The Ethical Optimist

I caught an article today in Editor & Publisher regarding a study by journalist Tyler Marshall and the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism that underscores a position I’ve taken for quite some time now.

It is my belief that public relations practitioners and corporate communications departments are quickly becoming their own newsrooms. Why? Because traditional newsrooms are shrinking…and with them original source reporting. With a greater need for content and less reporters to fill that need, media (especially expanding online outlets) are going to rely on content and sources provided by public relations departments.

I further believe that this trend underscores the need for the public relations profession to put ethics on the front burner. We have a duty to all stakeholders to provide the media with truthful, accurate information…more so than ever before. I say this because the shrinking newsrooms will (already are) be relying on a direct feed from PR sources, with less fact checking.

I’ve seen this from the trenches for some time now, and the Pew report backs me up:

Among the most frequent victims of newsroom reductions, Pew says, are the copy editors who catch mistakes or inaccuracies before they make it into print or on the Web. Four out of 10 newspapers (42%) said they have reduced the number of copy editors in the last three years, while just 12% have increased. At larger papers, it’s worse, with 67% saying they have cut back on copy editors, versus just 2% that report increases.

A shrinking newsroom means fewer reporters, working harder, with fewer resources than ever before. It also means they’re taking shortcuts to meet deadlines. As they rely on public relations professional to fill the gaps, our personal and organizational credibility is on the line.

And, like any other news source, we’ll only be as good as the information we provide. Those practitioners and agencies that routinely mislead, obfuscate or provide sloppy content will quickly follow the way of Darwin and find themselves extinct. Those that focus on providing accurate, well-researched content that can be substantiated will find themselves in the driver’s seat.

While the study shows that investigative reporting is up, other types of coverage are shrinking…as is the pool of veteran reporters who have specific knowledge of more complex beats. While this concerns me as a consumer of media, it also leads me to believe there are new opportunities for our profession to grow and serve the marketplace. In so doing, we can position ourselves as content providers and begin to move away from terms like spin doctors and flacks.

For that to happen, however, we as a profession need to raise the bar on ethics and begin looking at ourselves in a different light. We can no longer be “order takers” and pass along whatever BS our clients want to sell. Rather, we must view ourselves as the gatekeepers of information and begin to counsel clients on what they have to offer the marketplace, and how to best position and package that information. Then, and only then, will we begin to advance our profession to play a more sophisticated role in the flow of information.