Jounalists at Work, Cash for PR Coverage.
rizzo | 03.08.2002 10:16
Journalists at Work
The results of an ambitious survey of journalists by the Journalism Training Forum have just been published in ‘Journalists at Work’. The forum is an advisory body funded by the two national training organizations, the Publishing National Training Organization (newspapers, magazines, etc.) and Skillset (broadcasting). The forum comprised editors, union leaders, accredited training bodies, publishers and broadcasters.
The survey revealed some interesting facts:
- There are roughly 70,000 journalists in the UK, and there will be a further 20,000 by 2010.
- Over half of journalists work in London or the South East of England.
- Journalists are overwhelmingly white (96 per cent)
- Salaries vary hugely, the average being £22,500. One in ten journalists earn less than £12,500 a year, and women’s pay lags behind men’s by an average of £5,000.
- Journalists are almost exclusively children of middle-class, professional homes. Only 3 per cent of new entrants have parents with semi-skilled or unskilled jobs.
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Cash for PR Coverage
A survey published in June by the International Public Relations Association found that media throughout the world succumb to the temptation to make cash out of the eagerness of PR organizations to pay for editorial coverage.
Each region has its own corruption specialisation. In southern Europe press releases tend to be published in exchange for a personal payment to the journalist or editor – 45% of PR people say this happens often.
In Central and South America the tactic is to pay a journalist or editor to keep an unflattering story out of the papers. In northern Europe paying journalists directly is not widespread, but hospitality for journalists is. Articles are published without acknowledging the travel and other benefits received by the journalist. Also colour separation and editorial charges occur in trade publications and PR people, especially from agencies seem happy with this practice. If you can pay to secure publication it removes the element of chance in securing press clippings to show the client, and you bill the client for the extra charges anyway.
The report is on www.ipranet.org
The results of an ambitious survey of journalists by the Journalism Training Forum have just been published in ‘Journalists at Work’. The forum is an advisory body funded by the two national training organizations, the Publishing National Training Organization (newspapers, magazines, etc.) and Skillset (broadcasting). The forum comprised editors, union leaders, accredited training bodies, publishers and broadcasters.
The survey revealed some interesting facts:
- There are roughly 70,000 journalists in the UK, and there will be a further 20,000 by 2010.
- Over half of journalists work in London or the South East of England.
- Journalists are overwhelmingly white (96 per cent)
- Salaries vary hugely, the average being £22,500. One in ten journalists earn less than £12,500 a year, and women’s pay lags behind men’s by an average of £5,000.
- Journalists are almost exclusively children of middle-class, professional homes. Only 3 per cent of new entrants have parents with semi-skilled or unskilled jobs.
------------------------------------------------------------
Cash for PR Coverage
A survey published in June by the International Public Relations Association found that media throughout the world succumb to the temptation to make cash out of the eagerness of PR organizations to pay for editorial coverage.
Each region has its own corruption specialisation. In southern Europe press releases tend to be published in exchange for a personal payment to the journalist or editor – 45% of PR people say this happens often.
In Central and South America the tactic is to pay a journalist or editor to keep an unflattering story out of the papers. In northern Europe paying journalists directly is not widespread, but hospitality for journalists is. Articles are published without acknowledging the travel and other benefits received by the journalist. Also colour separation and editorial charges occur in trade publications and PR people, especially from agencies seem happy with this practice. If you can pay to secure publication it removes the element of chance in securing press clippings to show the client, and you bill the client for the extra charges anyway.
The report is on www.ipranet.org
rizzo
Homepage:
http://www.cpbf.org.uk
