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Working with the Media

University of Colorado Boulder via Coursera

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Details

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Provider

Coursera
Pricing

Paid Course
Languages

English
Certificate

Certificate Available
Effort

5 weeks, 2 hours a week
Sessions

Self-Paced
Level

Beginner
Subtitles

English, Arabic, French, Portuguese, German, Thai, Indonesian, Spanish, Kazakh, Hindi, Russian, Swedish, Korean, Greek, Italian, Chinese, Ukrainian, Japanese, Polish, Dutch, Turkish, Vietnamese

Found in

Part of

Introduction to Public Relations and the Media

Overview

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This course builds on foundational public relations concepts by examining how organizations communicate with media and external audiences in complex communication environments. You'll explore the role of public relations in branding and storytelling, with particular attention to how organizational mission and core values guide message development across traditional and digital media. Foundational mass communication and public relations theories will be discussed in terms of issue and crisis management.

Syllabus

Organizational Mission and Core Values
- This module introduces the role of organizational mission and core values in shaping public relations. Real-world brand examples are used to illustrate how mission-driven communication operates in practice.
PR’s Role in Branding
- This module explores how public relations contributes to brand building and storytelling within a broader communication ecosystem. Learners examine the relationship between public relations, advertising, and marketing. This module also addresses the impact of digital media and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and professional practice.
Issues and Crisis Management
- This module focuses on how organizations anticipate, manage, and recover from issues and crises that threaten their reputation. Learners distinguish between issues and crises, and understand the stages of a crisis, and post-crisis planning. This module emphasizes the development, implementation, and evaluation of crisis communication plans as a core public relations function.
Gatekeeping in Public Relations
- This module examines how messages reach audiences through traditional and digital gatekeepers. You'll explore how journalists, algorithms, and influencers shape media visibility and public discourse.
The Art of the Press Release
- This module develops foundational media relations skills central to public relations practice. Learners understand how to write a press release and pitch, build targeted media lists, and create supporting materials like media kits. Emphasis is placed on using Associated Press style and practicing professional stewardship.