Why ex-journos should NOT (or should?) head the PR function

Why ex-journos should NOT (or should?) head the PR function


This was the title of a debate started by PR blogger Craig Pearce as appeared on Linked In. Here is what Yasmine Gray, director of Gray Media Services had to say about the issue. To follow the debate go to the PRIA group on Linked In.

Yasmine Gray says:


This debate re-enforces the age old problem of divide between PR and journalism. Having worked as a journalist for over 23 years before setting up a a PR company I can tell you that I found many, many PR's did not have a clue about media and what our requirements were as journalists. Likewise now I find many journalists have an instant bias towards having a dislike of PR's when of course there are many fine practitioners out there that make the life of the journo a lot easier. The bottom line is that we are all in the same industry and are trying to achieve the same goals ie create media. Those of us that have had experience on both sides of the fence have the greatest overall understanding of how the media machine works and I would encourage both journos and PR's to open their minds to learning about each other's worlds.I employ people with experience from either side of the fence but ensure that those staff members learn as much as possible about the area in which they are less knowledgeable. We need to have respect for both professions and the importance they both have in providing interesting media for the varying target audiences we are trying to reach. So it's not a case of one being better than the other and at the end of the day it will always be a case of the individual having ability. The wider and more diverse your experience is within the media industry the better you will be at which ever role you perform.