What PR professionals should not do to journalists

And just as important, what journalists should not do to PR professionals.

But first, a little background. Earlier this week, Commitscion Samarpita Samaddar (Class of 2010), who is the public relations officer of IFA (India Foundation for the Arts), had an unpleasant encounter with a journalist in Bangalore. Samarpita later wrote on Facebook about the tantrums this journalist had apparently thrown because of "a DVD that cannot be copied due to copyright issues". Another Commitscion, Saroj Joseph (Class of 2006), who is the PR manager for Lush, also wrote about her experience with some journalists "who do not hear you out and just bang the phone and you are left staring at the phone".

Now, in my time as a journalist (almost 25 years with newspapers and media groups in Mumbai, Dubai, and Bangalore), I have met a few unprofessional PR execs. I may not have been rude to them but I let them know in subtle ways that I wouldn't give them the time of day.

I have also met some PR professionals who are nice people, but, sadly, they don't seem to understand that journalists and newspapers are not to be used to promote their clients' agenda.

Why would I be interested in giving publicity to something that has no news value? When I was working as a journalist, what I wanted from a PR professional was news. And I am glad to say I have been fortunate to interact with quite a few no-nonsense PR execs who were brilliant at their work. Give me the news point, I would say to them, and leave it to me to do the story. They understood. I reciprocated.

Back to Samarpita's grouse. I told her that I agree with her 100%: The journalist she is referring to had no business making a fuss about "a DVD that cannot be copied due to copyright issues" if it was NOT RELEVANT to the story. However, it is important to remember that journalists are in the best position to decide what is relevant to the story. Also, every industry has its share of rogues and incompetents. So there are bad journalists, there are sloppy journalists, there are freeloading journalists — but I believe they are a minority.

And this was my advice to Saroj: "I am not sure you should expect any journalist (unless he or she knows you well) to have the time to speak with you on the phone. When I used to get calls from PR professionals when I was busy, I would tell them to send me a fax (this was in the pre-email era) or, later, send me an email. If I found the event/press release newsworthy, I would follow up by assigning a reporter to check it out."

This brings me to the main point of this post: The eternal tussle and, sometimes, nasty feuding between journalists and publicists. Which is sad. Because we need each other. So we need to work together.

Here's what might help us to understand each other. First, a list of PR no-nos. And, second, a list of things journalists should not do to publicists.

CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT

Both lists have been put together by consumer advocate and journalist Christopher Elliott. (I am obliged to Commitscion Jalaja Ramanunni, Class of 2009, for sending me the links.)

Elliott's lists make so much sense, and what he has to say is so important, that I am reproducing below both lists in full. Not only will journalists and PR professionals benefit from studying them but aspiring media professionals will also be able to learn how to modify their behaviour when they enter the industry.

TOP 10 PR NO-NOS

BY CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT

10. Asking me for an exact air date or publication date on a story. Although it is your right to know when a story is going to appear (and I will gladly tell you) I often don’t know the precise date until just before publication.

9. Sending me an unsolicited press kit. Come on. Do you have any idea how many trees you’re killing?

8. Asking what my “angle” is. I often don’t know until I’m done with my reporting. Rest assured, you will know what the story is about when I’m running my fact-check with you.

7. Calling to find out if your client is in the story. I don’t know until the story is published. Often, neither does my editor.

6. Requesting a letter of assignment. I wouldn’t ask for information and then not write about it. What kind of travel writer do you think I am? ;-)

5. Mailing me something “embargoed” or asking me to sign a nondisclosure statement. I’m a journalist — I get paid to break news, not keep your clients’ secrets.

4. Sending me an e-mail that begins, “Dear {USER_FIRSTNAME}”. Look, if you’re gonna spam me, at least learn how to use the software.

3. Pitching me for an outlet I haven’t written for in years. Everything I write is online. Take a few minutes and read up. I’ll love you for it.

2. Calling my editor when you’re not happy with a story. I’ll find out, and when I do, we’ll both be unhappy.

1. Following up with a phone call to “see if I got the press release.” Honestly, they should expel people from PRSA for doing this.

• To read Elliott's post in its entirety, go here.

10 THINGS I'D NEVER DO TO A PUBLICIST

BY CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT

 10. Misrepresent my story. I’ll always tell you what my story is about (but please remember, I have editors who reserve the right to change my angle).

9. Hang up on you. If you call me — no matter how persistent you are — I won’t hang up on you. Ever.

8. Ask you to write the story for me. That includes pilfering wording and original thoughts from a press release.

7. Lecture, lecture, lecture. Who cares what I think, anyway? It’s what’s in the story that’s important.

6. Take anything you say (or do) personally. You’re a pro, and sometimes a client asks you to do things. I understand.

5. Ask for a freebie. There is a special place in hell reserved for journalists who abuse their position to get free stuff. I’m not too keen on going there.

4. Complain to your client or boss about you. You have enough to worry about already. The only reason I would go over your head is if you stop responding to my e-mails, calls or singing telegrams.

3. Be rude. Politeness is what separates us from the animals. I’ll endeavor to be a gentleman, always.

2. Ask you to do my reporting. Last time I checked, that was my job.

1. Ignore you. If I get a personal e-mail, I promise to respond to it as quickly as possible. If I get a call, I’ll try to return it expeditiously. (This doesn’t apply to mass-mailings or calls to “follow up” on a press release.)

• To read Elliott's post in its entirety, go here.

What do journalists have to say about these two lists? What are the thoughts of PR professionals when they read these 20 points? And what do media students have to say?

*

ARCHITA NADGOUDA

"I RELATE TOTALLY
TO THIS POST"

Commitscion ARCHITA NADGOUDA (Class of 2011), who works with the PR firm Edelman in Bangalore, posted this comment on my Facebook link: Sir, I relate totally to this post. In my three months at work I've experienced all that you've mentioned. I know that anything with news value gets picked easily by the journos (even without us being pushy about it). But they too have to understand that they need us as much as we need them and not act pricey when we call them (I know of journos who have published wrong information just because they didn't want to hear us out completely. Doing this repeatedly will only reflect badly on their newspaper!).

I think the bickering will end only if both parties learn to respect each other and develop a better understanding of each other's profession.

P.S. This post was really informative. I'll share it on my wall for my colleagues. Thanks. :)

*

SINDHU PAWAR

"EVERY PR PROFESSIONAL
SHOULD READ THIS"

Commitscion SINDHU PAWAR (Class of 2011), who works with the PR firm Nucleus in Bangalore, posted this comment on my Facebook link: Thanks for sharing this, Sir. I completely agree with it. As a PR person, I would like to say that every PR professional has to read this, understand the implications, and make clients understand them as well. And then, come up with better strategies and ideas; think about what it is that is newsworthy instead of bugging journalists every time regarding something that is not "sellable" or newsworthy.

Even I am going to share this on my wall. Once again, thank you Sir :)