The panel discussion was held as part of the courses Media Relations and Public Relations Techniques and Public Relations.
Journalists and editors Marko Banjavčić , Robert Turkalj , Sandra Babić , and VERN' members and journalists Ana Mlinarić and Isabell Keler recently participated in a panel discussion on the topic of cooperation between journalists and PR professionals, which was held at VERN' University as part of the Media Relations and Public Relations Techniques course at the Public Relations study program and the Public Relations course at the Journalism study program.
Although they are employed in different sectors of journalism, the guests emphasized that communication with PR professionals is part of their everyday business life, and they shared both positive and negative experiences with the students and provided them with advice for future work.
The editor-in-chief of Story magazine, Marko Banjavčić, emphasized that he does not consider his job glamorous, even though he works with "stars and stars" every day, but as one of his favorite anecdotes of cooperation with PR people, he highlighted the time when he was invited to the Vegetable Fair in Ogulin. The invitation, he assumes, came about through an exchange of contact lists between agencies.
Ana Mlinarić , a journalist at N1 television and a colleague at VERN, is primarily tasked with reporting on politics, and she most often communicates with the government spokesperson, who, in addition to the government, also represents the prime minister, parliament, and ministries. However, she complained, "when the answer comes too late, it is useless to the journalist." The hectic pace of television journalism does not tolerate slow responses from PR people.
Radio producer and community manager at Antena Zagreb and VERN's graduate Isabell Keler summed up the problems that PR people face in their work in a few words: "Outside, you have a PR person, a booking manager and an event manager, but in Croatia you are everything." She is particularly bothered by the poor quality of communication with clients, which is very common in the music industry.
Robert Turkalj , director of the Slatina Information Center, Radio Slatina and the web portal Slatina.hr, explained to the students the difference between local and national media. Namely, local media often struggle with limited resources and less financial support compared to national media, which is certainly reflected in the work of public relations practitioners in smaller communities.
Sandra Babić , a journalist for Lider and a representative of business journalism on this panel, explained the essence of the relationship between journalists and PR professionals: "Journalists are hungry for content, and PR professionals for a space where they can project it."
The guests jointly concluded that journalists and PR professionals cannot do without each other, and agreed that the future is bright and that the situation is improving, and what needs to be worked on is mutual understanding to make it easier for everyone to do their jobs.
(collaborator: Iva Pahlić)
