Tim Callington lives in Cambridge UK and works in London for Edelman Public Relations. The views posted here are his and his alone. He can be contacted at tim dot callington at bt internet dot com
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Yesterday Jenni Russell, The Guardian and Times journalist, came in to Edelman to talk about her experiences as a comment writer. She claimed never to have worked with PR people, let alone to have set foot inside a PR agency, so well done to her for making it across the threshold!
Her reluctance to work with the PR industry seems to stem from some rocky experiences trying to work with government press offices. I’ve no doubt that Number 10 and the various departments run their media operations like well-oiled machines, at least most of the time. But it struck me that they simply aren’t geared-up to deliver what comment writers need.
Whether for public or private sector organisations, press offices are generally organised and structured to serve news writers - people who need the facts of a story quickly to meet a tight deadline. It’s all about the swift, efficient flow of information. For a comment writer – whether they’re a journalist, blogger or whomever – the needs are very different. Comment writers depend on gaining insight into a story, looking behind the immediate facts to understand the issues surrounding it and the motivations of the people involved. It’s only possible to get this kind of appreciation by building a genuine relationship with the people who have a stake in the story (the government minister, the business exec. etc.), which is difficult for a traditional press office operation to facilitate.
Don’t get me wrong, press offices have a very valuable role to play in communication and I’ve played a part in some pretty good ones myself, but in a media environment where news is so immediate and accessible, and quality comment and opinion increasingly valuable commodities, I see the role, remit and reach of the press office inside organisations needing to change.
