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From Journalism to PR - A Reporter’s Story

Nov 10, 2010

Six months ago I made the move from journalism to PR at MacLaurin Media.  After more than 5 years of working as a news reporter, I’d become fed up of weekly council meetings, daily calls about pot holes in the roads and rogue car clampers, and random stabbings. Obviously there were some good stories (the disabled granny who believed God gave her strength to leap on a burglar and sit on him until the police arrived being a particular favourite), but I wanted to move into PR.

Within four weeks of starting at MacLaurin Media, I’d mingled with the likes of Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow and Orlando Bloom on the red carpet at the National Movie Awards and met Usher, Pixie Lott and Justin Bieber at Capital Radio’s Summertime Ball - completely different to what I’d been used to!

Usher performing at the Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium in June

Obviously it’s not all glamour and glitz. Life in the office is much calmer than a newsroom but there are still deadlines to meet, work to juggle and clients to please. Shorthand (originally 100 words a minute but probably a little slower now) comes in handy and I understand that when a journalist says they’re on deadline and can’t talk, that I need to get off the phone pronto.

But I think one of the most important things (particularly for former journalists) is that I still get the same buzz from seeing a story which I gave to a journalist published or broadcast.

And PR is undoubtedly a friendlier place to work- it actually felt strange the first time I was praised for a good piece of coverage!

Filed Under News

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