, innovation, crisis management, and the ability to handle criticism with resilience, Dr Ramu observed.
Dr T Sateesh, Head of the Department, felicitated Dr Ramu for having delivered a lecture on an intersting topic.
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