--- title: Media Relations is not Public Relations image: https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1604042716-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e20133ec92b42a970b-250wi.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/2010/04/media-relations-is-not-public-relations.html#maincontent) [ «  View All Posts ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog) # Media Relations is not Public Relations April 9th, 2010 1 min read By [David Meerman Scott](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) ![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1604042716-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e20133ec92b42a970b-250wi.jpg?width=250&height=250&name=6a00d83451f23a69e20133ec92b42a970b-250wi.jpg) [![Subset_superset](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1604042716-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e20133ec92b42a970b-250wi.jpg)](http://freshspot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451f23a69e20133ec92b42a970b-pi) I've had discussions with quite a few people in the last few months who are confused about the role of Public Relations in the new world of the Web. These discussions frequently begin when someone asks me this common question: *"Is PR dead because of social media?" * The frequency of this question leads me to the conclusion that there is a great deal of confusion around what is *Public Relations* really is. **Public Relations: How an organization engages with its publics.** Somehow along the way many PR professionals have lost sight of what "true PR" is and have insisted on only caring about mainstream media. They've confused the superset (public relations) with the subset (media relations) and therefore insist that PR is only about mainstream media. **Media relations: Working through journalists to reach your publics.** What people need to realize is that these are different activities. *Media relations* is still valid as a way to get attention. Of course it is not dead. Who doesn't want to be quoted in an important outlet? **There are so many other ways to communicate with your publics. ** PR is about reaching your audience. There are many more ways to do that than just via the media: [Brand journalism](https://www.webinknow.com/2010/03/brand-journalism-.html), YouTube videos, blog posts, ebooks, charts, graphs, photos, a Twitter feed, a presence in Foursquare and so much more. *Of course, these days mainstream media takes cues from what’s hot in social media so a focus on social media can influence journalists too. * **Added bonus for reading this far is my career advice for PR pros:** Public Relations professionals will need to decide if they want to be a public relations expert (helping people reach their publics through mainstream media and social media) or if they want to specialize in the narrower focus of media relations (limit your skills to just mainstream media). Image: Shutterstock / iQoncept [ David Meerman Scott ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to clever entrepreneurs who are building emerging companies, and the international bestselling author of a dozen books published in 30 languages. David’s high-energy keynote presentations, masterclasses, and virtual events educate, energize, and inspire. Connect: [mailto:david@freshspot.com](mailto:david@freshspot.com) Topics: [ Social Media ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/social-media) [ Public Relations ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/public-relations) [ Media Relations ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/media-relations) [ Brand Journalism ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/brand-journalism) Don't forget to share this post: ## Related Articles [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Artemis%20earthset.jpg?width=5568&height=3712&name=Artemis%20earthset.jpg) ### Nasa’s Artemis II Lunar Mission: A PR Triumph for the USA April 11th, 2026|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/nasas-artemis-ii-lunar-mission-a-pr-triumph-for-the-usa) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Moltbook.jpg?width=1536&height=1024&name=Moltbook.jpg) ### Moltbook: A Social Network for AI Agents Where Humans Can Only Watch February 3rd, 2026|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/moltbook-a-social-network-for-ai-agents-where-humans-can-only-watch) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-10-29%20at%2010.27.19%20AM.png?width=835&height=466&name=Screenshot%202025-10-29%20at%2010.27.19%20AM.png) ### Don’t Fly Wizzness Class Video from Dave Carroll October 29th, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/dont-fly-wizzness-class-video-from-dave-carroll) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Chef%20Todd%20Edwards.jpg?width=1500&height=1010&name=Chef%20Todd%20Edwards.jpg) ### Pulling Back the Curtain to Show What Happens Behind-the-Scenes October 15th, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/pulling-back-the-curtain-to-show-what-happens-behind-the-scenes) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/DMS%20BM%20hybrid%202004.jpg?width=1432&height=966&name=DMS%20BM%20hybrid%202004.jpg) ### The Fandom Playbook: My New Book and Companion AI Chatbot September 24th, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-fandom-playbook-my-new-book-and-companion-ai-chatbot) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Stefano%20Paciotti.jpg?width=1500&height=1084&name=Stefano%20Paciotti.jpg) ### The Ham Whisperer of Rome: How Stefano’s Honest Videos Won the World’s Heart June 24th, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-ham-whisperer-of-rome-how-stefanos-honest-videos-won-the-worlds-heart) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LinkedIn%20comments.jpg?width=1114&height=737&name=LinkedIn%20comments.jpg) ### Comments Are the Key to LinkedIn Engagement January 29th, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/comments-are-the-key-to-linkedin-engagement) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Kolkata%20Chai%20Ani%20and%20Ayan.jpg?width=1236&height=858&name=Kolkata%20Chai%20Ani%20and%20Ayan.jpg) ### Brewing Authenticity: How Kolkata Chai Co. 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