Love-Hate Relationship between Journalism and Public Relations in the Digital Era

Love-Hate Relationship between Journalism and Public Relations in the Digital Era

            “Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed: everything is public relations” – George Orwell.

The relationship between journalism and public relations has been the subject of a magnitude of research for the past century. This relationship has been likened to a coin with public relations and journalism representing its opposite sides. For decades, researchers and scholars have sought to determine the effects of public relations on media and journalism and vice versa. The link between journalism and PR can be summarized as an eternal love-hate relationship that is devoid of trust but fueled by mutual dependency. While public relations strives to build a positive image of an organization, the main objective of journalism is to look for controversies and problems posed or faced by organizations. The advancements in technology, such as the evolution of social media, has brought about digital disruption in the field of communication. This change has, in turn, affected the relationship between journalism and public relations. New boundaries and platforms for interactions have now been defined, with each group of professionals striving to claim their spot in the new digital media platforms. In my view, mutual dependence still exists between journalism and public relations despite the changes effected by digital disruption in this new era.

Journalism

Journalism is concerned with the gathering of information from different sources with the primary objective of providing news and information to the general public. Typically, journalists use print and broadcast media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, and television to convey news on various subjects to the general public. According to Coman (2009), journalism is primarily focused on writing and broadcasting for the masses – listeners, readers, and viewers – through selected media. Unlike public relations, which is focused on a selected target audience for particular communications, journalism is aimed at providing balanced, fair, and equal information to the public. Journalism is focused on gathering information from credible sources on any social subject ranging from politics, sports, finance, controversies, scandals, and religion, to name but a few. Kirat (2014) observes that journalism is usually skewed towards searching for hidden truths and other information that organizations and people aim to keep secret. As the old adage goes, bad news equals publicity nonetheless. This means that controversial issues, scandals, and cover-ups make the best news. Therefore, journalists are always on the lookout for the next big breaking news. Journalists are, however, guided by a code of conduct that stipulates that all information must be validated through credible sources.

Public Relations

The development of publication relations came from the need by companies, public figures, and government, to have some form of control on the information being shared about them to the public. Larsson (2009) defines public relations as the practice of managing communication between an organization and the public. Public relations is, therefore, a form of strategic communication that is aimed at building a mutually beneficial relationship between an organization and its customers, media, government, employees, or investors. Organizations will always need public relations as it deals with generating goodwill and building relations with the public. Therefore, the main objective of public relations is to manage communication and information exchange between the organization and any stakeholders who can affect or be affected by the organization (Clementson, 2019). PR practitioners, therefore, act as gatekeepers between the organization and its stakeholders when it comes to information exchange and other forms of communication. The development of social media has widened the scope of public relations and has provided them with an excellent platform to convey information. Professionals in this field are always concerned with building a positive image of the organization by controlling the information that flows out to the media and public at large. They, therefore, serve as important sources to journalists in their quest for news.

Digital Disruption

The development of technology, especially the internet, in the past few decades has brought about a revolution in communication and media. The development of social media is considered the biggest disruption in media and communication and has generally made the delicate relationship between public relations and journalism more precarious (Mutiara & Priyonggo, 2019). Social media has given corporates, politicians, and the government a new platform to pass information to the public without necessarily going through the media. Social media has, therefore, elevated public relations to being a top-table profession with practitioners being highly sort after.

On the other hand, journalism has struggled to survive as social media has created a digital disruption that has rendered traditional media archaic and outdated. Mutiara & Priyonggo (2019) note that the disruption in information technology has led to the decline in newspaper sales and customers. They attribute this decline to the move by corporates, politicians, and governments to publish their advertisements, press releases, and other information from traditional media to new digital platforms. However, the transformation of the media landscape is still evolving, with online media platforms gaining more ground over traditional outlets. Therefore, until a complete digital transformation becomes a reality, journalists and PR practitioners still have a mutually beneficial relationship.

Journalism Vs. Public Relations

The field of journalism and public relations share some similarities as they are both forms of media communication. These similarities make the two professions to be joined at the hip as they share similar objectives and mediums. White & Hobsbawm (2007) identify the primary objective of communicating with the public as one of the main similarities between journalism and public relations. Professionals in both fields constantly interact with the public by providing them with news and information. The two fields also aim to relay information to the public in a simple, clear, and understandable way. This is because audiences are more interested in information that is clear and concise. To be successful in their specific fields, both journalists and public relations professionals have to build trust with the public and other stakeholders (Koch et al., 2017). Trust is only achieved by ensuring that the information conveyed is always credible and true. Any instances of incredibility quickly discredit a media or public relations firm. Therefore, the similarities shared by journalism and public relations create mutual dependence.

Although they share some similarities, the two fields of media communication are also overwhelmingly different in terms of their objectives and delivery. The first major difference is their roles in communication and media. Journalists have the sole responsibility of providing true and credible news to the public (Koch et al., 2017). On the other hand, PR practitioners have the responsibility of building a positive image for their organizations by providing tailored information to various stakeholders. Another difference between the two fields is the target audience. On one side, journalists target the general masses with news and information on different subjects. On the flip side, PR practitioners target specific audiences intending to build support for a product, idea, or brand. The biggest difference between the two is that journalism is objective while public relations is subjective (Kirat, 2014). With the exception of opinion pages, journalism is always objective as it reports on facts, regardless of the journalists’ views or feelings towards the subject. However, PR is largely subjective as it aims to persuade the audience to support a product or brand. This difference also means that the two fields differ in their freedom of creativity and expression. Journalists report on facts as collected from credible sources in their original form. At the same time, PR professionals have to alter information to communicate in a way that will rally support for a brand or product. It is these and other differences that lead to conflicts between professionals in the two fields.

Mutual Dependence

The relationship between public relations and journalism has been a topic of hot debate among researchers and scholars in the field of communication studies for decades. According to McNamara, (2015), conclusions from the review of the more than 150 studies conducted on the topic show that, whether willingly or reluctantly, journalism and PR are bedfellows in media production. The two professions are both hostile and cooperative with each other at the same time. This presents a love-hate paradox where the two professions are both mutually dependent and distrustful of each other. The mutual dependence exists because each profession needs the other in one way or another in the course of their duties. On its part, journalism needs public relations to get access to sources, gain background information, and get leads on breaking and developing stories (Kirat, 2014). On the other hand, public relations relies on media outlets to publish and broadcasts information to various stakeholders. This information may be in the form of advertisements, press releases, or media campaigns. Therefore, both professions show mutual co-operation with each other to achieve their individual objectives.

People working in media and public relations have, from time immemorial, had an ambivalent relationship. Coman (2009) states that, although there has been mutual dependence between the two fields, there has also been mutual caution as well. This has been fueled by the milieu of mistrust and suspicion that both sets have expressed against each other. This mistrust is embedded in the fact that public relations are subjective while journalism is objective. Journalists are, therefore, usually wary of people working in public relations due to their trait of circumventing the truth (Larsson, 2009). Public relations firms are always viewed with suspicion in the media fraternity as they are always known to have a hidden motive or plan in the information they provide. PR professionals also cautiously interact with journalists as they believe that they are always digging for a story and complain that they don’t publish information given. This mutual dependence and mistrust have also been carried forward to new digital platforms, with each group adapting their techniques when interacting with the other in online platforms. Even though both professionals view the other with suspicion, they still find a way to work together for their mutual benefit.

Koch et al. (2017) state that the mutual dependence between journalists and public relations professionals is strengthened by the fact that they both have powers over each other. On one side, public relations professionals have power over the information that comes out of the organization. Therefore, they dictate what the media has access to in terms of information and sources. On the flip side, journalists have the power over mediums of communication available to public relations officers. As custodians of broadcasting rights and print media, journalists have a huge say on the mediums available to organizations to convey their information. Therefore, journalists act as gatekeepers to communication mediums, while public relations firms act as gatekeepers to organizations by managing their flow of information (McNamara, 2015). Therefore, the two professions need each other as they each hold the keys to the success of the other. This shows that mutual independence between journalism and public relations is vital for the efficient flow of information to the public.

The developments in technology have caused a digital disruption in the field of media communication that has greatly affected the delicate relationship between journalism and public relations. The growth of the internet and social media has created a new platform for interaction between the two professions (Mutiara & Priyonggo, 2019). For journalists, online and social media platforms provide them with a medium for distribution of news and other information. They also provide a new source of information through which journalists can gain news materials. For public relations, social media and the internet have provided an alternative to mainstream media for publication and broadcast of information to target audiences. However, the mutual dependence between journalism and public relations still exists as both professions have adapted this new platform to improve their interaction (Kirat, 2014). It is through social media and online pages for organizations that journalists can access press releases, advertisements, and other information posted by public relations professions. Social media pages and internet websites for different media outlets also provide a new medium for public relations practitioners to communicate with relevant stakeholders.

Conclusion

The relationship between journalism and public relations has been the subject of both debate and research by scholars in the field of media communications. This relationship is largely considered a love-hate relationship with both mutual dependence and mistrust. Conclusions drawn from the numerous studies have shown that the two professions need each other for their mutual benefit. The advancements in technology have caused a digital disruption in the media fraternity by providing new platforms, such as the internet and social media, for the interaction between the two professions. However, the link between public relations and journalism is still strong as the two groups have adapted their practice and processes to reap from the new digital platforms. We can, therefore, conclude that there is still a mutual dependence between journalism and public relations despite the digital disruption in this era.

References

Clementson, D. E. (2019). Do public relations practitioners perceptually share ingroup affiliation with journalists? Public Relations Review, 49-63.

Coman, C. (2009). The relationship between journalists and PR practitioners in Romania – Somewhere in between co-operation and conflict. Journal for Communication Studies.

Kirat, M. (2014, January 20). Public relations and media: A complex relationship. Retrieved from The Peninsula: https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/opinion/20/01/2014/Public-relations-and-media-A-complex-relationship

Koch, T., Obermaier, M., & Riesmeyer, C. (2017). Powered by public relations? Mutual perceptions of PR practitioners’ bases of power over journalism. Journalism: Theory, Practice & Criticism, 1-17.

Larsson, L. (2009). PR and the Media: A Collaborative Relationship? Nordicom Review, 131-147.

Macnamara, J. (2015). The Continuing Convergence of Journalism and PR: New Insights for Ethical Practice From a Three-Country Study of Senior Practitioners. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 118–141.

Mutiara, F., & Priyonggo, A. (2019). Digital disruption in print media: challenges of convergence and business models. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 206-209.

White, J., & Hobsbawm, J. (2007). Public Relations and Journalism: The unquiet relationship*a view from the United Kingdom. Journalism Practice, 283–292.