When I was coming up as a news reporter, I had it drummed into me that PR people aren’t quote-worthy. I was trained to always seek an interview with someone ‘operational’, rather than the PR person whose job it is to spruik their employer. Get the story, not the spin.
If as a last resort you *had* to quote a PR person, they didn’t get graced with a name. They’d be “a spokesperson for the company”.
But this story in The Australian today has changed my mind on that approach.
When you can’t even name the flack who wouldn’t say anything
“While recently trying to chase down a story about gas shortages, The Australian’s Matthew Warren rang the Bureau of Meteorology to ask how cold it had been.
“I can’t divulge that information,” was the reply.
It’s one example of a clear pattern developing among media flacks in government and public agencies: even though their salaries are paid by taxpayers, they perceive their job not as giving information out but trying to keep it in.”
The article then proceeds to give numerous examples of behaviour which, from PR professionals, is just bonkers.
PR practitioners are unprofessional if they try it, and journalists are unprofessional if they let them get away with it.
It’s especially galling when the PR people in question represent government departments, which are – or at least should be – accountable to the taxpaying public.
It’s curious to me that the article identifies this “clear pattern developing among media flacks in government and public agencies” but doesn’t attempt to look at what’s caused that culture of fear or paranoia.
I have read at least one article lately which lays the blame squarely on the shoulders of the Howard government, unfortunately I can’t remember where I read it. If any readers can jog my memory I’d appreciate it.
In the meantime, I’ll be instituting a new policy on quoting flacks for the magazines I edit, in line with the policy discussed in the article:
“… former editor of The Australian, Frank Devine, many years ago issued an edict to reporters that, barring exceptional circumstances, media spokespeople with official comments or no comment must be identified by name.
He took the view that the by-line meant journalists were visibly responsible for every word they wrote and the same should apply to the providers of information.”
