Why valuing journalism is so important — especially in the PR world
Jan 12, 2017
Category: PR strategy
Services: Media Relations
It was move-in day my freshman year at Michigan State University. While most students were decorating their dorm room and hugging their parents goodbye, I was on my way to my first day at The State News, where I was eager to start my investigative journalism career.
Despite my experience, the people and the stories I got to cover being nothing short of amazing, I realized I was meant to be on the other side of the news. I wanted to make an impact on what was covered in the news and promote an organization I was passionate about. And just about four years later, I found myself doing this in the public relations world.
That said, my experience as a journalist has positively impacted my interest in media relations, my relationship with journalists and my perspective on what they are looking for.
Some of my core PR values stem from phrases my journalism professors have said. “Give a voice to the voiceless,” “Act on your curiosity” and “Be transparent” are some of the phrases I think about every single day working in this profession.
At Piper & Gold, we are passionate about the clients we serve and how their work impacts the community. Some of the people our nonprofit and government clients serve need a voice in this community. And just how some of the greatest stories have come from journalists asking questions, some of the greatest projects and social campaigns have stemmed from PR professionals asking the right questions and acting on their instincts.
Be transparent is the advice I found particularly helpful. As a journalist, I had many people tell me to get out of their office when I started asking questions, or respond with rude comments when I asked for their name in a city council meeting. But my positive attitude never wavered. I always smiled and responded politely back, because that’s who I am and I learned not to change that.
This is relevant in public relations because we always have to be transparent, honest and ourselves with our clients. We keep it real at P&G, and this has successfully steered us into great relationships with our clients.
In public relations, we constantly have to think about journalists and their needs. I often ask, “What’s in it for them?” in order to work cohesively with the media. Working on both sides of the spectrum has made me value how hard journalists work, the relationships we have with media partners and the impact of the stories they can create.
