Public relations for peripheral places and their national media coverage patterns: The Israeli case

Abstract

One of the ways to alter the negative image associated with peripheral locations and assist them in constructing a positive image in national media is by directing resources and maintaining a professional, skilled PR system. This article focuses on the relation between PR and coverage patterns in the press, and examines whether media coverage of locations with similar characteristics is influenced by the systematic use of PR. Israel provides a unique opportunity to examine this relation, due to the existence of three towns with extremely similar characteristics that during the time of this study differed only in their use of PR. Examining the relation between the use of PR and media coverage was accomplished using a variety of research methods, including quantitative and qualitative content analysis and in-depth interviews.