Joseph Murphy is a delightful speaker, filled with enthusiasm and wisdom. He spoke freely about his experiences with the media especially with reporters. Mr. Murphy is the Florida program coordinator for the Gulf Restoration Network. The Gulf Restoration Network is a nonprofit organization that helps to protect and restore the natural resources surrounding the Gulf Coast.
This nonprofit organization has done so much for the Gulf Coast region already. They have worked on issues pertaining to fisheries, gulf energy, the waters of the coast, mercury contamination, preserving the cypress trees and wetlands. There are many other environmental issue that this organization works on and there will be many more to come.
He grew up in one of Florida’s natural coastal areas and as a result developed a keen interest in helping Florida to maintain its environment. At the tender age of 17, he fought to prevent an industry from building a waste plant in his city. During this time he realized how important it was to keep the community clean.
He taught the class about the two different types of media, which are paid and earned media. He also gave us some tips on interviewing and how to get the person that we are interviewing to almost say what we want.
He informed us that no matter how close of a friend you may be with the media you never want to get on their bad side. He also let us know that regardless of whether or not you say that something is “off the record” it never really is. It may be for that moment, but the reporter will always remember what was said and may publish it somewhere else.
During his speech he provided us with a lot of personal experiences that he has had during his career. He speech was filled with a lot of humor and ideas. He seems like he is a very outgoing and personable man. He has a lot of wisdom to share with the newcomers in the nonprofit world as well as the media.
You can learn more about the Gulf Restoration Network or to learn more about Joe Murphy you can visit their website at www.healthygulf.org.
