Six Things PRs Hate About Journalists

I've already written about Why Journalists Hate PRs, but having worked in both fields, I know that it works the other way too, and PRs have their fair share of gripes about us journos. I can't speak for all PR professionals, of course, but during my brief time in the field, these are the things that used to annoy me the most...

1. They've been working on the story since 10am that morning, but they wait until five minutes before their deadline to call you for a quote...

...and you have a sneaking suspicion that they did it in the hope that you won't have time to get back to them, allowing them to ignore your client's side of the story altogether.

2. They copy and paste your press release...

...but put their byline on it.

3. They promise faithfully to come along to the press conference/other event you've spent weeks organising...

...and then don't turn up.

4. But they still expect you to give them a full and thorough briefing on what happened.

5. Which they don't use.

6. They never seem to have the slightest idea when the story they're writing will be published - and they never want to discuss the reasons why it got spiked.
(In fairness, there are lots of different reasons why this is the case, and the "When will it be published?/Why didn't it get published?" question is one that journalists get sick of hearing, but I know it's something that can annoy PRs, whose clients are clamouring for the information.)

Nor all of these complaints are totally justified, of course, but I thought it was only fair to give the PRs their say, too. 

Do you work in PR? What gripes do you have about the journalists you have to deal with?

Comments

[kathryn]

Great points here (and in the other post) that really let people on either side see the other party's point of view. I think it really boils down to the importance of respecting each other's jobs in the industry and working to understand and meet each other's needs as much as possible. That eliminates a lot of the problems and allows journalists and PRs to work for each other instead of at odds.

[Lance Woodruff]

Thank you for this comment. I am a Bangkok-based journalist working for the Thai News Agency as its English-language sub-editor. I'm an American tasked to edit articles written and edited by Thai reporters according to British English usage. Sometimes I forget where I am on the spectrum of differing approaches to English.

Your comment on PR and journalism strikes a chord with me regarding news releases from government and international organizations.

Finding 'truth' and transparency in news --sometimes presented with the intention to obscure (is there a verb for of 'opaque'? --rather than clarify, and at least seeking accurancy and intending integrity can be a challenge.

Despite being an old entry, I am pleased to discover Writing World.