Journalism skills that translate into the PR world

The newsroom and the public relations desk have traded talent for decades.

Recently, most of the talent has headed one way—away from the newsroom and into the PR field. As newspapers shed talent, journalists seek another field where writing, interviewing, and critical thinking are valued.

While journalists change titles, they retain many of the skills that made them successful newshounds, bringing some hard-news focus to the often softer PR world.

Here are some of the skills successful journalists are finding success with at public relations firms:

Hard facts, no frills

Press releases are notorious in newsrooms for their superlatives and wandering descriptions. Journalists, many of whom have spent half a lifetime editing the frills and non-news from press releases, are experts at cutting the unnecessary and delivering the facts.

It’s a skill that delights gutted newsrooms, which often repurpose a press release penned by an ex-journalist without changing much of the language.