Hyderabad: A lecture on political PR leads to an interesting discussion at Osmania University’s Journalism Department. Are political strategists fueling corruption by demanding exorbitant fees from political candidates?

This was discussed during a lecture on: Political PR – Challenges and Opportunities organised by the Department of Communication and Journalism at Osmania University on Friday.

Dr S Ramu, a journalist, media educator, and PR expert with over 30 years of experience, explained the pros and cons of political PR. A Professor of Communications and Director of Collaborations at MNR University, Dr Ramu interacted with aspiring media professionals, emphasising the evolving role of political PR in shaping public opinion and governance. He outlined the three major phases of political PR: before elections, during elections, and after elections. Before elections, “the primary focus is building a leader’s public image and managing campaigns. During elections, responsibilities shift to handling media relations, crisis management, and organising events. After elections, the emphasis is on maintaining the leader’s reputation and managing governance-related PR,” he added.

As traditional journalism faces challenges, political PR presents lucrative career opportunities that require strategic thinking, crisis management, and media expertise. Professionals in this field must be proficient at handling complex political dynamics and maintaining a leader’s public image effectively.

A Political PR Officer (PRO) plays a crucial role in leader management, issue management, and man management, while also handling events, crises, news, and media relations. Success in this field requires key skills such as ego management, analytical ability, strong communication skills, coordination, creativity, innovation, crisis management, and the ability to handle criticism with resilience, he added. Dr T Sateesh, Head of the Department was among others present.