Working in PR, its not just PR ethics that we encounter but media ethics as well. Bluntly speaking, the media can be an unprofessional lot.
In an ideal world, journalists and PR executives share a mutually-beneficial relationship. PR people, on behalf of their clients, help journalists find interesting angles and stories for their programmes and publications. Its a win-win situation - PR executives get their clients in the news and journalists have something interesting to write about.
But it should be said that PR people do much of the legwork for journalists. In writing a release, for example, we obtain the company's background, check the facts, verify the information with all stakeholders and even make sure the names and titles are correct. Once this is done, a journalist need only rewrite it - and sometimes they publish it word-for-word!
There was once near Christmas when an editor whom we had worked with asked if we knew any multiracial families that they could feature in their Christmas spread, and we did our best to help her out. Things are not always this rosy, however. Below are some rather hilarious examples of media misconduct I've come across.
Case 1
During a press conference, Journalist A happily giggles away while chatting on MSN Messenger. At another event, the same reporter comes late - almost near the end. I wonder why she turned up at all.
Case 2
Just yesterday, I had to call up pressmen who attended our event to tell them our client had gifts for them. But guess what, more than half of them put down fake numbers in our registration list. Their loss.
Case 3
This takes the cake. We were at a restaurant for an event when two cameramen from a TV station shamelessly asked if they could have whiskey! It wasn't a cocktail party, not to mention that free lunch and drinks were already provided. If they wanted alcohol, they should pay for it themselves.
Like it or loathe it, the media and PR people are codependent. We need them to write about our clients, and they need us to generate content. While this post was dedicated to media misbehaviour, that's not saying PR people are faultless. Perhaps my next post will be about how PR executives stumble too.
Till next time,
John.
1 comment:
Hi John,
Thank you for leaving your comment on my post. Well, its common to see such unpleasant human behaviour everywhere, probably not just these journalists. I once saw a journalist with his shoe off n sitting cross-legged on a chair! Fortunately, there was no fishy smell..haha. Still, its the selfish acts of such people that often brings down the name of our industry.
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