By now you've all heard about Jennifer Eymère, the fashion editor of Jalouse magazine, who slapped a PR during a moment of New York Fashion Week madness. My initial reaction was one of sympathy -for Jennifer Eymère. Most journalists have wanted to slap a PR at one time or another. Fashion press attachés are often particularly slap-worthy.
But let's not condone violence. Let's talk instead about the vexed relationship between PR people -or press attachés, or publicists- and journalists. The simple fact is that we need one another. They need us to talk about their companies and products, and we need them to provide us with content. That is particularly true of fashion magazines, which are essentially catalogues of clothing and accessories.
But there are problems on both sides. Journalists are overworked, plagued by deadlines and have an inflated idea of their power. In some cases, they become egotistical monsters with a cynical streak. PR people are obsessed with painting a flattering picture of their clients and persuading the media to adopt their carefully spun messages. In some cases, they become control freaks with an inferiority complex. Most of the time, the two sides balance one another out, resulting in a strange Cold War in which the opponents smile blandly and pretend to be friends. Until there's a conflict of interests. Then the drama begins.
