In an article published on France Culture's website titled “Journalists Becoming Communicators,” journalist Frédéric Says mentions the 'Great Wall of China' that separates the two professions. On one side, journalism, which informs the public and is sanctioned by the Brachard Law of 1935; on the other, communication, promoting a product or service.
Nevertheless, these domains continually intersect. Communicators chase after journalists, while journalists use communicators to access people and information they seek. To the extent that some end up changing sides.
"I learned to face rejection."
Klervi Dalibot, 33, spent over eight years with the Warner group in press relations and marketing. Since September 2022, she works as a television journalist for France 3 and Euronews. "I didn't leave because I was fed up," she clarifies. "I wasn't interested in climbing vertically, becoming a communications director; I wanted more content." Always drawn to writing, she aimed to transition to journalism for some years. The pandemic accelerated things. Klervi enrolled in a retraining program at ESJ Montpellier, specializing in television. "It was now or never," she says. Two internships, one at FranceInfo and another at France 3 Ile-de-France, confirmed her decision. "I discovered a passion for current events, for diverse topics. I need intellectual stimulation," highlights the new journalist.
The notable difference from communication lies in the content itself. She explains, "I don't do advertorials; I don't create reports to please someone." However, her years of experience at Warner were not in vain. "I learned to make phone calls and face rejection," she recalls, amused. Beyond the writing skills developed during those years, Klervi uses her knowledge of communication mechanisms for her new job. "It helps me decipher the language elements of press officers and better identify a communicator's discourse," she analyzes. She adds, "I always try to be friendly with PRs, to send them the link of a story when it's published. I know the effort it takes."
"Bringing Companies into the Press"
"You're the last person I saw doing communication," one of his former colleagues at Le Monde said to Adrien de Tricornot, 53, following his career change. However, after 30 years in journalism, having worked for L'Expansion, Le Monde, and Xerfi Canal, he now serves as a director at the corporate communication agency Ulysse Communication. "A flashy title," as he puts it, involving client management, writing press releases, arguments, op-eds, and pitching topics to journalists. Nicolas Daniels, also a former journalist and founder of the agency, specifies: "Our job is to bring companies into the press. We help them create news. Journalists' skills serve this purpose, constructing a narrative."
Adrien enjoys his new role ("I'm perceived as much more relaxed now that I'm not a journalist; it seems to suit me"), yet he knows that turning back will be difficult. "My former colleagues at Le Monde didn't judge me harshly, but they believe that once you leave journalism, there's no way back," he acknowledges.
Finding normalcy and professional stability
A better balance between professional and personal life led Cassien, 29, to abandon his job as a video journalist for TF1's news broadcast in favor of communication. "I was passionate about the job, being dependent on current events, being on the field. But it was very difficult to plan things because I could be called at the last moment to go anywhere in France or Europe. I loved it, but it was going to kill me," he points out. Besides job insecurity, the succession of fixed-term contracts that led to unemployment during the first lockdown made Cassien decide not to return when the situation improved.
Now a content manager on a permanent contract at BNP Paribas Real Estate, he handles the company's external corporate websites and various editorial publications. Does he miss the journalistic freedom of expression? "I've never faced saying things I didn't want to. Indeed, I'm less factual now than when I was a journalist; today, I use more superlatives when writing. But I've never worked for Mediapart or Le Canard Enchaîné, where they conduct major investigations. At TF1, the freedom of expression was relative as I was assigned a topic and went with it. I respected their editorial line," he explains.
"I Feel More Aligned"
Unlike Cassien, Laure, 35, a web journalist for L'ADN, found it liberating to reconnect with a certain freedom of expression. "It drained my energy to stay polite and cordial. We benefit from significant freedom of expression in the press. It was my dream for a long time," she recalls. Employed at a PR agency, Laure resigned after a journalist yelled at her and a client sent a “hateful email.” A journalism course at Street School later, she found herself on the other side of the wall. A past that became empirical experience. "Now I receive press releases announcing the appointment of a marketing director for a meat industry, even though it's not my subject. But it's not their fault; they lack time to do their job," she indicates.
Even though she halved her salary, Laure doesn't regret her former life and concludes, "I feel much more aligned."
Matthieu Maurer (Contributeur)