A “Linkage Event” was held in celebration of Journalist’s Day by the Public Relations department of Benda Innovation Center on Monday, 22 Mordad.

According to IDEA, this event, which was attended by media professionals, also saw the presence of communication and public relations professors.

At the beginning of the event, Saeed Marjui, the CEO of the Benda Group, delivered a speech. He introduced the innovation center, saying: “We know this innovation center by the name of ‘Benda Nursery,’ because the best legacy we can leave for our future is nurturing the youth. We initiated this collaborative experiment three years ago, and its first product is Biolenesis, which is a factory producing enzymes and probiotics.”

Marjui added: “Among our other products, we can also mention ViaraCell in the field of stem cells, home test kits, and battery production by our teams.

Linkage with Public Relations: Second Speaker, Dr. Gholamhossein Kazemi Dinan, former Director of Public Relations at Bank Melli, spoke about his experience and maintaining friendly relations with journalists after retirement. He stated, ‘Journalists are always alongside public relations, and I can confidently say that 85% of our success is due to the collaboration with the media and journalists. However, it is necessary for this relationship to become stronger, and both the public relations teams and journalists need to understand each other’s requirements and desires better, so that journalists can publish true news that does not harm businesses.’

Following that, Dr. Hassan Namakdoust, a professor at the School of Communications, quoted from the series ‘Darkness’: ‘It doesn’t matter when we belong, what matters is what world we belong to.’

He continued: ‘The world of communications is the main center for decision-making, where interactions take shape, and issues like peace are also addressed. The human brain is not pre-programmed for actions, but it works in a live manner. This is what makes us humans need each other until the end of our lives and require interaction. What I want to say to journalists is that in this position, they shouldn’t turn into mere promotional tools.’

Linkage Panel Discusses Interaction:

Continuing the event, a panel entitled ‘Interaction between Media and Public Relations’ was held with the presence of Mazdak Jamshidi (journalist), Dr. Atefeh Mousavi (PR Director at Golrang Company), Horad Rangchi (Product Specialist at Pakshoo Company), Hamidreza Kakavand (Chairman of the Board of Suppliers of Detergent Materials Union), Hassan Amidi (PR Director of DelPazir Company), and Behzad Ghobadimehr (Editor-in-Chief of Bazar News).

At the beginning of this panel, members were asked to take a look at the relationship between these two groups. Ghobadimehr mentioned in this regard: ‘The space of public relations in the media today is not transparent, and there are shortcomings on both sides. Often, public relations lack media literacy.’

Amidi added: ‘Public relations in government organizations have a political perspective and need to learn about interaction and media. Often, their criterion for selection is having familiarity with the organization’s manager, as these managers are pursuing their personal brand rather than the organizational brand. However, managers in the private sector are often not media-oriented; they prioritize the organization’s product and brand, along with advertising. Yet, startup companies in the past decade have successfully utilized public relations and the media. Organizations that lack public relations and fail to communicate their statements have stayed out of the market for a long time.’

Jamshidi elaborated: ‘We have a decline in status both in the media and in public relations. Sometimes, public relations crises destroy the foundation of a company, and unfortunately, managers do not have a proper understanding of public relations. Often, they view this issue with a marketing and advertising perspective.’

Kakavand added: ‘I ask myself why public relations, despite its crucial position, has declined. The media is changing every moment, but public relations is not. Perhaps it needs to be redefined. Public relations is not separate from marketing. All organizations seek to build identity, and public relations offers exactly that.’

Mousavi continued: ‘For years, I have fought to prove that marketing and public relations are separate. In public relations, we have a spiritual contribution to the organization, not just financial. In the social responsibility that public relations perform, we don’t bring a single rial to the organization, but we have love for the organization. However, the position of public relations in government and private organizations is completely different.

In the Linkage event, Ali Mirzakhani, former editor-in-chief of Donya-ye Eqtesad and current editor-in-chief of Farda-ye Eqtesad, was honored.