This paper examines different dimensions of the media environments in which corporate communications occurs in five European countries. The author suggests that media relations as practiced by public relations professionals requires an understanding of media systems including the economic and political systems in which media operate. The author concludes that the differences or “cultural gaps” between the selected countries are significantly more prominent than the similarities, leaving little potential for a homogenized model for “European” journalism. The country from which information comes will invariably possess different values than the country that into which the information is sent. The author proposes a kind of “compass” to provide PR professionals with an adaptable tool to recognize and prepare for the potential problems that arise from intercultural communication within Europe.
An Empirical Contribution to the Global Navigation of International Corporate Communications
