Isn't This PR 101?

This is how journalism works: I get a story to write, I call the PR person to help me set up interviews, I do the interviews, I write my story, turn it over to my editors, and after some magical editing, it ends up in print.

It's my belief that most PR people know how journalism works. They know that they can ask me to fact-check or quote-check with them, and I'll gladly do it. They also know that I will never, ever give them a copy of the story before it goes to print so they can approve it.

Somehow I still get a lot of requests from PR people who want to see my stories before they go to print. Let me make it clear that people I work with on a regular basis don't do this--they know me and journalism too well to make sure a mistake. But I thought that all PR people knew not to ask for a story. Maybe they're all taught to ask for the story every time, though, on the off-chance that one of us journalists will slip up and send them the story.

It just drives me nuts when a PR person asks this. No self-respecting journalist would do such a thing. When I meet these PR people I automatically assume they must be new to the field or they don't know what they're doing. Sometimes I even run across PR people who used to be journalists who ask me to send them the story before it goes to press. Did they forget absolutely everything about their previous career? Are they just crazy?

If you want to see a story before it goes to press, think about hiring an ad person. Our ad team is fantastic. They will let you dictate what you want in print. If you ask a legitimate journalist to see their story before it goes to print, they'll just get insulted. Trust me.

Man, I sound like a self-righteous prick. But no, I won't send you the story. Go find an ad agent.