The newsroom is often portrayed by Hollywood as the centre of news action and a place of independence. After recently completing a work experience in a television newsroom, I'm starting to doubt the free will of journalists at large and find myself looking at news releases as the major source of news for newsrooms.
Does the image of a media release create a different version to what we have conjured in our own minds of how journalists find their stories?
I find it somewhat disappointing that the morning check of an email now directs a journalist as to what stories will be selected for the broadcast at the end of the business day. Understandably some days are slow in terms of news stories but what I really found amusing was journalists referring to PR practitioners as 'hacks'. But when a journalist needs that 'hack' there is little complaint.
