However let me ask you to clarify Ken. Are you posing that PR and corporate communications resources are going to be providing a variety of formats for the new newsroom? Or that the new newsroom will be comprised of PR and corporate communicators? Sorry just want to make sure, and good to see you are on twitter too.

Aside from your answer, we both agree that PR and corporate communicators that don’t practice ethical standards across our profession don’t serve themselves, journalists, or the client.

At times PR professionals are called to be the conscience of the company. One of the most respected PR advisors in our field Howard Rubenstein commented at a recent Bulldog Reporter Media Relations Summit, that on numerous occasions he has advised clients that tell the truth is the best PR path.

I’ll get into other aspects of PR and journalism in a longer blog post. To conclude on this topic I believe Chris O’brien’s work is wonderful and will serve as a guidepost to young journalists. I believe the new newsroom will give PR professionals abundant opportunity to be responsive to journalists’ needs, open a dialogue with the community, and articulate their position’s in the most effective formats.

It seems like PR firms and corporate marketing have a great opportunity to supply the research and media content that newsrooms need — but this also raises the responsibility PR professionals have to not just “be the media” on behalf of their organizations, but maintain the high ethical standards of journalism as well.