Opinion

Scary PROs: Just shoot me!

An IT journalist doesn`t have to duck missiles or anything, but facing a PRO on the warpath can be pretty scary. And a missile usually can`t track you down at home on a Sunday afternoon.

01 May 2003

Being an IT journalist isn`t tough like, say, being a war correspondent is tough; but we have our little tribulations. For example, it`s trying if the network crashes at deadline time. And people actually stand up and stomp around in a threatening manner when the Internet connection is slow. But the most frightening aspect of the job is when a determined press relations officer (PRO), working on commission, decides a new gizmo (or something) deserves lead story coverage.

But then there`s the other kind of PRO. The scary kind. The Scary PRO will bombard you with calls demanding placement of a news release until you mutter something that sounds like acquiescence to make her go away. Then she (usually she) will become threatening when the release is not published immediately, exactly as submitted, and on the cover page.

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