I am the press officer of Ireland’s leading electronic music brand and write numerous press releases every week for our different events. It seems many newspaper reporters like to copy and paste my press releases on to their publication’s website and put their byline on top of it. Just wondering if this happens to anyone else? It happens to me on a weekly basis, though it doesn’t bother me too much. I guess you should look at it as a compliment as opposed to anything else.
Press releases very often get used that way. When you distribute one, you're essentially giving others the right to publish it as-is or do as they will with it to turn it into their own story. Just life in the PR industry. It's lazy journalism, but there's actually nothing wrong with it.
Yes, that is why I don't mind them doing it. However, if someone was to search the internet, find an article I had been comissioned to write, copied it and put their byline on it I would not feel the same way Just wondering if the later has ever happened to anyone on here?
I have not had that happen...yet. I found another "writer" doing that. I had been following his blog (he was a horrible writer, it was kind of like looking at an accident) and all of the sudden, his writing improved significantly. I decided to Google random sentences from his newer blog posts and, sure enough, he was posting other people's work as though it was his own. I guess that's just what we have to deal with now. I don't want to think about how I'll feel if it should happen to me.
When I see people stealing my articles, I definitely mind it. I contact their advertisers (they'll shut down accounts if they're violating the TOS), the search engines (to have the stolen content de-indexed), and their hosts (to try to have the content removed forcefully if they don't comply to a C&D on their own in 48 hours).
I have written many press releases that have been literally copied and pasted under a reporter's name, and I love it. Whenever a reputable news source allows me the freedom to craft an entire piece for my client, I have control of what is being said, and, as such, it is always in the most positive light possible. Clients hire you to get them positive coverage, not to collect bylines. At least that's how I feel about press releases. Blog content or articles may be different.
I guess your goal in writing the press release is to pick up as much publicity as you can, so them putting it in their paper would be a positive, right?
I agree. Though it is pretty lazy. I'd like to think that no self-respecting journalist would do that, but I don't think there are any left.