What do you do if your reporting accuracy depends on collaborating with public relations professionals?

I know both sides, that of PR and that of journalism. As a journalist, it is important to adopt a kind of basic scepticism towards information from PR agencies. Because, of course, it is clear that PR agencies always work on behalf of someone who wants to appear in the best possible light. On the other hand, journalists often only have little or no time to verify information through research. However, if the journalistic instinct tells you that something is not right, then you have to research and check. Journalists owe this to their readers.

PR agencies are rarely the "opponents" of journalists. They work on behalf of someone who wants to appear as positive as possible. Nevertheless, PR agencies are usually interested in a good working relationship with journalists. In this respect, the best way forward is to work well together.

As a former publicist, I understand deeply that there are PR houses that are ethical, and some that are not. Every business / journalist should assume that a PR firm is going to be ethical, AND they should also express that dedication to ethics and accuracy from the start. Express your expectations at the start and notice when publicists take the blame if they make a mistake - and when they try to BS you. Luckily, most journalists have a great BS meter, and keep that dialed up when you are meeting new publicists. Publicity is one step away from advertising - and too many step over that line. Ensuring statements are factual and using resources to fact-check is vital as you are getting to know publicists.

Unfortunately, I am seeing more and more often that those who are being reported on by journalists would like to have an article sent to them "for approval". That is crossing the line (at least in Germany). However, I myself think that you only need to point out the law in individual cases. Often another "excuse" helps, to kindly point out to the other person that it is unfortunately not feasible to proofread the article.

Establish realistic deadlines that enable the successful execution of each of the tasks that make up the report, understanding the feasibility of deadlines and considering the quality of the expected work.

Yes. Cultivating relationships is crucial. In my time, I have enjoyed access to many hard-to-gets through my relationships with PR people. It doesn’t take a journalist long to figure out which relationships are worth developing, and which are not. Take a PR person to lunch, or out for a drink. You’ll know by the authenticity of the conversation whether the relationship is worth pursuing. Any PR person who was always in “sell sell sell” mode never got too far with me. That said, be careful with quid pro quos. Exchanging favours with PR people can lead to huge reputational damage, or job loss. A good PR person would never put you in that position.

As a journalist and client, be sure to look for that word - ethical - and other words like honest and truthful - on their websites. You may see 'award-winning' or 'great results!' - but the publicists you want to work with say things like: "We are a band of strategists, storytellers and data nerds obsessed with helping Davids crush a sea of Goliaths, through unfair amounts of awareness." The educated publicist is the one you want to cultivate relationships with - because that means they have already asked their clients the hard questions that you want to and need to ask. The educated publicist is prepared, and you will enjoy working with them. Cultivate those relationships as those people will often lead you to great stories!

That's actually the beauty of being a journalist: good relationships with everyone, but with a polite distance if necessary. Independence of spirit is extremely important for journalists.

Journalists should always adopt a neutral stance. This means maintaining a natural distance from everything and a healthy closeness at the same time. This also means that sources are always checked for their value and compared with other sources.