Jake Stevenson

Senior Seminar

PR and the Media: Friends or Foes?

Journalists were given special rights under the constitution to act as a government

watchdog. Though journalists still have those rights today, many appear to be taking the

easy route. Instead of cracking and reporting their own stories, far too many media outlets

now rely on outside private sources to fill their pages and newscasts. In an age where the

quick fix is perceived as the best solution, our news is no different. Now more than ever

producers and editors are often forced to resort to press releases in order to fill

time/space, (an unfortunate reality). Perceived as the bad-guy at times by media

professionals, public relations practitioners may supply the majority of the story ideas on

any given night. It’s a controversial, yet mutually symbiotic relationship that exists

between public relations and the media. The PR field undoubtedly affects the news we

watch read and listen to. It’s a force that has been growing rapidly since the 1980’s and

will continue to do so.

Day by day media organizations become more conglomerated; in fact the only

large independent newspaper in this state is the Great Falls Tribune, the Lee Newspapers

claim the bulk. TV and Radio stations are no different. To make matters worse we see the
same sensationalized stories appear in their newscasts and papers. The culprit behind this

one might ask? One answer is companies such as AP, PA, and Reuters. Each week these

organizations produce thousands of stories, many of which were written or pitched by

one of the hundreds of free-lance or pr pros. Based on the sheer volume as well as

shrinking budgets and staff, local stations are forced to rely on the news giants for stories.

It seems the news industry has finally caught up with other industries in becoming a real

“business”. Investors have discovered the fiscal opportunities in news, and have

capitalized on the idea by purchasing as many stations/papers as the eye can see. The

competition has become greater effectively changing the way in which ratings affect the

stations bottom line. This in part has created the 24-hour news cycle. Media outlets

constantly seek stories to air/publish, even if that means it’s neither newsy nor

interesting.

The press release is a public relations practitioner’s best friend. With this page or

two pitch a well-versed pr pro can sculpt a news story out of next to nothing; any fund

raiser or celebration will do. The businesses that employ these practitioners also

subscribe to services like the AP, and in turn can feed the source directly or send it any

number of press contacts across the state. On a slow news day, or for some businesses

everyday, the press release may be the only way they’re going to fill that half hour spot.

One of the biggest problems with press releases from the AP for instance, is journalists

have no way of knowing whether or not it is indeed PR. This debate has heated up since

the continued popularization of ANR (audio news releases) and VNR (video news

releases). Many times these clips contain pre edited interviews or packages produced on
the businesses dime. Regularly during TV news programming you’ll see what appears to

be a package about health issues, which in essence is more of a commercial. Loaded with

logos and staged scenes, companies hire journalists specifically to create these stories and

pass them off as news. Another common practice amongst PR teams known as “selling

in” is hiring a free-lance journalist to write or produce a story related to your company.

The journalist will then sell the story to either an AP or sometimes directly to the stations

and receive pay from both parties, a sweet but very unethical deal. Recently news

organizations have shunned the use of ANR and VNRs, and the use is on the decline. PR

firms need journalists to find write or produce their stories, as a journalist needs the press

releases to fill space.

The PR side of the relationship seems to test the boundaries just a little bit more.

A group called the TJFR Group has a database containing information on most journalists

in the country. This database has bios, including personal interests, or likes/dislikes of a

specific journalist. With this database the PR firms can keep an extra tab on journalists.

This allows PR practitioners to place stories into the hands of

reporters/producers/editors/news directors who they know would pursue the beat based

on information contained in the personal bio. It is certain that PR has the ability and

resources to shape the news we hear, sometimes in an entirely unethical manner. It is a

common practice for PR firms to create campaigns or press releases to diminish

undermine or falsify a story that sheds negative light on their company. Most of the time

press releases will be issued calling the controversy in question, one that is out of date,

untrue, or not important. Another common practice is for a PR pro to come up with a new
better story idea to throw the way of a journalist who stumbles upon something juicy.

The relationship between PR and the media can be a help or hindrance for both

parties; it can also be a career crossover. It is very common for journalism majors to

pursue PR after college, and though it happens less often, PR practitioners may become

journalists. Though some journalists feel they’d be giving up their dreams and joining the

“dark side”, it’s a very economical move. Most starting salaries in PR range from 40-60

thousand dollars, starting out in journalism you’re lucky if you’re making 20 a year. Both

professions share many of the same skills; Inter-Personal skills (i.e. Building

relationships, interviewing), writing skills, as well as speaking ability. It is in part due to

the similarities of the two fields that such a strong relationship and need for one another

has formed over the past 30 years.

Without PR firms journalists would not be able to report on what can be at times

groundbreaking stories, but to get access those stories they also have to produce some

fluff once in a while. Without journalists PR firms would not exist. Companies would

further invest into their marketing and research departments, and PR would not be the

huge force in the marketplace it is today. There are quite a few ethical questions

pertaining to the relationship between journalists and the PR world, one of which is

where do we draw the line? There is no doubt that a controversial bond has been made

causing both sides to rely heavily upon one another. This relationship continues to grow;

it’ll be interesting to what happens.