By Gina Cuclis

This post is inspired by a post on the Public Relations Society of America's blog PR SAY, which discusses the issue of hiring former journalists as public relations professionals.

Downsized Journalists Moving Into PR

In recent years, I've noticed many downsized — or early retired before they were downsized — Bay Area journalists getting into the public relations field. I believe the best PR Pros are those of us who've spent time as news reporters. (I worked in broadcast news for several years in the 1990s.) There's no better way to understand how journalists think than to have been one. However, unless a former journalist also has had the type of professional experience where he or she learned strategic thinking, planning and analysis skills, he or she will lack the needed qualifications to do more than implement tactics. For example, a former newspaper writer would likely do an excellent job of writing and editing a newsletter, and former TV reporters often make excellent media interview trainers.

PR Pros Are Pro-Active, Journalists Are Re-Active

PR Pros are trained to think ahead. We develop public relations campaigns that start with defining objectives, then developing a strategy and message. We know that the tactics used to deliver the message are second in importance to a clear strategy and consistent message. Organizations that develop a reputation for being poorly managed, or disconnected from their customers and constituents, do so because they lack a consistent strategy for communicating and engaging with their publics. PR Pros know that effective public relations is achieved by the formation of mutually beneficial relationships between the organization and the publics it depends on for its success.

Journalists, by the very nature of their jobs, are reactive. They react to news and events, spending their days chasing down information and people to interview to get the story. They are not concerned with anybody else's reputation, so they lack the PR Pro's sense of how to improve or protect an organization's reputation. And unless they are in management, they do very little to no long range planning.

How to Know if a Former Journalist is Qualified to Do Your PR

Ask him or her the following:

Describe a PR campaign you developed and implemented. How did you identify the strategy? What was the message? How did you measure results?

If his or her answer only describes news releases written, news coverage obtained, brochures and flyers produced, then that individual is not a strategic thinker.

Also, a sure sign that someone promoting him or herself as a public relations consultant is actually a former journalist with no real PR experience, is what's missing from his or her website. If the website has no clients listed, projects described, work-product examples, or testimonials, the person is a PR novice.

If you are an experienced PR Pro, what is your opinion? Anyone else with thoughts to share on this topic are also welcome to leave a comment.