Journalism and PR are NOT the same thing. They are nearly the opposite. One is unbiased, the other is extremely biased. I do realize that the lines are being blurred, but we need to keep some sort of integrity in order to maintain trust in what we read. Objectivity is important.
We need disclosure, we need honesty and we need transparency. What we don’t need are posts like this from a local, young PR “pro” who happens to moonlight as a journalist and praises her peers when acting as a journo. It destroys trust, calls into question the person’s ethics and ruins the integrity of the journalistic institution as it should work. We have a hard enough time determining the difference between bloggers and journalists, no need to add PR versus journalist.
In her post, Becky Armendariz praises four colleagues, while anonymously questioning others. While the story comes across from her journalistic side, it switches halfway through by refusing to name names of the poor practitioners, most likely of fear of reprisal within the PR world. This is wrong and it’s dishonest, at best.
What do you think? Can PR and journalism exist within the same person? What needs to happen? What the hell happened to objectivity?
Edit: I like this post of Becky’s too. Very interesting, considering she seems to block anyone she disagrees with. And Diane Wallace, you’re not a journalist.
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{ 7 comments }
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Here’s the deal, T—I do PR for a medical center; I write about restaurants. I personally feel that if the industry and subject matter I write about do not conflict with what I do day-to-day (health care), there really is no question of my ethics. Seriously dude… I’m probably one of the most morally-driven people you’ll ever meet. I went to school for journalism and mass communication, and fully understand the importance of remaining ethical and factual with everything I publish.
This shouldn’t even be a topic of duscussion. Can a real estate agenct represent both the buyer and seller?
Also, I spel gud/
Rebecca – No, you straddle the fence by acting as a journalist one day and then a PR practitioner the next. You really crossed the line when you, acting as a journalist, rated your PR colleagues in some sort of list, while neglecting to talk about the negatives.
You screwed up. How does anyone know which hat you’re wearing that day?
Yes, it's possible to do both PR and journalism, and to keep them separate. Not necessarily easy, and not something that everyone can manage, but possible. More likely if the topic of your journalism is not the same as your topic of PR. I've read the blog post you seem to feel is “questionable,” and I'm not quite sure what your point is. I found the post quite interesting, in fact. Why shouldn't someone who makes a living in PR comment on what practices she finds helpful or unhelpful from another viewpoint?
Yes, it's possible to do both PR and journalism, and to keep them separate. Not necessarily easy, and not something that everyone can manage, but possible. More likely if the topic of your journalism is not the same as your topic of PR. I've read the blog post you seem to feel is “questionable,” and I'm not quite sure what your point is. I found the post quite interesting, in fact. Why shouldn't someone who makes a living in PR comment on what practices she finds helpful or unhelpful from another viewpoint?
Yes it is.
I’ve written a column for a publication for 3.5 years, and have never had a conflict of interest as you are speaking.
I also work in PR.
The column I write (entertainment based) has absolutely NOTHING to do with what I do in PR (corporate based).
Perhaps in some cases there is potential for conflict for those who work as both, but it is simple to avoid them–just don’t write about your client, competitors or industry.
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