CPRS Strategic Communication & Media Relations 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A PR practitioner is pitching a story to a journalist on deadline. What is the most effective approach?
- Send a lengthy press release with full background
- Call repeatedly until the journalist answers
- Offer a concise, timely angle with exclusive access if possible (Correct answer)
- Wait until after the deadline to follow up
Correct answer: Offer a concise, timely angle with exclusive access if possible
Journalists on deadline respond best to concise pitches that offer clear news value and, ideally, exclusive access to sources or data.
Question 2: Which concept describes the process of framing a story to emphasize certain aspects over others and shape audience perception?
- Agenda setting
- Framing theory (Correct answer)
- Two-step flow
- Uses and gratifications
Correct answer: Framing theory
Framing theory holds that how information is presented — which aspects are highlighted — influences how audiences interpret events.
Question 3: A company wants to counter negative media coverage. Which proactive strategy is generally most effective?
- Refusing all media requests until coverage improves
- Issuing a legal cease-and-desist to the outlet
- Building ongoing relationships with journalists before a crisis occurs (Correct answer)
- Buying advertising in the outlet to offset negative articles
Correct answer: Building ongoing relationships with journalists before a crisis occurs
Established media relationships built before a crisis give organizations credibility and access when they need to counter negative coverage.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of a media backgrounder?
- To announce a major company milestone publicly
- To provide in-depth context and history that helps reporters understand a complex topic (Correct answer)
- To list media contacts for distribution purposes
- To serve as a formal legal statement to regulators
Correct answer: To provide in-depth context and history that helps reporters understand a complex topic
A backgrounder supplies journalists with deeper organizational or issue context so they can report accurately without extensive additional research.
Question 5: When a reporter asks a question outside your designated message points during an interview, the best technique is to:
- Answer completely off-topic to show transparency
- Refuse to answer and end the interview
- Bridge back to key messages using a transitional phrase (Correct answer)
- Ask the reporter to rephrase the question
Correct answer: Bridge back to key messages using a transitional phrase
Bridging allows a spokesperson to acknowledge the question and then redirect the conversation to prepared, on-message content.
Question 6: In strategic communication planning, what does RACE stand for?
- Research, Action, Communication, Evaluation (Correct answer)
- Reach, Analyze, Create, Execute
- Research, Assess, Communicate, Engage
- Respond, Adjust, Calibrate, Evaluate
Correct answer: Research, Action, Communication, Evaluation
RACE (Research, Action, Communication, Evaluation) is a foundational PR planning model that guides the lifecycle of a communication campaign.
Question 7: Which metric best measures the quality of earned media coverage rather than just its volume?
- Number of press releases distributed
- Total word count of all articles
- Share of voice combined with sentiment analysis (Correct answer)
- Number of journalist email opens
Correct answer: Share of voice combined with sentiment analysis
Share of voice shows how prominently your organization is covered relative to competitors, while sentiment analysis reveals whether that coverage is favorable.
CPRS Strategic Communication & Media Relations 2
A PR practitioner is pitching a story to a journalist on deadline.
What is the most effective approach?