Working for almost two
years for a news group, Public Relations has always been just theory for me…I
do recall being thrilled and afraid at the same time when I was informed that I
had been accepted for an internship in PR capacity at Logos Publicity. I was
finally given an opportunity to put into practice the theory learned throughout
these years. Yet, it would mean starting all over again…Being a newbie and
having no experience at all in this field. Will the experience meet my
expectations? How would it feel like being on the other side?
I reckon being lectured
by some colleagues on how Public Relations just amount to spin doctoring. Some
even told me that I would be brainwashed. It was as if I was embracing
damnation and they were praying for the salvation of my soul…Pretty dramatic
but that is how I felt back then. Actually, when I said that I am doing a major
in journalism and Public Relations, they found this quite peculiar. They
claimed that a journalist just cannot study Public Relations. It is no secret that journalists distrust
Public Relations practitioners. It is all because of that belief that
journalists deliver the truth whereas PR practitioners distort it.
Yet, amidst
speculations, excitement and apprehensions, my first day at Logos was quite a
mixture of emotions. “Luckily” for me, my soul was not damned. On the very
first day, I was told that “communication is all about telling the truth”. Yet,
“some people withhold part of the truth but, again that is another story”.
Implying that for the company that would make me discover Public Relations
practice, PR is not about lying to people. A piece of information that I think
would relieve my colleagues.
I was showed around
and I made the acquaintance of people who would now share my daily routine. At
least during twenty days…Apparently, the Public Relations field would open the doors
of an exhilarating universe to me. Crossing fingers! Hope you are all making the most of your internship experience. Stay tune for my second
post on the first task undertaken, Cheers.
Anne Marie Deborah Perne
15636649
Charles Telfair Institute, Mauritius.
Anne Marie Deborah Perne
15636649
Charles Telfair Institute, Mauritius.
1 comment:
Hi Deborah!!
It was nice to read your post because it is quite different from all of us due to your little dilemma. When am talking about dilemma it is because its funny how you who is more a journalist now have to work in the PR industry. It is true that it must be easier for you to write media releases for instance because you already know what a journalist considers as a newsworthy article however PR is so different from journalism. Both are most of the time compare and people due to a lack of information think that both of their work are similar. However it is so different and as we have learn in class more and more they rely on each other. Lets talk a bit about this relationship that link a journalist to a PR practitioner. Last semester in class we learned that journalist needs the PR practitioner and at that time i didn't really understand because for me it is more the PR practitioner who needs the journalist to publish articles for the client for example. So i made some research and came out with some amazing findings. Did you know that 75% of entertainment stories and 50% to 80% of news and business stories emanate from a PR? I didn't know and the reason behind is that a journalist has a short time to cover a story or news and he needs the help of a communication expert who is most of the time the PR practitioner of the company for instance. And if you remember last semester we spoke about the "gatekeeper" and here is the answer to why PR practitioners are commonly called gatekeepers. However in Mauritius it is still not the case and PR are sometimes compare to marketers. I hope that the PR industry will soon develop a bit more and companies will understand the benefit of it.
As you said in the beginning of your post journalists and PR practitioners are sometimes known as dishonest people from the public perception when in reality trust and truth are central to their professional activities. And the relationship between these two professions is transparency,truth and trust that are their duties to the public.
I found an interesting link that am sure can help each of us that is about some tips to communicate with a journalist because i wanted to know how to do it especially when you are new in the PR industry and that none of the journalists know you and can't just trust you like that.
Here is the link hope you will enjoy: http://www.pr-squared.com/index.php/2012/08/relationships-between-pr-and-journalists-have-changed-forever
Good luck for the rest of your internship!!
Aurelie Fleurie
15570543
CTI
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