I went to Journalism school many years ago. But I didn’t pursue a career in journalism. I chose public relations instead. PR allows me to combine my interests in business and communications. And I’ve always enjoyed working with the media.
But journalism is changing. Daily papers are failing. Audiences are shrinking. As the industry struggles to accommodate changes in technology and readership, the norms for reporting seem to be changing too. Bias is creeping into reporting. And in too many instances, it’s jumped right in, taking a front row seat in the news department instead of being relegated to the opinion pages.
Inflammatory adjectives now appear in reporting on a regular basis. And information that would completely change the tone and nature of an article are too often omitted. A sin of omission is still a sin, isn’t it?
Drama and controversy sells newspapers and viewership. The media is a business and it’s struggling. I can’t say with any certainty that this shift in journalistic standards and practices is a direct effort to retain earnings, but it gives one pause.
I love working with the media. It’s why I chose to work in PR. But I long for the days when journalistic standards were as stringent as they were in my days at Howell Hall in Chapel Hill.
