Quinnipiac University professor Ben Bogardus’ July op-ed, “Stop the Newsroom to Government Revolving Door,” continues to stir debate over the impact that journalists-turned-spokespeople have on the journalism business. The latest rebuttal, posted in today’s CT Mirror, comes all the way from Oklahoma.
In a piece entitled “Treat Journalists Better to Avoid Moves to Public Relations,” Charlie Hannema, a former journalist who now directs public relations for an OK school district, argues that the frustration expressed by Bogardus would be better directed at the management of giant news corporations who insist on significantly underpaying talented reporters and journalists. As Hannema aptly put it, ” I have yet to find one who left a job in news to take less money or a worse work environment.”
