Anyone work in Journalism/PR/Marketing?

[ovaltina]

most journalism really is 'just a job'. A relatively OK one in terms of hours and tasks involved and variety of things you do, but it's still a job. And lots of it is pretty poorly paid too (I'm thinking local papers). Average salary is about on a par with good plasterer or a plumber

Yeh but at least you're not a dirty PR whore, eh. You get to choose what you write about. Editors never tell you to spin shit like some PR bitch, do they?

 

[DotCommunist]

Yeh but at least you're not a dirty PR whore, eh. You get to choose what you write about. Editors never tell you to spin shit like some PR bitch, do they?

s'well known that a hell of a lot of journos take PR releases and regurgitate them in house style without checking facts.

 

[beeboo]

It's not journalism, PR or marketing, but with your interest in social anthropology, have you considered qualitative social research?

 

[Spion]

less, according to a journo I know who writes for Kettering Evening Telegraph. He clears about 12 k a year from the journo work and makes it up doing teaching at local college. Looks like mainly a labour of love rather than a route to wedge.

actually, yeah, local papers are appalling for pay

 

[Spion]

Yeh but at least you're not a dirty PR whore, eh. You get to choose what you write about. Editors never tell you to spin shit like some PR bitch, do they?

In all the jobs I ever worked in reporters have been responsible for generating their own stories and press releases seen as something to be dealt with very sceptically.

But there are all sorts of journalism

 

[Shevek]

It's not journalism, PR or marketing, but with your interest in social anthropology, have you considered qualitative social research?

I read a book by an anthropologist called Sarah Pink called Doing Visual Anthropology. She did a research project for unilever which involved studying people in their own homes. It was partly anthropological/partly commercial and she did it in conjunction with a psychology orientated market research company. I have thought about getting some work experience with one of those companies, probably down in London. Id have to pay to stay over in London for a week but I wouldn't mind if it got me some experience. I am not a great fan of doing commercial stuff generally but if it provides a means to and end in terms of furthering my academic career I dont mind. It would also show I had applied anthropological training outside academia.

 

[Shevek]

Shelley said 'the poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world'. Benjamin Zephaniah said 'the advertisers are the unacknowledged legislators of the world'.

 

[beeboo]

I read a book by an anthropologist called Sarah Pink called Doing Visual Anthropology. She did a research project for unilever which involved studying people in their own homes. It was partly anthropological/partly commercial and she did it in conjunction with a psychology orientated market research company. I have thought about getting some work experience with one of those companies, probably down in London. Id have to pay to stay over in London for a week but I wouldn't mind if it got me some experience. I am not a great fan of doing commercial stuff generally but if it provides a means to and end in terms of furthering my academic career I dont mind. It would also show I had applied anthropological training outside academia.

There's plenty of research that is done for the public sector / third sector that might float your boat - I don't think it's a case of unilever or academia, there's plenty in between, and lots of these research organisations have ties to academics as well.

If your main goal is to stick with anthropology, I'm not sure I'd suggest journalism, marketing or PR as your 'stop gap', given that all three are highly competitive industries swamped with people for whom it is their life's ambition, not a means to an end.

If you want to save money towards a phd, why work for an industry where you might have to work for free, when you can work an industry where you'll get paid a reasonably amount from the get-go?

 

[Shevek]

There's plenty of research that is done for the public sector / third sector that might float your boat - I don't think it's a case of unilever or academia, there's plenty in between, and lots of these research organisations have ties to academics as well.

If your main goal is to stick with anthropology, I'm not sure I'd suggest journalism, marketing or PR as your 'stop gap', given that all three are highly competitive industries swamped with people for whom it is their life's ambition, not a means to an end.

If you want to save money towards a phd, why work for an industry where you might have to work for free, when you can work an industry where you'll get paid a reasonably amount from the get-go?

Do you know anything about getting into these kinds of work?

 

[ovaltina]

s'well known that a hell of a lot of journos take PR releases and regurgitate them in house style without checking facts.

True, and in my day as a journo you'd have been in big trouble for being so lazy/half-hearted, but these days there are journalists and there are battery journalists, and your average local newspaper bod is too excited to see their name printed over their boring, pointless story to care whether its actually a true representation of what's going on.

I've been in the industry for about ten years, first as a journo and now as a public sector pr, and it's interesting to see how bad things have got. The local newspaper industry is pretty much fked, and the people who call themselves reporters now are generally public school kids who can afford to live on the shit 11k/13k salaries paid by papers, who are doing it "for love not money". That's coz they get the money off their fucking parents.

There's more spin in yer average newspaper story than you'd ever see in a mid-rank govt press release. They're out to get noticed - to make an impact, and they're not bothered if they tread on your toes to achieve that. Speaking from the other side of the fence, I find it sickening. Not to mention names *THE SUN*.

Anyway, yeah if you want to get into it as a career go ahead, it IS interesting, and you will learn a lot, but some of it's really shit. And you'll prob never make any money unless you cross into PR.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

You again!

Yeah, innit!

shevek, I suggest you do a search of old threads you've started and read advice that previously given you about the same thing. and check to see if you have any of the old pms as well.

Not repeating myself - again - sorry.

 

[Onslow]

I have decided to pursue a career in journalism/PR/marketing partly becuase I already have some work experience in these areas and partly because it fits in with things I am interested in. My partner is a journalist by trade and runs his own TV and radio production company so there might be scope to do research for his company.

Your partner has been a journalist and runs his own TV and radio production company, but between you both, you can't figure out how to go about getting into either Journalism...PR....or Marketing

 

[trashpony]

I think it's a bit optimistic thinking that you can do freelance pr/marketing/journalism given that you've got not much skills or experience. I suspect there are some people kicking around with a lot more skills than you at the mo tbh

 

[Zorra]

I think it's a bit optimistic thinking that you can do freelance pr/marketing/journalism given that you've got not much skills or experience. I suspect there are some people kicking around with a lot more skills than you at the mo tbh

^^^ This. Sorry.

I also get a bit when people suggest doing these things with not-for-profit as an 'easy' way in - I work with NFPs and we get literally hundreds of applications for all positions, including unpaid work...

If you just want to spend a year earning some money and want to find work through your partner (and why not), I can't think of what advice you'd actually need from us lot?