There has been an increasing reliance on public relations (PR) as a source of news; a study by Mcnamara (2003, cited in Conley & Lamble, 2006) found that 31% of news stories in a variety of outlets were based ‘wholly or partly’ on media release. (In 2010 that number is even higher.) While in the modern media sphere, the number of public relations practitioners heavily outweighs the number of journalists – sometimes two to one (Conley & Lamble, 2006). Combine this with tight deadlines, corporate and commercial responsibilities and depleting staff numbers and it’s no wonder a number of media releases are being seen in the news.
Truth and objectivity are being questioned when journalists are forced to pump out story after story; when time is limited facts can be neglected to be checked. While media releases are a good starting point for stories, they should never be accepted as ready-made news stories; facts should be checked and thorough research conducted to ensure public relations piracy is not the outcome.
As Kellie, Renee and I conducted our seminar presentation this week, I have come to appreciate the complexity of this issue. We debated if PR affects truth and objectivity in journalism and questioned those key terms… What does it really mean to be truthful and objective in journalism?
It is hard to determine an accepted definition of ‘truthful’. While some think of truths as universal, others believe that reality is constantly changing, or perhaps there can’t be just one opinion. Ultimately, everyone views situations differently; it’s up to the journalist to be as thorough as possible with their facts and only use verifiable evidence, and at the end of the day, personal judgement is required.
In relation to the ‘friendship’ between PR and journalism check out Media Watch’s Diagnosis: Gullible (that I used in our presentation) or the YouTube clip below.
References:
Conley, D. & Lamble, S. (2006). The Daily Miracle: An introduction to journalism (3rd ed.). South Melbourne: Oxford.
Johnston, J. & Zawawi, C. (2004). Public Relations Theory and Practice (2nd ed.). Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.
Media Watch. (2010). Diagnosis: Gullible (20/07/2010). Retrieved 13 September 2010, from http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s2951428.htm
Media Watch. (2010). PR to the Max ((06/09/2010). Retrieved 13 September 2010, from http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s3004110.htm
Radio National. (2002). Lifelong Learning: Culture of Journalism. Retrieved 12 September 2010, form http://www.abc.net.au/rn/learning/lifelong/stories/s1174631.htm
Tapsall, S. & Varley, C. (2001). Journalism: Theory in Practice. South Melbourne: Oxford.
YouTube – PR vs Journalism (Mac / PC Spoof). (2007). Retrieved 12 September 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CbiMXV8U4M
Jess, I definitely agree with the point you made that everyone has different views and that there are many varying opinions. I believe this is why it is up to every journalist to ensure that they have done as much research on a story as they can, to get all the different viewpoints and use their judgement to decide what is the truth. But as you also said, with their increased pressures journalists often don't have time for such thorough research these days...
ReplyDeleteI'm not quite sure if this fits into this week's topic; it could be appropriate to any number of topics we've covered but I'd like to draw people's attention to the following Media Watch clip that, in a word, is remarkable.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s3035307.htm
It recaps a past episode showing evidence that the cover story, on Kate Ritche's wedding, was completely fabricated. The magazine photoshopped the pictures and the magazine went to print before the wedding even took place. But, a reader wrote to the magazine and complimented them on their coverage. When Media Watch confronted the reader and asked if she was aware it was fabricated, the reader replied, "It wouldn't bother me that much... Because it's media... I'm not that stupid to realise everything's true in the magazine."
Hmmmm...