The Gate Keeper Interview Essay - 1357 Words

The Gate-Keeper Interview Essay Introduction The perceived ‘cantankerous’ relationship that characterises the exchanges between public relations professionals and media practitioner’s has been rife since the birth of public relations. The pair is, in its simplest term ‘frenemies’, they do work together, albeit covertly, and are usually hesitant to admit (on the media side) their cooperation. However, there is no absolute trust held between the two since there is a shifting power of control and influence that continually changes, which Fletcher (as cited in Hobsbawn, 2010, p. 64) believes is due to the market value of the particular product that public relations is representing. Media practitioners are often called the ‘watchdogs’ of†¦show more content†¦For this essay, the interviewee was journalist Mike Munro AM, well known for his time on 60 Minutes, A Current Affair, Sunday Night, 10 Eye-witness news and his print newspaper time working at The Australian, The Daily Mirro r and under Rupert Murdoch as a reporter for The New York Post. He has been in the journalism industry for over 40 years and has bared witness to the fast-paced changing environment that has changed the news cycle and the interaction between public relations practitioners and the media. As mentioned earlier, the symbiotic relationship between the two is highly contentious, however, what is known is that they do work together and, although unwilling to admit it particularly on the media side, is that they need each other more than ever in this ever-changing, technology driven world. The ‘symbiotic relationship’ the perspective from the ‘gatekeeper’ Journalists are quick to deny the thought of a ‘symbiotic relationship’ with public relations practitioners. However, with copious amounts of research conducted, regarding the relationships between the two it would seem, ironically, that the journalists are not being all that truthful. A study conducted by the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism (ACIJ) and Crikey (2009) discovered that across 10 newspapers in Sydney that â€Å"...nearly 55% of stories examined were driven by some form of public relations†