Predicting Indonesian journalists' uses of public relations-generated news materials

Abstract

The news media are the main channel for public relations practitioners to get messages across to their publics. Getting their news or information materials used in the media is, therefore, a key professional responsibility for public relations practitioners. In an Asian country like Indonesia, this practice constitutes one of the more important parts of pubic relations practices. However, there has been little research conducted on predictive factors – especially as concerns taking into account different factors together – regarding Indonesian journalists’ uses of public relations news materials, since it is the largest nation in the Southeast Asian region, and no known academic public relations research of the subject has been done till now. The literature related to this study primarily examines how journalists’ professional roles, news values, informal relations between journalists and public relations practitioners, and business pressures predict Indonesian journalists’ uses and acceptance of public relations news materials. This thesis then employed survey methods to obtain data from Indonesian journalists working for national newspapers and television broadcasts in the capital city of Jakarta. The news value factor comes first in predicting Indonesian journalists’ uses and acceptance of public relations materials; the journalists also take their news organizations’ business interests seriously into their consideration. In addition, this study supports the suggestion that informal relations between practitioners and journalists could play a significant role in the use and acceptance of public relations news materials. The results do indicate that “envelope journalism,” or positive coverage provided by journalists in exchange for cash payment, is embraced by public Indonesian relations practitioners and journalists. However, this study finds its influence is not as significant as the fundamental tenets in journalism. The findings suggest that public relations activities in Indonesia comprise an important part of a set of complex media practices.