Recently Crikey.com, began a series of stories about an investigation by the University of Technology Sydney, in conjunction with the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism (ACIJ), that examines the role that public relations (PR) plays in getting media stories published. The study examined the links between newspaper stories and PR, finding that over half the stories examined were triggered by PR activities, showing that “journalism in Australia today is heavily influenced by commercial interests selling a product”.
Is this the way the professional publication of news is heading – where news is not investigated, but simply rewritten using the press release as a template.
According to the study, a majority stories in newspapers across the country are based almost entirely on press releases and information supplied by PR representatives. When Investigators sought comments from journalists and editors the more candid responded unapologetically, citing the pressure to produce a high volume of stories within tight timeframes. There are now less journalists to produce ever greater amounts of content to fill a 24 hour news cycle, while the number of PR practitioners is rising – each generating more and more ready to print news press releases. These days it is nearly impossible for the average reader to trust that they are reading a researched and accurate journalistic article, rather than an advertisement or public relations piece.
An ironic twist to this story is that the article itself is mainly based on a press release from the parties that conducted the study, and as such, is a further example of a news story being driven by PR activity.
Is this the way the professional publication of news is heading – where news is not investigated, but simply rewritten using the press release as a template.
According to the study, a majority stories in newspapers across the country are based almost entirely on press releases and information supplied by PR representatives. When Investigators sought comments from journalists and editors the more candid responded unapologetically, citing the pressure to produce a high volume of stories within tight timeframes. There are now less journalists to produce ever greater amounts of content to fill a 24 hour news cycle, while the number of PR practitioners is rising – each generating more and more ready to print news press releases. These days it is nearly impossible for the average reader to trust that they are reading a researched and accurate journalistic article, rather than an advertisement or public relations piece.
An ironic twist to this story is that the article itself is mainly based on a press release from the parties that conducted the study, and as such, is a further example of a news story being driven by PR activity.
No comments:
Post a Comment