By Isaac Asabor
There is no denying the fact that the relationship between Journalists and PR practitioners has since formal public relations birthed in Nigeria, when the colonial government established a government information office in 1943. Aptly put, it has been peevish as differences of goals and objectives often characterize the relationship. For the sake of clarity, goals are the outcomes you intend to achieve, whereas objectives are the specific actions and measurable steps that you need to take to achieve a goal. The word “formal” in the foregoing unarguably suggests that the key function of the information office established by the British colonial government was public relations.
Not only has there been marked differences of expected goals and objectives between both professionals, there have been debates and, at times, vehement opinions, particularly among most Nigerians who erroneously have the notion that ability to write essays and speak somewhat good English is what it takes to become a Journalist. Worse still, some other Nigerians also hold the erroneous view that disingenuously greeting people, beaming imbecilic smile and hypocritically extending a hand of handshake to any guests and Journalists in sight at corporate events are behaviors that make anyone qualified to become a PR practitioner.
Much of the discussions that usually take place in the newsroom on the relationship between both professionals indicate that the majority of attitudes and perceptions PR practitioners, or rather Corporate Affairs practitioners hold towards Journalists are generally negative. Some researchers believe PR practitioners often make fundamental mistakes when they interact with journalists. Such mistakes include being ignorant about the needs of a journalist, offering media releases and story ideas that lack news value or relevance to Journalists target readership, contacting journalists when they are frantically busy on deadline and being obstructive. These mistakes and tactics frustrate and annoy journalists and often result in them viewing PR practitioners negatively.
Most humiliating and ridiculous of all is when PR practitioners see Journalists as beggars. Whenever a Journalist put a call through to any of them, what predictably comes to his or her mind is money! A Journalist ones told yours sincerely that he called the head of a public relations department of a popular bank on phone for an issue that was outside story he has done for the bank, only to hear from the him sigh and complain from the other end of the phone call thus, “Ooooooo God, this Journalist again, I know say na money I’m wan beg” oblivious of the fact that the Journalist (who initiated the call) has already picked the call as he was busy discussing with someone in his office, and by that virtue heard him clearly, and worse still he phone was on recorder.
To anyone that is not a Journalist, the foregoing may sound unbelievable, but that is the experience most Journalists pass through by each passing day, even when PR practitioners are called on phone to verify some facts in about to be published story.
Dispassionately analyzing this bitter-sweet relationship between Journalists and PR practitioners, a professional colleague opined that the relationship is inseparable as they, more often than not, interact with each other as part of the news production process. PR practitioners suggest stories and provide journalists with information they have shaped that they would like to see published in the newspaper or on virtual platform. Journalists contact PR practitioners with requests for information or interviews to help produce news stories they are writing. While this may, from the outside, seem like a simple and smooth transaction, it is often not the case. Instead, the relationship that journalists and PR practitioners have can often be troubled, on account of their mutual dependence, but often, they experience conflicting goals.
Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to say that anyone that has literarily never embarked on a journalistic journey, and who does not understand the dynamics of Journalism profession will be unable to come to terms with the fact that the political economy of the media has an impact on journalists’ attitudes towards PR practitioners. This is because increasing commercial and economic constraints placed on newsrooms means journalists are required to do more with less, particularly as they are hardly paid salaries as at when due. Some of them are presently owed for more than one year by their employers. The situation, no doubt, fosters a reliance on PR practitioners and their PR materials which, to some extent, include “Brown Envelope”. If you like scold yours sincerely that he is encouraging unethical practice. But the fact cannot be denied that it is an open secret, except you want to play the ostrich.
Despite constraints faced by virtually all Journalists, they are been asked to do more with less resources, thus forcing them to rely more and more on information from public relations practitioners. This, no doubt, increasingly pushes some of them that are not patient and resilient enough into reactive and passive positions rather than pursuing their own investigations.
Traditionally journalists have wielded power and control over what is published. As news organizations have made cutbacks on editorial resources, the PR industry and the abundance of PR materials has grown significantly, resulting in a shift in the balance of power.
Some stakeholders in both professions argues that this causes friction in the relationship because journalists traditionally pride themselves on being more powerful than and superior to PR practitioners. Rather than believing PR is a positive, helpful source of information, journalists feel conflicted about using PR materials, needing them on the one hand, while resenting them on the other. Not only that, some Journalists may even resort to vengeance by angrily and mischievously writing “dirty” or negative stories against the organization been represented by any PR person that finds delight in humiliating them or seeing them to be beggarly.
At the juncture, someone may be compelled to ask, “Why is it that Journalists and PR practitioners are in most cases not working on the same page, and always on bitter-sweet relationship?” The answer to the foregoing question cannot be farfetched as the nature of each industry is traditionally in opposition to each other.
At this juncture, it expedient to remind PR practitioners, of which majority of them were once Journalists, that their colleagues who are still active in the profession equally have PR skills, and that they are trained to strive for objectivity, fairness, accuracy, and balance, and do not withhold information, hide or advocate for particular agendas, or act unethically as some of them erroneously think. Whereas PR is regarded as more subjective, serving the interests of the client first and foremost. The foregoing causes some unethical journalists to monetize news report, and makes ethical-minded Journalists to view PR in a negative light because they believe that for PR practitioners to be able to do their jobs they may have to deny the whole truth. This leads to conflict of interest. From personal observation, when you see people obsessively complaining about Journalists, know that the Journalists in question have refused to do their biddings.
