The term “media relations” refers to a business or organization's relationship with professional journalists or media outlets. Similar to public relations, this department works on building a rapport with these venues in order to communicate the organization's goals, ideas, intent and newsworthy events. The term "public relations" is often considered a synonym for media relations, but it is not, since public relations is a more general department.

Public relations differs from media relations in that information is not just released or available to journalists, but the general public overall. Some companies forgo media relations entirely in favor of the broader public relations approach. This is a decision entirely up to the company or organization.

A business or company may have just one person working a media relations job, or they may hire outside help from one of the many firms in existence. People working in the field may work for a media relations firm, as a part of a company or as a freelance or independent contractor. Media relations firms employ many highly skilled individuals.

The first step toward building effective media relations is to build a plan. This plan enumerates the relationships needed in building a relationship with local, regional and national news outlets. The plan also involves how this will be done, the image the organization intends to portray, and other noteworthy events that may tie into the company's goals.

Media relations can involve the writing and distribution of press releases. These professionals must deal with members of local media organizations and hold press conferences. A media relations department might work closely with an advertising department or agency to maximize the potential outcome of a release, or to find the correct target audience for a company's press releases.

A media relations policy is generally decided by the most senior members of an organization as well as the media relations team. The policy doesn't just affect those at the top of the corporate food chain. Instead, a media policy might require employees or members of a group to speak with management before speaking to members of the media about company issues or events.