The interplay of Public Relations and Business Journalism in Regional Media in Odisha

Abstract

In India, business journalism and public relations witnessed significant growth with the market-driven economy after the economic liberalisation.There has been a considerable rise of business journalists and public relations professionals. Both share a mutually dependent relationship for their success. Business journalists and public relations professionals interact regularly and significantly influence business news coverage by the media. The present study attempts to understand the mutual interaction between business journalism and public relations professionals and how it shapes business news reporting in Odisha mediafrom a source-media transaction perspective. The study adopted a qualitative, more specifically interview, and research method to have a deeper understanding of the issue from the perspectives of the business reporters and public relations executives. The study finds that business newsgets prominence in regional news media in Odisha and is regularly covered. Public relations managers have better influence over business journalism in Odisha. The study also finds that advertisement managers of the news organisations also place a significant role in business news coverage in Odisha’s local media. This exploratory study contributes to the knowledge regarding journalism and public relations from a regional perspective.