PR vs. Journalism

Working in PR, I suppose I'm not best placed to have an 'objective' view on the subject of PRs vs. Journos, but I read an article last week that really addressed the differences and more to the point, tensions, between the two gatekeepers of the news.

Weber Shandwick's head of media north, Sarah Park wrote an article on leading media site, How Do last week titled - ‘Strained relations - can PRs and journalists get along?' Not surprisingly, the article has sparked a lot of interest from people in the industry, chipping in with a gripe to justify their side of the debate. But unlike the endless list of bitter commentators, Park had a very subjective and eye opening account of why she believes communication between the two has hit an all time low.

Surely, the relationship between a PR and Journo should be a natural 'colleague type' extension, yet what this article has blatantly and to be fair, accurately uncovered, is that the two hate each other, yes I did use the H word!

Park interviewed a selection of Journalists from the North West media scene and asked them to identify their dislikes of PR agencies and their minions; not expecting them to be so zealous in their response.

I maybe committing a cardinal sin by deferring favour to the opposition here, but I do see the validity in some of their points. I've worked in a newsroom, I know the harsh meaning of the word DEADLINE and the annoyance of a chipper, transparent phone call every five minutes but get over it, it's your job.

A comical yet realistic analogy Park made ;

Park's analogy - The pressure of PR!

'The fear of journalists. This is where the media has to take responsibility. A conversation with a journalist can be soul destroying. Difficult conversations and a seeming reluctance to print our client’s positive news has led many PRs to regard the journalist as the goalkeeper on the playing field when all we want to do is hit the back of the net. Rather than thinking we can work alongside you we try to get past you.'

I'm proud of the work I release; I'm my own worst critic so nothing goes out without scrutiny, but no matter how accurate or relevant your press info is you still come up against a barrier. In my opinion, there is no excuse for continual rudeness and lack of interest in any profession. Unless you've worked in the PR industry you will not be privy to the sheer magnitude of the previous comment!

I believe the reason Park’s article has fed so much intrigue is for the simple reason that it says everything PRs & Journos are thinking but have never addressed. So is there a solution? Probably not; the fact is that every industry has its ‘studs & duds’ that’s just the way it goes and you can’t please all of the people all of the time.

However, I do believe that articles such as Park’s allow people to be receptive to the issues out there, and if just one person adjusts their working practices as result then it’ll go down as a bloody good piece of PR! ;o)

Xoxo, Gem.