Your view will however differ depending on whether you are a journalist or a publicist.
People write for different reasons. Everyone has a different motivation.
Some want to change the world. Some want to grow their craft or career. I mean, you spent years in school studying for this.
Others are making a living. No matter the reason one writes, one will do better to understand the dynamics of the landscape. Media sets an agenda due to what is reported, how it is covered but also what isn’t.
On the other side of journalism are sources or people who make the news. In their world too, what is not said is sometimes more important than what is said. In the world of a publicist, stopping a story may sometimes be more important than getting one out.
But I was new to this world. I did not understand the dynamics. And I only had one view. It was only later when I joined public relations that I had a full appreciation of media dynamics. Businesses constantly promote their brands and jealously guard their reputation. Some of this effort is through reportage or through advertising. But they will also fight as hard for stories that don’t favor them not to run.
Let me explain.
“Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed, everything else is public relations”. George Orwell
When I started contributing to two publications; a magazine and a newspaper, I did not suffer a conflict of interest. They had different editorial policies and writing styles. I also found it quite convenient because my beat was business. And since one was monthly, I could easily cover the same event as source material for my two separate articles. Then write a 500-word article for the daily and a 1,000 article with analysis and additional sources for the magazine. It is only once that this became a problem.
While writing a telco story for the magazine, I called up this CEO for an opinion. He was happy to share his thoughts. In fact, he was so happy I had called he offered me a story tip. He alleged that one of his competitors was doing bad business and stifling his business that he had reported the issue to the regulator. So I called the regulator to verify this information and he stated, that indeed they were scheduled to meet in a few hours to resolve the issue. After the reported meeting, I called the regulator back to get some insights, but he declined asking me instead, “Why don’t you call up the parties to the dispute themselves?”
This was the cue I needed to chase the story. So I called back the CEO who had given me the tip. He confirmed that the meeting had indeed taken place. He also added that there had been counter-accusations by his competitor, which when evaluated turned out false leaving them with egg on the face.
With that detail, I called up a representative of the accused company, who did not answer. So I texted him what I had and why I sought his response. What followed happened so fast I struggled to keep up. I suspect he googled my name and identified me as a newspaper reporter. He called my boss’ boss and within a few minutes, my editor was on the line with an urgent summons to his office.
I rushed to the office, where I was urgently ushered into the main boss’ office. With heightened anxiety, I waited for the statement of why I was thus invited.
That would come soon, but not after another witness had been invited into the office.
Then I was told my offense. It so goes that the last business representative I called up did not like the story I was pursuing and he called to allege that his competition had paid me to write a dirty story about his business! With what seemed like a disciplinary committee sitting in session, the accusing executive was dialed and phone loudspeaker enabled.
He restated his case. He went ahead to suggest that we include my first source of the story onto the same call, which was done.
This gentleman(I use the word loosely), who had given me the tip and who had confirmed the details of a meeting a few hours later denied ever speaking to me. He said that he may have spoken to me in the past, but as far as this story goes, we had not spoken at all. I was stunned and infuriated.
The conference call ended soon after and my interrogation began. I pleaded that while it is true I had called both gentlemen, plus their regulator, I had not been paid as alleged. With the denial from my first source, my defense was quite shaky in the least. So I was further asked why I was working on a story without the knowledge of my editor, a major sin in journalism circles.
“I was not pursuing the story for your publication,” I clarified. “ I am a freelance journalist who also reports for another publication for which I was writing the story.”
“Why then were you identified as our reporter?” came the question.
“Because I am ”,I responded. And quickly added that the complaining executive possibly knows who I am because I have covered his events in the past.
I was asked to submit my explanation in writing and in the meantime I was suspended from writing for the newspaper.
The next few weeks gave me time to reflect on what had just happened. The complaining executive was one of the highest advertisers. And he knew the kind of power he wielded even over media houses. What he had just pulled was a masterstroke to wriggle out of accountability. The story tipping CEO shared infrastructure with the company he was accusing. Although he wanted to expose the unprofessional behavior which was costing him money, he did not want to publicly soil the relationship, so a lowly freelance reporter was sacrificed.
I was able to contribute again, after a while. What I realized from that day’s events however is that things are never what they seem and everyone is almost always driving their agenda. You must keep this at the back of your mind. And oh, always have your recorder on and ask for written and verifiable proof.
“Since we can’t change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality”, Nikos Kazantzakis.
By Emmanuel Njuki is a member of the Rotary Club of Kampala South. He’s also the Head of Legal & Corporate Affairs at Nile Breweries Ltd.
