By Cassy van Eeden

Recently, Media Update established that now, more than ever, trained journalists are leaving the newsroom and opting for careers in PR. We heard from various PR agency owners as to why they think this is. Now it’s time to hear from the journalist-turned-publicists themselves.

We’re made for the job

Why do journalists make for such good PR pros? Well, journalists know when to pitch, what to pitch and exactly how to pitch it. Pitching story ideas is a part of most journalist’s daily routine.

Add to this to the fact that a background in journalism means a solid list of media contacts to pitch to, says Jess Mouneimne, director of Jam Media. “As a journalist I think you come with more solid media relationships, a better eye for various angles of a story and an understanding of how journalists want to be treated by PR people when pitching a story,” she says.

“I think, more important than being able to write a flawless press release, [is knowing] who would find it interesting and that it is newsworthy and who you will be pitching it to,” explains Unity Ruiters who heads up PR and communications at Heart FM.

As John Harvey, head of public relations at Rogerwilco, puts it, journalists know “how infuriating it can be when they receive information that has no news value at all”.

But we aren’t being trained for the job

The problem is that most universities who offer a degree in journalism do not offer training in PR. As a result, journalism graduates are having to fork out even more money to broaden their skillsets to take on public relations.

“I realised that I needed to equip myself with digital PR skills in order to enhance my existing skillset as well as prolong my career, given the current newspaper circulation [figures],” explains Harvey, who previously worked as a journalist.

Ruiters also found herself having to take a short course in PR despite having a journalism qualification in order to make it into the industry. “Let’s be honest, not everyone is going to be able to write front page article, have the voice for radio or land up on your TV screens,” she argues. “I think having a short course or PR as a subject would go a long way in helping people make up their minds as to what they ultimately want to end up doing and give them more choice,” she says.

“It is important that young journalism students recognise that they may very well not end up at a newspaper or radio or television station,” says Harvey. “The more skills they have, the better prepared they will be for the demands of the modern media environment.”

So the question remains …

If it is becoming common place for journalists to start careers in the PR industry, then why aren’t universities including PR skills in their journalism curriculums?

Are you a journalist-turned-publicist? Why did you make the move? Let us know in the comments below.

Did you miss part 1 of this series? Read it here.