The age old debate between journalism and public relations practitioners came to my mind when I received an invitation to a writers’ workshop recently.
My hair stood on end when I learnt that the event, set in the breathtaking Crater Lake in Naivasha, had been generously sponsored by Communication giant Celtel. There was even a PR firm in tow.
I immediately wondered whether it was not another publicity-seeking stunt by the telephone service provider to curry favourable coverage, as many firms often do. But as more details emerged, I found out that creative writers were also involved.
The event organisers were Kwani?, a local literary organisation which even brought in young writers involved in a Caine Prize workshop.But my suspicion barometer did not ease.
What had angry and hungry writers have in common with high flying money minting firms who CEOs earned more than the president by simply selling random numbers and thin air for astronomical profits?
Interestingly, only the previous week, I had received a regret email from the United Nations after I saying I had failed an interview for a job where they had wanted ‘communication specialists.’ or journalists to do PR work for the government.
My take is that journalists and public relations people are as far apart as the North is from the South. Yet they are like two sides of the same gorge, inextricably linked and yet divided by a deep, treacherous valley.
Their love-hate relationship has continued to fascinate students of communication for generations. Only recently, I came across a magazine article titled: “Do Journalists make good PROs?” (Marketing Africa, December 2006) and a letter by Carole K entitled ‘PR Nonsense,” (The Standard, December 6, 2005).
Many PR practitioners are actually trained journalists who dread the treacherous world of real journalism. One would even call them cowards, or traitors, or betrayers, who, having been equipped with the skills to hunt for the truth, have chosen to earn their living the easy way by blocking real journalists from getting to the truth, or by pretending to ‘manage’ the bad reputation of corporates.
While journalists are supposed to investigate, unearth, condemn and blow whistles on behalf of the larger society, it is the PR people allegedly who stifle the truth, maul objectivity, and sing praise songs for organizations or government departments that simply hurt the people.
In the eyes of a true journalist, PR practice is nothing short of sleeping with the enemy. As a teacher, I am often disappointed that my own students are so confused about the difference between the two professions, if the latter is to be called a profession at all.
Their confusion is compounded by the fact that many Kenyan institutions claiming to offer training in journalism are themselves unsure of what they offer.
A look at course titles and outlines proclaim things like ‘media studies,’ ‘journalism and related studies’ and ‘communication.’ Some are more humble and blunt: they proclaim to teach matters like radio, television or video production.
In a country that so badly needs dare-devil journalists, so many of my students disappear into the ‘easy’ PR void simply because the pay is higher and the risks lower. One the extreme end of the divide are those who argue that public relations people are among the most heinous polluters of the information environment.
They are akin to those who offer us herbal Viagra and suspicious business opportunities involving former West and Central African dictators. Today, with our proliferation of media outlets, these liars are spreading falsehoods everywhere, on the Internet, television, radio and billboards.
In nearly all cases, they hide their partisan views behind anonymity or actual bylines of reputable journalists. Photographers are not excluded. If it is true that a picture is worth a thousand words, then a misleading picture must be worth tens of thousands of lies.
It is becoming more and more difficult to draw a line between PR and journalism, especially for many slow learners. While journalism is the dream job for many young people, public relations isn’t that clearly visible to them at that age.
Many young people and journalist tutors are passionate, even overly proud, of the profession. They find it inspiring and believe it is the best job on earth.
Besides, nothing beats the recognition that comes with producing memorable stories, and there are plenty of career options in media work, stretching from radio, television, magazines, newspapers, books, biographies, fiction, editing, photography etc.
According to student journalists I interviewed recently, some of the best things about journalism include getting to meet many interesting people, visiting new places, and meeting celebrities. They have the rare freedom to pursue ideas and to go to many places, unlike other workers.
Public relations serve as advocates for businesses, nonprofit associations, universities, hospitals, and other organizations. They are believed to build and maintain positive relationships with the public. They draft press releases and contact people in the media who might print or broadcast their material.
Such material is designed to win positive attention for the organization by highlighting its policies toward its employees or its role in the community. The subject is cleverly disguised as a public issue, such as health, energy, or the environment, but the bottom line is to raise sales by highlighting what an organization is doing to advance that issue.
Public relations people also set up speaking engagements and prepare speeches for company officials. They represent employers at community projects; make film, slide, or other visual presentations at meetings; and plan conventions. In addition, they are responsible for preparing annual reports and writing proposals.
In government, public relations specialists — sometimes called press secretaries, information officers, public affairs specialists, communication specialists or simply Dr Alfred Mutua — keep the public informed about the activities of agencies and officials, while really covering up government mistakes or exonerating the government from blame.
As we climbed back from the depths of the valley at Hell’s Gate, I wondered how many of those talented creative writers, journalists and PR people really understood the uneasy link between their different, yet similar crafts.
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[Otieno Amisi is revise Editor at Oakland Media and a journalism lecturer at The Kenya Polytechnic]
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