Five things entrepreneurs must know about journalists, but are often clueless about

When entrepreneurs zig, journalists zag.

That’s how wide the gulf between the two worlds are.

Journalists are essentially publicity whores that live in a fast-paced work environment, rushing to and fro to cover scandal after scandal.

Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, often live for years in obscurity before getting their big break — the makers of Draw Something are a good example. A lot of them, unfortunately, will remain forever mired in the bog of insignificance.

And when journalists and entrepreneurs work together, it’s often an uneasy, contentious symbiosis. Entrepreneurs complain of being misquoted and misrepresented by journalists, while journalists gripe about being arm-twisted to write an article a certain way.

But it doesn’t always have to be this way. Having some tension is natural, and a healthy working relationship is attainable.

Entrepreneurs and journalists do need one another, so understanding both sides is an essential first step to making the partnership work.

Having lived and breathed in a newsroom environment in both the print and online world, I thought it’s time I share five things entrepreneurs must know about journalists, but unfortunately, are often clueless about.

1) We are not your public relations slaves

Nothing irritates a journalist more than being asked to show a newsmaker the entire article before it gets published. It impinges upon our fierce sense of independence and the need to write an article as we see fit (until, at least, our fire-breathing editors dismember our articles).

As an entrepreneur, understand that journalists are not doing public relations for your company. Our readers come first. It’s not our duty to sugar coat a story until it suffers death by diabetes.

Journalists that propagandize their articles have no credibility. And with no credibility, publications die, unless being a tabloid is their ambition.

Nonetheless, as an entrepreneur, you have the right to demand that journalists check their facts or quotes with you before the story gets published. Changes can still be made, although some bits may be deemed non-negotiable by the journalist. For instance, a particular quote may be so central to the story that it cannot be retracted.