Recently, the Publicity Club interviewed PRWeek News Editor, Rose Gordon. She joined the magazine a year ago from BowTie News where she served as an associate news editor on several trade publications, including Pet Product News. Prior to that, she worked at Arms Control Today in Washington, DC, after graduating from American University. You can reach her at rose.gordon@prweek.com.
Q. What is your average day is like?
'Average' is probably hard for anyone in media to describe, but there are a number of routines. Given that I'm the news editor, rather than a beat reporter, I spend a lot of my time editing what reporters have written, and looking for news leads to pass along to them. In a day, I might sort through our "news" e-mail inbox - as well as my own - and then pass along relevant releases to reporters. I'll edit the news briefs online, and any Web exclusive stories we might have and I'm constantly watching my Google RSS feed, as well as Twitter accounts for breaking news. I also blog, Tweet and help with our podcasts and video. During deadline for our print issue, it's a matter of getting all the copy in on time to me, editing it, following up on any outstanding issues, etc. to make sure the pages go out in time. That means coordinating with reporters, the copy desk, and other senior editors.
Q. What kind of stories do you report on and which ones most interest you?
We cover the PR industry broadly for the U.S. - corporate side and agency side from public affairs to consumer to tech. Account wins and losses for PR firms and campaign launches or new PR tactics are always prime material for us, particularly those with a national scope. However, I'm always interested to hear about trend pieces. Because none of us on editorial work in PR, we look to our sources to apprise us of any trends they might see.
Q. What trends did you see on your beat in 2008?
Digital, digital, digital. That's been ongoing, but last year agencies and corporations alike realized they needed to invest in this arena whether it was acquiring a firm that would give them that capability, or simply starting a conversation via Twitter. And we're still seeing digital as place where PR hires are hot despite layoffs in more traditional communications areas.
Q. What is hot on your beat right now?
What everyone is watching right now is the economy and how that is going to play out in various industries and practices. For example, the greater involvement and interest in financial service companies by both the public and the government is greatly overhauling the way IR and financial communications are and will practiced It will also be interesting to see who the winners and losers are in the PR industry, and I hope to look back at this year at some point and say we covered the recession fairly and accurately for the industry.
Q. How much of what you run every day comes from public relations suggestions and how much from your own scouting?
Well given that PR is what we cover, I'd say we use more of what we get from PR pitches than other media outlets might. However our reporters do significant enterprise work to ferret out stories that the principles would perhaps prefer remained buried.
Q. What is the best way for a PR professional to pitch you for inclusion in your articles?
I still like e-mail. It gives me time to do some background research and to see if a reporter is available. A follow up phone call is OK to be sure it didn't get lost in my inbox, but repeated check ins by e-mail or by phone won't win you any points. The biggest way to make a pitch successful for us, though, is to be timely and relevant. I don't want to hear about a campaign, three days after it launched. Three days before? Ok. We'll honor an embargo.
Q. What is the most inappropriate thing a public relations person has ever done in pitching you?
Well like most journalists I'm constantly receiving pitches that have nothing to do with my beat of PR. It's usually clear that they sent out a mass e-mail to their contact list, and frankly it's annoying, and it's part of the reason that media gets frustrated with PR. I'm sure it saves the busy PR exec some time but it doesn't help build a relationship. Also, I recently got a pitch that was done in all lowercase with colored font. Maybe I'm old fashioned but I just couldn't take it seriously. It got deleted.
