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Ellie McCartney
03/28/2019
PR Principles Midterm
How to become a successful public relations practitioner

When it comes to working in the public relations field there are certain skills that are
required for corporate communications, media relations and crisis communication. Not
only is it important to learn those skills, but it is also important to grow those skills with
experience.

Some of the skills required for public relations practitioners are:

 Knowing how to manage your time.

 Learning to multitask and delegate tasks.
 Doing your research.
 Staying up to date on news.
 Tailoring your content to fit your brand.
 Thinking on your feet.
 Building relationships with reporters.

All of these skills are just a few that public relations practitioners need to be successful.
Another aspect of being in the public relations field is to understand how to use
strategies to meet a goal. Whether, it’s promoting an event or product or responding to
a natural disaster, having a plan and knowing how to execute that plan is an extremely
important skill to have in this field.

Above all else, a public relations practitioner needs to follow the PRSA code of ethics
and conduct themselves in an honest, thorough, creative and clear manner.
 Ellie McCartney
Public Affairs Specialist
402.800.2323
emccartney@Veterans.com

Media Advisory
Veteran’s Health Administration will host Career Fair
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Who: Veteran’s Health Administration

What: Veteran Career Fair

Where: Baxter Arena, 2425 S 67th Street

When: Thursday, April 4, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Why: To give veterans an opportunity to find jobs.

Notes: The average unemployment rate of veterans in Nebraska is 4.1 percent,

compared to the overall unemployment rate of 5.3 in the United States, according to
The United States Census Bureau.

To arrange interviews or photos, please contact Ellie McCartney at 402.800.2323 or

emccartney@Veterans.com.
###
Fact Sheet
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men experienced sexual violence involving physical
contact during their lifetimes. ***
 Nearly 1 in 5 women and 1 in 38 men have experienced completed or attempted
rape. ***
 Recent estimates put the cost of rape at $122,461 per victim, including medical
costs, lost productivity, criminal justice activities, and other costs. ***

Tips for sexual assault prevention

 Sexual assault can happen in all relationships, such as marriage, dating
relationships, friendships, child-parent interactions, employer-attendant
relationships and stranger interactions. *
 Watch for symptoms of a date rape drug, such as dizziness, nausea, memory
loss and breathing or motion difficulties. *
 Do not leave your drinks unattended. A date rape drugs can come in many
different forms including small pills, liquid or powder. *
 Get verbal consent from your partner. Consent at its most basic level means
everyone involved wants to participate. *
 Recognize that not all sexual assaults are the same. Every assault looks different
because there are different people involved. **
 Educate young people about what consent looks like. **

 Know your resources, such as WCA’s 24-hour hotline: 402.345.7273 **UICK

Information *taken from UC Berkley website at https://ucpd.berkeley.edu/sexual-assault-prevention-tips,

**taken from the Women’s Center for Advancement website at https://wcaomaha.org and ***taken from
Centers of Disease Control and Prevention website at
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/sexualviolence/prevention.html.
Talking Points
1) What is hate speech… Speech that demeans a certain race, ethnicity, gender,
religion, age, disability or any other demographic. *
2) How to determine if it’s hated speech… **
a. Goals of the speech, content itself and climate (social/economic/political)
3) Who does hate speech hurt? ***
a. A person’s identity
4) Who are the primary targets of hate speech? *
a. Minority groups
5) What we are willing to do to fix things? ****
a. Education, awareness and encourage reporting
6) Where we stand on hate speech
(ZERO Tolerance)
7) How to deal with hate speech?
a. Report harassment or hate speech
8) What is your social responsibility?
a. Is to think before you speak.
9) If you observe it, how can you help? *****
a. Act
b. Support victim
c. Speak up
10) What we are asking of our students
a. Inclusion

Information *taken from American Library Association website at

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/hate, **taken from Ethical Journalist Network website at
https://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org/resources/infographics/5-point-test-for-hate-speech-english, ***taken
from Impakter website at https://impakter.com/hurt-feelings-real-danger-hate-speech/, ****taken form
UNESCO website at https://en.unesco.org/5-ways-to-counter-hate-speech, ***** SPLC Center website at
https://www.splcenter.org/20170814/ten-ways-fight-hate-community-response-guide.
Erin Grace, Omaha World-Herald columnist
March 28, 2019
Hello Erin Grace:

Hearing the words “life-limiting illness” is hard enough to accept. Not to mention,
accepting the fact that your loved one is going to die. The greatest comfort that Visiting
Nurse Association (VNA) can give loved ones is knowing that their family member will
not die alone.

The VNA Hospice of Southwest Iowa (HSI), is a program that offers clinical health to
patients in need of pain management, special medical equipment, nurse care, psycho-
social care, bereavement support and more.

As an organization that gives financial assistance to people that are unable to pay for
hospice care, our organization truly cares about fulfilling each family’s needs. Not only
do we provide care for veterans, but we also provide Pet Peace of Mind (PPOM) care,
which is a program that supports the bond between the hospice patient and their pet.

Please consider covering the VNA HSI program and visiting with our dedicated nurse
practitioners. Dealing with the loss of a loved one can be hard. Many people are not
prepared for it and have little time to get closure before it happens. VNA HSI is focused
on offering support for their hospice patients as they move through the stages of death.

I can be reached at 402.800.2323 or by email at emccartney@unomaha.edu to arrange

interviews and photo opportunities.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Ellie McCartney
Public Relations Intern for Visiting Nurses Association
03/28/2019
Dear Marnie,

I was very disappointed to see that you embellished your resume and lied about being a
member of the PRSSA. In the world of public relations, it’s important to follow one’s own
code of ethics as they pertain to PRSA ethical practices.

As a public relations professional you need show certain forms of ethics that were
clearly not thought about in your actions. These codes of ethics include advocacy,
honesty, expertise, independence, loyalty and fairness. In this example, I find your
character to be the most dishonest and unfair use of your skills.

For instance, if you are easily willing to lie before you even get the job what are you
willing to do when you have the job. It is a clear red flag to me that you are not to be
trusted and in the public relations world you have to be trustworthy. Not only to your
boss, but to your company.

As the voice of a company, it is important to treat each media announcement with care
and precision. It became clear to me that not only do you lie, but you lack the proper
skills to determine your behaviors based on your values.

In conclusion, I feel that you don’t show the moral character and ethical decision making
that we are looking for to fulfill this internship position. Therefore, I am reaching out to
you to let you know you will not be considered for this internship because you lied on
your resume.

Sincerely,
Ellie McCartney
Public Relations Coordinator