Monday, October 2, 2006
Revolving reporters: When reporters go from scribe to spokesperson
By Shay Totten
Vermont Guardian
Published: 9/29/2006
Excerpt:
When Chris Graff was fired from his post as chief of Vermont's
Associated Press bureau earlier this year, many fellow journalists, and
the public, wondered where he would land -- would it be at another news
organization, or would he end up patching together several part-time
jobs in the field?
In the end, Graff did what many journalists do once they leave the profession -- work in public relations or communications. ...
... This
revolving door often raises the eyebrows of the public toward an
industry with low public approval ratings, mainly on issues of trust.
In a 2004 Harris poll, only 39 percent of those polled said they trust
journalists, putting them just above members of Congress, who were
trusted by only 35 percent of those polled. At the bottom of this poll
were actors, with 26 percent. Topping the poll were doctors, with 85
percent. ...
... "My sense is that the general public really doesn't care to any
great degree about journalists and PR people moving into the other's
world," said Bob Steele, the Nelson Poynter Scholar for Journalism
Values at the Poynter Institute. ...
... "Journalists or PR professionals moving back and forth? It's not
impossible to do, and one of the keys to making it work is that you are
able to recognize competing loyalties and not trade unfairly on
previous access or information," said Steele.
More of this article...
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