More than ever, journalists need PRs; the trick is getting the balance right
Freelance journalist Kevin Braddock threw petrol onto the journalist-PR relationship - then lit a match - when he posted a blog that identified a motley crew of PRs who he claimed had regularly sent him irrelevant press releases even after requesting to be removed from their databases. But there is another side to that coin.
The relationship between journalists and PR professionals (PRs) is known to be a ‘strained’ one at the best of times. However, freelance journalist Kevin Braddock recently threw petrol onto that relationship and lit a match when he posted a blog in December that identified a motley crew of PRs who he claimed had regularly sent him irrelevant press releases even after requesting to be removed from their databases. This was by no means the first time a journalist has blasted PRs by publishing a list of PR spammers, however, the subsequent industry uproar had many PR folk barracking Braddock, who was forced to quickly remove his hit list.
Defending his actions, Braddock said: “The issue is about the relationship between journalists and PROs, rather than me and these specific PR professionals,” going on to justify his attack by adding “the point of my post was not to shame anyone; the aim was to get my name removed from many databases after trying to do the same on many occasions last year, to no avail.”
It seems that this time his ploy worked, but it also threw the spotlight onto what is arguably the only currency that a good PR person has to offer – their close relationship to members of the press.
Depressing
“I found it depressing that Kevin Braddock took the time to pen (then retract) a venomous blog about receiving copious amounts of irrelevant press releases from PR companies, when he is registered with one of the UK’s major media databases under every category,” says Nina Webb, owner of Brazen PR in Manchester, who discovered that employees at her agency were listed on Braddock’s blog. She added: “Social media has opened a door for some journalists to vent their spleens whenever they have an issue with PR companies, but as ours is a symbiotic relationship based on trust and respect, I don’t think that public floggings are ever the right way to go.”
However, the boss of another agency featured on Braddock’s list, Jane Ainsworth at Willoughby PR in Birmingham, drew some positives from the attack. She said: “I think the way that the journalism community as a whole responded to Braddock-gate was very illuminating.
The media were left fuming that one of their own had slated the PR industry so widely and directly. To me, the real benefit of the ill-placed blog was seeing PROs and the NUJ working together to get the list removed. It goes to show that the industries do, in general, have an excellent working relationship.”
Someone able to see Braddock’s argument from both sides of the fence is Al Fox, founder of Fox Communications in Leeds, who said: “As both a PR and a journalist I can see the argument from both sides. On the whole, I do think that many journalists are unrealistic in what they expect from the PR world. Some think that the PR only exists to serve them and them alone. Irrelevant press releases are annoying but so are the few hundred other spam emails we receive each week; it’s a fact of life in modern communication.”
The often tense relationship between journalists and PRs is admittedly due to a select few practitioners ruining it for the industry in general, but our panel were clear on the traits they considered a bad PR person to have.
“In terms of media relations, a bad PR is one who doesn’t understand that they have to earn coverage rather than viewing it as a right to demand from journalists,” said PR consultant and blogger Heather Yaxley, while freelance online PR and social media consultant Katie Moffat feels that what makes a bad PR is “not taking the time to understand what that particular journalist or blogger writes about and how you can help them.”
Another annoyance in Ainsworth’s opinion is “People that can’t write in the style of the publication they are seeking copy in, people that pester the press too much, people that don’t understand their client and what they are selling and people who make no effort whatsoever to get to know their target press.”
All of the people interviewed by The Drum agreed that journalists should work more closely with PRs and that it can work to their advantage.
Angela Casey, MD of CM Porter Novelli, stated: “If PRs resort to blanket mailings with no research or understanding about who they are targeting, then they deserve criticism. However, where done properly, based on relationships and trust, PRs can make a journalist’s life easier which, of course, benefits everyone.”
However, in these days where publishers want more content from fewer journalists it is the relationship between writer and PRs that often suffers, as Ian Bruce, managing director of Revolver PR and former journalist, attests to.
“Newsrooms around the world have been stripped to their bare bones,” he says, “and today’s journalists are being asked to churn out copy at a greater rate than ever before. No reporter worth his salt is going to be content with cutting and pasting press releases onto the page, but to maintain the sort of output that’s being demanded of them they’re going to need the assistance of a network of quality PRs.”
Under pressure
Although it has been an issue for decades, Richard Rawlins, boss of Finn Communications, said PRs still get a bad name amongst journalists “because they are often under intense pressure and do not have the time to do a great job, despite their best intentions. Typos, spamming, irrelevant content, pitching on deadline, allowing the client to dilute a story with overtly commercial messaging; they’re all symptoms of the pressure the industry faces as fees are squeezed and expectations raised. It’s up to us to get the value we deserve in order to do the best job and get the right results for our clients.”
There is no doubt that the relationship between PRs and journalists needs to be improved in order to make the daily working lives of both parties (and clients) simpler.
Jon Priestley, account manager at Umpf PR, said: “The relationship should be symbiotic. We need journalists to secure coverage for clients, but journalists also need us to supply news, quotes, stats, fix up interviews, sort images, etc. Great PRs recognise this fact and build their relationships with the press accordingly. They assess which stories are suited to which media – whether that’s traditional or online – and, as with any relationship, realise that it takes time and effort to build something that’s lasting and, importantly, mutual.”
Deborah Copeland, Head of OnVisible at Brahm, agrees: “The relationship between PRs and journalists is important but developing this relationship should work both ways. Yes PRs need journalists to write their stories, but PRs can be a valuable source of news too. Many journalists I know appreciate this and work hard to build relationships with PRs, others however do not. Unfortunately Kevin Braddock, like many others in the media, has suffered at the hands of sloppy PR – lazy targeting, little research (if any), and a ‘sod it, just send it and see’ attitude. This issue isn’t new; it’s been around for decades. The difference today is that social media can take PR’s bad pitches to a national and even global audience in minutes. Just Google ‘bad PR pitch’ and see for yourselves. PRs, perfect your pitch please!”