Journalism

The world of public relations has always had a somewhat controversial reputation. Some in the writing/journalism world consider PR writing a cop out (though they’re probably just jealous of the higher salaries). In addition, those in the PR field also get dogged on for being the “high school mean girls” of the business world.

Speaking from a personal standpoint, I’ve worked with many PR representatives and the overwhelming majority have been great to work with. Some are a little pushy, no doubt, but it’s their job to push as hard as they need to in order to earn their client a little media love. The Stylish City’s experience with PR firms has also been excellent and other media outlets would probably agree.

Still, the PR world just can seem to shake their mean girl reputation.

According to a recent post by The Grinding Stone, that reputation could stem from the way PR personnel treat others in the PR world. They are, after all, often in direct competition with each other. And in a field where 70 percent of the population is female, a little cattiness is bound to reveal itself.

“Even before you begin your career, you start feeling like you have to guard contacts fiercely and make sure no one is ‘stealing’ your clients,” says Raj Thandhi on The Grinding Stone. “There is also this stereotype that if you don’t have ‘balls of steel’ you won’t make it in PR. It seems like the young women entering the PR world are just mirroring what they see the successful ones before them have done.”

Thandhi said he’s even had potential clients turn him away because he doesn’t seem tough enough to handle their accounts.

With the influx of PR positions thanks to online networking sites such as Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and Facebook, more and more women are considering PR as a potential career. After all, a PR person’s job looks glamourous — planning parties, mingling with celebrities, wearing the newest clothes from the best designers.

According to a recent poll, though, the PR Executive job is the 7th most stressful job in the United States. That has many wondering if the seemingly glamourous lifestyle is worth the stress. Do you think it is? And, more importantly, do you have the tenacity and mean girl tendencies the field often requires?

By Wendy Rose Gould

Remember the heady days of the early 2000s, just ten years ago? Reality TV was just starting to become A Thing and the word “blog” was just entering the lexicon. Yes, it was a more innocent time indeed. Today, reality shows account for what seems to be upwards of half of all television and everyone and your mother has their own blog.

Reality television and blogs have more in common than meets the eye. On the surface, both allow us a window into the lives of others. Whether it’s the schadenfreude engendered by watching a Teen Mom marathon or the train-wreck fascination of reading the blog of a high school acquaintance you always hated, the voyeurism can be addictive.

But there’s a more sinister side to the similarities between reality television and blogs. Reality television is cheaper than scripted shows, but it’s also not as good. We like The Bachelor as much (okay, more) than the next person, but it’s never going to hit the emotional highs and lows of The Wire, or even Cougar Town. Similarly, it’s fun to click around The Huffington Post, but it’s not exactly offering the journalistic excellence and integrity as the New York Times.

Unfortunately, both scripted shows and legit news media seem determined to sink to the level of reality television and blogs: witness the Times increasing focus on hyperlocal blog sites like Fort Greene Local and the increasingly cheap look of most television comedies. We can only hope this trend reverses itself. In the meantime, we’ll just be sitting here, suffering some major early 2000s nostalgia.