It’s the eternal debate in our industry and it has surfaced again recently: Do journalists really make the best PR people? My answer – for some core competencies, yes, for others, they face challenges and a steep learning curve. I’m in a fairly strange position here as I started out in (‘fell into’, is probably the right term) PR, left to become a journalist, then went back into PR and now do both (are you still with me?).
It’s the staple diet of journalists in all forms of the trade to moan endlessly that PRs “don’t understand how the media works” and that, despite many online resources and training sessions (run, more often than not, by current and former journalists), nothing seems to change in the way that PRs approach journalists and they still receive poorly targeted pitches and material etc. I think therefore that the influx of journalists into PR can only improve the industry overall.
Culture shock
The PR Week story I cite claims that a great number of journalists are moving to the dark side due to the unstable nature of the publishing industry in recent years. For me, there are several key UPSs that a journalist brings to the PR party:
- Nose for a story
- Writing and editing skills
- Contacts
- Industry knowledge
- Ability to work to tight schedules and deadlines
But there are also a number of areas where journalists need to apply themselves where they won’t have necessarily had experience, namely client and people management, and business acumen. I know from experience that it is particularly difficult as a journalist moving to a PR environment – which often has a certain way of doing things – that being heard and challenging the often rigid status quo of client messaging is tough. You’re used to giving your opinion, now you have to consider others’ opinions above yourself, because big accounts and egos are often at stake.
The difference between when I moved back into PR (2003) and now is that nowadays it’s all about content, and journalists are perfectly placed to create enticing content for the conversation era, as well as help define strategy, so are less likely to have to plough the traditional structure that I once did. Specific roles are being created for them – creative director, media strategist and so forth.
I know a number of people that have jumped ship to PR from journalism, many of whom have flourished, others who have preferred to go back. It’s a big culture shock, but I think every PR agency needs someone who has been on the media side if they want to maximise their potential as an agency and train their executives in particular about media relations.
So, do journalists make better PRs? Yes and no. PR is a team game, which means we can all learn from each other improve our performance for the good of the industry, the agency or the clients we represent.
This is PR Week’s interview on the subject, which makes excellent and insightful viewing.
