It’s often said that the good PRs are those with the ability to think like a journalist. But let’s cut to the chase: ultimately, are the best PRs those who could actually be a journalist?

It’s a viewpoint that makes logical sense. To be really good at your job of securing publicity and tweaking media output to create influence for clients, you need to second-guess the motivations of individual journalists. You need to be able to write like them. You need their news sense. You need to understand their competition and the commercial agenda of their publisher.

If you can do all that with your eyes shut, surely you could actually do the journalist’s job? Probably.

So here’s a contentious point: are the best PR people those who could cut it as hacks, and should the industry be doing more to develop news skills rather than the routine PR training packages? Journalism as an industry may be shrinking, but as agencies move from largely doing media relations to doing proper public relations, the ability to understand news drivers as you engage with audiences directly is more important then ever.

I’ve been in PR for 14 years since switching from journalism and can honestly say that I’ve met and worked with PRs who could comfortably cut it as hacks on any UK newspaper, radio station or TV news show. Then again, I’ve come across swathes of PRs who wouldn’t have a bloody clue how to be a journalist and wouldn’t know a story if it jumped up and sunk its teeth in their fleshy arse.

Equally, I have mates who are journalists who would make great PRs, and mates who are journalists who would be the world’s worst PR people, regardless of their news prowess. Plus I’ve worked with clients who I think would make good journalists.

Conclusion: the best PRs are those who could turn their hands to journalism tomorrow, and have the commercial nouse and self control required to counsel clients.