Public Relations
For the Record--In Mexico
Carol Miller
Living and working in Mexico, I am aware of a public relations network,
available to SAA members, quite different from any that might operate in the
United States. There are about 20 responsible, professional, daily papers
published in Mexico City (two in English), and a variety of magazines, wire
services, cultural and commercial television, university publications,
organizational or institutional press offices, and of course, radio. There are
newspapers in the state capitals and the rules of the game change depending on
local politics. The potential for clippings or taped footage increases by the
minute. Despite the differences between the media in Mexico and the United
States, the approach and the underlying rules are essentially the same: (1) be
organized; (2) do not volunteer random information; (3) there is no such thing
as "Off the Record;" and (4) "No Comment" is anathema.
Methods, Motives, and Goals
Have your methods, motives, and goals clearly in mind. What reporters ask is
never as important as what you answer. It behooves you to respond with whatever
it is you want to see in print. If possible, have written material available to
aid the reporter, preferably in press release format aimed at the media in
question. Make your information novel, provocative, concise, explicit, and in
non-technical language. Academic pieces should be viewed from a distance--look
at them from an outsider's perspective. Is the message clear? Does it
contribute, excite, inform?
All people tend to be ingenuous where the press is concerned and even the most
worldly among us tend to give credit to what we see in print. Yet, people from
the United States are generally more incautious or imprudent--and definitely
more trusting--than those raised elsewhere. When you write that press release,
make it credible, verify your sources, and offer a reference or contact for the
reporter. But fear not. Your blood is far less appealing than a good story. The
reporter only wants to do his or her job.
Community Ethic
One fundamental distinctionbetween the United States and Mexico is the policy
of "national patrimony" as opposed to private or municipal jurisdiction over
archaeological properties. Mexico jealously protects its cultural resources;
has governmental departments in charge of studying, storing, exhibiting, and
administering them, and looks less than kindly on anyone who would use or abuse
working with them. The United States, on the other hand, takes the matter of
archaeology more lightly and in any case, links local endeavors to a community
ethic regarding its private history, as for example with the Santa Barbara [CA]
Presidio project. Such a policy, of course, puts the burden of public relations
on the project director and he or she is less concerned with what appears in
print than with community relations. The job requires a pulse reader, sensitive
to the psychological and political climate in the community, through
experienced and well-connected advisers. Public relations often has little to
do with press coverage.
Carol Miller is an SAA member who has served three years on the Public
Relations Committee. She also is an independent researcher on matters related
to archaeology and works with the El Pilar project in Belize.