Switching to PR from business journalism

Caron Schwartz Ellis, the news editor of the Boulder County Business Report in Colorado, is leaving the paper in a week to become a PR person at Lynott & Associates, a PR firm that specializes in high-tech companies.

In the latest issue of the newspaper, Ellis reflects on what the change in careers means.

Ellis wrote, “Public relations, on its surface, seems to be more or less the polar opposite of journalism.

“Journalists are traditionally noted for their high ethical standards, taking a distanced stance from their subjects and providing an unbiased view. (Note the word ‘traditionally’ – we can exclude the 24-hour news services that shout about being fair and balanced but are clearly not).

“PR flacks are popularly viewed as nothing more than used-car salesmen without the plaid jackets.

“But it wasn’t that long ago that you couldn’t get into public relations without journalism credentials, Metzger noted. ‘When I first got into PR everybody, just about without exception, was a former journalist. Now that it’s a recognized profession it developed its own academic studies, and people choose it as their major.'”

Read more here.