CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CLARIFICATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JOURNALIST AND PR: ACCROSS THE BARRICADE
Text topic: Modern Media and PR
- truth
Text author: Dario Terzić
Journalistic involvement in the media in general, unfortunately, decreases on a daily basis. If journalism is sinking into depression, seems to be the main question. The inertia of the press has opened big doors to the “novice” PR experts who are always ready to forward large quantities of information. The objective is to reflect on what has unfortunately become a new (fictional) journalistic genre i.e. the form of press release. In the post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina it was possible for a new bulletin to last for 70 minutes, 55 of which were received press releases. These press releases have been sent by parties, representatives of women’s associations, unions of veterans and various OCSs. These usually offer one-sided information, accusations against others, while the right to hear the other side, in this case, does not exist. The question is how to separate their communications (press releases sent from certain public institutions or organizations) from releases which mostly offer accusations against another political party or reactions to an event or events that have nothing to do with our activities. How to wake the journalists from their lethargy, which they seem to enjoy to a certain extent? Many things have changed in recent decades as we have arrived at a point where 60% of all published information is nothing more than a mere PR product. The next question would be - Where did journalism disappear? Or better said - where have the responsibility of journalists and their commitment gone? The education system is important. In our region, only the first steps are taken towards an institutionalized education of the PR experts, and as for the education of journalists, a good analysis is definitely required. Journalism does not have to be endangered. It can go forward, but with a little more effort and professional responsibility. And with a more evident desire to cooperate with “those across the barricade”.