“Everything Else is Public Relations” How Rural Journalists Draw the Boundary Between Journalism and Public Relations in Rural Communities
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2024
Abstract
Rural journalists are news professionals, but also citizens engaged in their communities. The function and purpose of local journalism and public relations have become interdependent as media and communication has become more digital. These relationships create some tensions and it is in this environment that rural journalists make daily choices to cover a story or run prepared content provided by an outside source. Through the lens of boundary work, this study explores how (N = 33) self-identifying rural journalists navigated this gray area and walked the line between creating authentic journalistic content and publishing public relations content. We found that in principle they identified stark boundaries between public relations and rural journalism based on journalistic norms, but in practice these journalists were often put in a position to engage in public relations work to support their communities.
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
Mass Communication and Society
First Page
332
Last Page
359
Recommended Citation
Perreault, M., Fargen Walsh, J., Lincoln, L., Perreault, G., & Moon, R. (2024). “Everything Else is Public Relations” How Rural Journalists Draw the Boundary Between Journalism and Public Relations in Rural Communities. Mass Communication and Society, 27 (2), 332-359. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2023.2243920