It’s 10:30 a.m. in the newsroom, and our newscast has just wrapped up. That’s when the calls start. My phone lights up, as pitches and press releases begin to pop up in my inbox. I wonder what it’s like to live the life of a PR representative – to supply information and connect sources with the reporter, instead of delivering the finished story to the viewer from the TV screen.
That was a year ago. The truth is, I didn’t know what a public relations executive actually did.
Now, I am one.
As someone who crossed the bridge from broadcast journalism to public relations, my professional world can be a messy one. Lines blur for me on a daily basis when it comes to decisions regarding story angles and writing style. I still hesitate to pick up the phone or press “send” on emails to a journalist when I know she’s on a strict deadline. I have seen the reaction in the newsroom over an ill-timed pitch firsthand.
I know that journalists and public relations professionals are frequently at odds and frustrated with each other, but the truth is, we need each other. A deeper understanding of the different challenges we face would go a long way toward generating better content and cultivating improved relationships.
Product Reception
In journalism, your worth is counted in ratings and clicks. It doesn’t matter if your viewers don’t like your final product, as long as they react. There is a certain luxury in printing the facts and not ultimately having to care about your critics. In public relations, your success depends on your clients’ satisfaction with the coverage of their story. If the client is not happy, your job is not done.
Information Control
When I was a journalist, I lived with the assumption that if I dug far enough, I could find all the information on my own. Once I entered the world of public relations and crisis management, I was shocked to realize how much information regarding prominent litigation exists but never makes it to a news desk, simply because the media hasn’t asked the right questions. The fact is, journalists aren’t the only watchdogs in the information world, and a healthy working relationship between reporters and PR professionals would benefit news consumers greatly.
Deadlines
Journalists have daily, sometimes hourly, deadlines that they meet each day. The rush is best explained by comparing it to a roller coaster—the steady ascent as you go through editorial meetings and collect your sources, and then a midday freefall as you struggle to make your interviews and execute your story before your print or on-air hit time. It is an adrenaline and caffeine-fueled world, but each day brings a finite end to the rush. PR deadlines are a different beast entirely. Oftentimes, it is a waiting game until that story is approved or that crisis call comes through… and then you are off and running. Deadlines in public relations are not fixed; you often work on a story or crisis until the issue is resolved, which can be days or months.
At the end of the day, there is a reason the crossover rate between PR and journalism is so high, because we share more characteristics than differences. Both jobs require tenacity, a way with words, and most importantly, thick skin. Oftentimes, it’s the interactions with each other that leave us needing that last thing the most.
Let’s work to close that gap, and create better content for everyone.