The blurred line between journalism and PR
"Journalists and PR people are cut from entirely different cloth." — from the film
Public relations seems to represent all the things that have turned us — the great mass audience — into such a cynical lot. We see our politics corrupted by lobbyists and obscured by "spin"; the misconduct of businesses hidden by "flaks"; the media filled with puffery, lies and brainless celebrity.
And we see, behind it all, the bland and assuring smiles of PR. What's often forgotten in this analysis is the role of journalists — most of whom spend their days rewriting press releases, attending "media events" and calling PR people for story sources. Still, there's a reflexive belief among journalists that they and PR people are cut from entirely different cloth: one a legendary calling, the other a tawdry trade. Is that true? Or are the two more like symbiotic partners?