How 25 years in journalism prepared me for a new career in PR

It’s a well-worn path. For as long as the jobs have existed, journalists have been seeing if the grass is greener on the other side by swapping the newsroom for the press office. 

As newspaper groups continue to cut budgets and staff, more and more regional journalists will find themselves in the job market. Because of the obvious transferable skills, plenty of these will set their sights on PR – despite the snobbery that exists in the media about ‘selling out’. 

Many will delight in quoting George Orwell to you: “Journalism is printing something that someone does not want printed. Everything else is public relations.” 

I was once at a leaving do for a news editor who was moving into PR. Among the ‘gifts’ the assistant editor had sourced for him was the spine from a freshly butchered sheep. The joke being that he’d need a backbone after having his own metaphorically removed in order to work in public relations. 

PR ‘the dark side’ 

My own move to what journalists refer to as the ‘dark side’ came in 2020 when I joined the communications and media team at Oxfordshire County Council. It followed 20 years working for one of the local authority’s regular sparring partners – the Oxford Mail, part of the Newsquest group’s stable of regional newspapers. 

While my heart led me into journalism (I was hooked from the first moment I was recruited on to my school magazine), my head lead me into PR. 

After having my various newspaper roles (chief sub-editor, deputy regional head of production) made redundant through industry streamlining – while avoiding actual redundancy – I realised it was probably only a matter of time before my luck ran out. Either that, or I would end up doing the jobs of others who did get the axe, making long hours even longer and pay rises even more infrequent. 

Indeed, those of us who kept our jobs during the pandemic actually received a pay cut for the privilege of working from home. 

Role of a press officer 

The cynical view in newsrooms is that press officer roles are a cushy number. Although it probably says more about the often toxic (or masochistic) atmosphere in newspaper offices that relative job security, normal working hours and an expectation for your salary to rise occasionally are seen as ‘cushy’. 

And becoming a media officer for a council is the ultimate example of poacher turning gamekeeper. A reporter’s time is often spent battling with local authorities’ press offices, following up readers’ complaints about potholes, flooding, waste collections, parking, council tax and so on. So, to see a former colleague on the other side of the fence can seem like a betrayal. 

Journalistic experience in the press office 

But from a press officer’s point of view, it’s a huge advantage to have first-hand experience of what happens on the other side of the fence. Especially when you factor in a couple of decades’ worth of local knowledge. 

When a reporter asked why a bridge design was so high, I was able to send him a link to one of his own stories listing all the lorries that had become stuck underneath it over the years. 

This week I was asked why we’re cutting down a popular tree, despite local opposition. As well as details of the tree’s fungal decay, I also sent the reporter links to inquests their own newspaper had covered concerning people killed by trees which were blown down in storms. 

As a former chief sub-editor, I know that a story is much more likely to be used prominently if there’s a decent photograph to go with it – including captions for all the people pictured. And familiarity with house styles also gives me a head-start when pitching first person articles. 

Pitching stories 

Journalists constantly complain about receiving irrelevant press releases, so a little research goes a long way. When pitching stories about the council’s 20mph programme to the national press, I targeted reporters who had written stories on a similar scheme in Wales. 

Sometimes having experience of working in the media can help build relationships with journalists – making it easier to provide off-the-record briefings, tip-offs and background information when they know you are speaking from experience and understand the pressures of deadlines and targets. Journalism is a small world, and sharing a bit of gossip about a mutual acquaintance has helped break the ice with a new contact on the odd occasion. 

Media experience also helps educate council officers about how journalists think. Why they should expect anything they write in a report which goes into the public domain to appear in a news article. Why they should have answers to potentially awkward questions in advance. And why having a free press means we can’t demand that a news organisation removes a story just because we don’t like it! 

With the swift turnover of regional journalists, it’s a constant process. In the five years since I left the Oxford Mail, there are only two former colleagues still working there. Those who have departed include the assistant editor who liked to dish out animal body parts to former colleagues. 

And where did he end up? Would it surprise you to learn that he’s now working in PR too? 

Marc Evans is a communications and media officer for Oxfordshire County Council. He was previously a reporter and sub-editor for the Oxford Mail, Oxford Times, Ipswich Evening Star, Hartlepool Mail and Oldham Advertiser.