By Cassy van Eeden

But why is this such a common occurrence? Why are journalists leaving their media careers behind for jobs in public relations? And why are PR agencies hiring journalists in the first place? We asked leaders in the South African PR industry just that.

Why are journalists moving to PR?

While each journalist-turned-publicist has their own explanation for making the move, agency owners are saying it’s for two reasons: print is dying and money is tight.

“Traditional print media, where journalists are naturally or historically employed, is being placed under extreme pressure to minimise costs and reduce staff count,” says Rolfe. “These factors make the move for journalists across from print to PR all the more likely or necessary.”

Kerry Seymour, CEO of Splash PR, has observed a similar trend. “They [journalists] need to find ways to increase their earning potential using the skills they have.” One of these ways is to either join a PR agency, work as a freelance writer for PR or work in-house.

“Salaries and earning potential are higher in PR, generally speaking,” notes Inky Dresner, owner of Soapbox PR.

Why are PR agencies hiring journalists?

What is it about journalists that makes them a good fit for public relations? According to agency owners, the basic skills journalists possess are vital to the industry.

“Good writing skills, the ability to find the story or newsworthy element and an understanding of the media and how it works are an advantage in landing a job in PR,” explains Rolfe. “Good journalists often have these skills and so it is a natural career shift.”

“There are definitely benefits to employing journalists into PR agencies,” says Seymour. She explains that the content creation, writing, photography and editing skills journalists have, as well as their understanding of the newsroom environment, are an asset to any PR agency.

“A very important aspect and offering of PR is the writing of content that is generated on behalf of one’s clients,” comments Dresner. “A background, training or degree in journalism gives one these much-needed writing skills.”

Cathy van Zyl, joint owner of C-Cubed Communications, points out that writing is not the only skill that journalists bring to the PR table. “All the good ones [journalists] know a news story from a lemon, ask the right questions, are resourceful and very persistent, are often fearless and not prepared to regurgitate the proverbial BS,” she says.

Should journalism students learn about PR?

If journalists are moving into the public relations industry, and if this is becoming a significantly common occurrence, surely this would mean journalism curriculums at higher education institutions should prepare students accordingly?

Seymour argues that journalism students should most definitely learn about PR in their tertiary training. “Journalism students need to understand the fundamental role that PR plays in supporting journalists and how to manage these relationships in order to get access to the first bite at content.”

Rolfe agrees journalists need to be provided with PR skills at a university level as the two industries work hand-in-hand.

Van Zyl, however, does not believe journalism graduates need to be taught PR skills. “Journalists play a vital role in our society,” she says, “Students must learn to be good journalists.”

Are you a PR boss? How often do you hire journalists? Let us know in the comments below.

Read more on this topic in part 2 of the series here.