Oil and Gas Industry Urged to be Media Savvy

Oil and Gas Industry Urged to be Media Savvy

Executives in the oil and gas industry are urged to be more “upfront” and pro-active in dealing with the news media.

At an ENEX conference session entitled “Working with the Media”, veteran journalists Dave MacIntyre of MacIntyre Public Relations, Fairfax Media business writer Rob Maetzig and energy writer Neil Ritchie of Alpha Communications pointed to flaws in adopting a reactive or fearful stance in dealing with news media approaches.

The main messages are the industry should take the initiative on educating journalists, explaining the reasons behind their commercial activities, especially explaining the details of technically-complex matters in layperson’s terms.

Instead, too often the industry is wary of engaging with journalists.

“The vast majority of journalists are not seeking sensationalism. They are seeking to understand what you are doing and why. Take the time to explain your reasons and develop relationships with the specialist journalists in your field,” says MacIntyre.

Asked from the audience if a company should react to inflammatory press statements from industry critics, the reply was adamant – “Yes. If you say nothing it looks as if you don’t care. Take the opportunity to state your case and state it clearly.”

Companies were also urged to maintain their web sites, keeping information up to date and providing downloadable material along with contact details. Failure to do so was described as “unprofessional” in the new age of online media research.

The two-day event drew 500 industry-specialist delegates to the TSB Stadium in New Plymouth. Feedback from participants has been positive, building on and enhancing the response to the inaugural 2011 Enex event. The next Enex event is scheduled for June 2015.

ENDS

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