PR eats into quality journalism: UK study

By Amy Blyth on March 26, 2008 11:16 am

JOURNALISTS TODAY PRODUCE three times more copy but less original reportage than they did 20 years ago, according to a Cardiff University study.

The Quality and Independence of British Journalism: Tracking the changes over 20 years has found a reporter now files an average of 4.5 stories a day — up from the one or two earlier.

The result is that journalists rely heavily on ‘pre-packaged’ news — PR material or wire services — rather than produce independent copy.

And worse, this trend is set to continue.

“The findings are important for all of us,” said Professor Justin Lewis, the lead researcher. “If we want good, independent journalism, we have to be prepared to pay for it.”

He said the PR industry, mostly derived from corporate and business companies, is more successful than ever in getting material published. A statistic in proof: 60 per cent press articles and 34 per cent broadcast stories now are from PR packages.

The study, which draws on a content analysis and interviews of 42 journalists, provides insights into the pressures of modern journalism. The average number of editorial employees in British newspapers has fallen from 786 in 1985 to 741 in 2004 – despite which they are expected to produce more copy.

“It’s become a lot easier to use PR because of the technology,” a journalist is quoted as saying. “It’s very easy and convenient and as we’re producing so many more stories, we use it.”

The study highlights another unwelcome trend: fact-checking has decreased, particularly in press agency copy, with 99 per cent journalists putting the cause down as deadline pressure and increased demand for copy.

“Newspapers have turned into copy factories,” a correspondent from a national newspaper is quoted as saying. “This leaves less time for real investigations, or meeting and developing contacts. The arrival of online editors has also increased demand for copy, reducing the time available for checking the facts.”

Besides PR material, the study shows journalists also use more Press Association and other wire copy. 

Thirty of 34 journalists interviewed said they used such copy often – but rarely attributed the source.

For their part, broadcasters produce more independent journalism than their print cousins. The study found they used PR material as ‘prompt’ for stories, choosing to develop fresh ‘angles’.

Reliance on ‘pre-packaged’ stories and advances in technology mean journalism has now become a largely desk-based job. This has also led to homogenised news – as an interviewee put it, there is the danger of “too much ‘generic’ material, meaning everyone ends up with the same platitudes”.

“All the trends suggest that for various reasons cost-cutting will continue, which will inevitable damage the quality of journalism,” said Professor Lewis. “The hope is that the demand for good journalism may encourage owners to pay for it.”

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Categories: News  Tags: Journalism, public relations