Journalism and PR should not mix

Do not ask me who it was. I honestly cannot remember. Yet the farce remains vividly imprinted on my mind. A young journalist, eager to gain influence and cash, joined a ministerial PR team as a part-time contributor. His moonlighting was truly an extension of his main job with the party media. Yet juggling between both posts was not straightforward. In the parliamentary circus he had direct access to Opposition press conferences, where he was able to ask questions and record answers. He then made amusing stunts as he swung the trapeze between the opposition room and his ringmaster, with news and tape at hand, to facilitate instant rebuttals.

Other reporters noted the choreography but nobody disapproved openly; some might have wished to dance to the same music. Most of us would argue: “You cannot expect better from party journalists. They have blatant agendas!” While we are all very aware about the links between journalists and political players; commercial influences also need to be explored as they are more insidious. In Malta, it is common for people to wear several hats even when there is a conflict of interest. The incestuous relationship between journalism and the public relations efforts of some businesses is hence not surprising.

Some media exponents feel they can perform in both spheres without making clowns of themselves. This is partly exacerbated by smallness and what sociologist Godfrey Baldacchino had described to as a “big fish small bowl syndrome”. The truth is that the current chaos is evidence of absent professional standards.

Some media people are willing to compromise their obligations towards their audiences even if they know they may be risking their credibility. Journalistic principles cannot be auctioned off to the highest bidder. We are experiencing highly unethical situations where it seems that some are literally selling their unwitting audiences for a price.

As opposed to what happens in the case of advertising slots and also in the case of clear political propaganda, here the audience’s critical senses are lowered as publicists-in-journalists-skin employ their influence to enhance the reputation of the hand that feeds them. Is it right for an interviewer to exalt the business savvy of an individual, only hours before his company issues a big bond offer? How would I be able to know if a media house diverted attention from a scandal or if it sidelined an issue simply because it is on the pay packet of the culprit?

No measure of media literacy classes will ever be able to protect us. We are currently experiencing media companies, production houses and hungry freelancers who have destroyed (if we ever had it) the firewall between editorial content and the interests of their commercial supporters. While some media exponents claim that their survival depends on their ability to win PR contracts, I do not feel this is a good enough excuse.

We clearly need more transparency. This poses a big challenge for the Broadcasting Authority, the Media Ethics Commission and especially PBS’s Editorial Board that has influence over public service content. Audiences need to be empowered to evaluate information. It is high time that these structures worked together to ensure they effectively protect citizen rights and consumer interests.