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by Erika Belezarian

When I tell people I changed careers from being a journalist to becoming a public relations practitioner, I usually get one of two reactions: a nod of recognition from those on either side of the business, or surprise. Many don’t understand why I would’ve left a “glamorous” career in broadcast news, what public relations is, or how journalism and PR share a skillset.

After 11 years in news, I’d done just about everything: covered high school football championships and school board meetings, mayoral and gubernatorial campaigns across multiple states, trained with a fire department’s academy class, and even won an Emmy reporting in a blizzard. I told stories of heartbreak, like a limo crash that claimed an entire generation of one family; of shock when a quiet town in Upstate New York was rocked by an FBI investigation into a cult with famous members; and of resilience, like how local businesses survived the pandemic. I anchored newscasts from my apartment during a global pandemic, gave voice to terrified nurses denied N-95 masks during shortages, and showed how teachers met in driveways to help their students.

Over the years, I wrote for print and digital, produced TV newscasts, and reported both in the field and anchored news and sports in-studio. In broadcast, I was often tasked with researching and pitching my own stories, setting up interviews, shooting and editing my own video, writing the stories, and presenting them on-air. On major stories, our editorial team would brainstorm together how two or three of us could cover various angles of the same story and why they mattered to our community. Then, we’d work in tandem to find the right sources, share contacts, and build relationships to tell those stories.

The skills I relied on daily weren’t just “journalism skills.” They’re communication skills.

Making the Transition

My experience across the communications spectrum made the transition into PR feel both natural and challenging. Natural because journalists are trained to find, shape, and tell stories that matter. Challenging because PR adds a layer of strategy, business goals, and an entirely different audience lens that you rarely consider in a newsroom. And, while working in PR for B2B tech companies is much different than squeezing an entire story into 15 inches in a newspaper column or 90 seconds on a 6 p.m. newscast, the foundational skills carry over.

Shared Foundations

At the core of both journalism and PR is storytelling. In the newsroom, stories inform, engage, or hold people or organizations accountable. In my new PR world, stories connect businesses and organizations with the audiences that matter most. The goals may differ, but the mechanics are the same: find the human angle, shape the narrative, and deliver it in a way that resonates.

Former journalists bring an instinct for what makes a story newsworthy. We’ve been trained to cut through noise, focus on clarity, and capture attention quickly — whether through a headline, a hook in our first few sentences, a visual, or a catchy email subject line. We also understand pacing, structure, and balancing facts with emotion.

Beyond storytelling, the overlap in skills is undeniable: sharp writing and editing, strong research and fact-checking habits, the ability to build relationships, and navigate important conversations with various stakeholders — whether it’s a sitting state governor, the CEO of a major corporation, or a main client contact. Former journalists are comfortable under deadline pressure and understand the realities of a rapidly changing media landscape — what editors need, what reporters won’t touch, and how to craft a pitch that doesn’t end up in the trash.

These shared foundations are why transitioning into PR often feels like less of a career pivot and more of an evolution. While there is always plenty to learn and opportunity to grow as public relations continues its own transformation, former journalists are simply applying their craft in a new context: one where the story must not only be told, but strategically positioned to enhance brand awareness and establish credibility – and most of all – drive business outcomes.

The Learning Curve

Of course, there are adjustments. The biggest learning curve comes in shifting from “just the facts” to messaging that supports a broader narrative, or storytelling that supports a larger integrated campaign. But with support, those adjustments come quickly.

Former journalists bring far more than the ability to churn out a press release. They have a knack for uncovering authentic stories and anticipating how those stories will resonate across different stakeholders. Great storytellers can adapt a single narrative through multiple lenses — whether it’s framing for a national outlet, tailoring for a company’s corporate office, or making it matter to the local community where a company’s manufacturing plant resides.

The very skills that once served readers and viewers now help organizations build credibility, earn trust, and ultimately, gain visibility.

How Journalists Make an Impact in PR

The skills journalists hone don’t disappear when a newsroom shrinks. They transfer, often seamlessly, into PR and integrated communications. At a moment when journalism jobs are vanishing — down roughly 75% since 2002, from about 40 journalists per 100,000 residents to just 8.2 today — more talented reporters are considering what’s next.

The takeaway is simple: journalists already have an expert toolkit for public relations. Adding one to a PR team means gaining a storyteller who brings a newsroom perspective that helps organizations connect with their audiences in authentic, compelling ways.