An international study of social media and its role within journalism and the journalist - PR practitioner relationship

Many public relations texts acknowledge that the journalist-public relations practitioner is an important and inter-dependent one and has therefore long been a source of interest and investigation (e.g. Sallot and Johnson 2006). With a changing media and online communications environment, traditional PR practices are increasingly including social media to enhance their media relations. This study compares and contrasts patterns of social media use by journalists in eight countries and their communication methods with PR practitioners. Findings indicate widespread and growing use of social media by international journalists for a range of professional tasks.