Be news aware!

"It never ceases to amaze me how many students do not bother to read a daily paper or watch TV News or the occasional current affairs radio or TV programme. For example the BBC Radio 4's "Today" programme which still sets the news agenda for many evening papers, or BBC TV 1's "Any Questions" programme.

Public relations revolves around what is going on around you and the politics and current affairs of the day, both domestic and international… you cannot begin to even understand what PR is about if you are not on top of current business trends and developments.

I have chaired interview panels where one of the questions to potential graduate trainees is, "So tell me what is happening in the news today." If they could not begin to answer the question, they had little chance of making it to the second round of interviews. So be news aware!"