A move to the bright side? When journalism is invited into internal communication

Purpose
Journalists moving into corporate communication have for many years been regarded as a move to the “dark side”. This paper turns the lens to explore how trained journalists working as internal communication practitioners due to their journalistic self-concept and skills can contribute to internal communication.

Methodology
An interview study was conducted with twelve trained journalists working with internal communication in different types of organizations. Three indicators of professionalism, namely autonomy, altruism, and expert knowledge, were used as categories to structure the interviews and analysis.

Findings
The respondents perceived that their journalistic self-concept and skills helped them identify the employee perspective, write relevant stories, and deliver them quickly. Furthermore, their courage and lack of fear of authorities enabled them to challenge decisions made by their senior managers, especially regarding how, what, and when to communicate.

Research implications
The three indicators of the journalist profession, – autonomy, altruism and journalistic knowledge and skills – may help establish internal communication that is relevant, transparent and trustworthy.

Practical implications
Organizations may benefit from building their internal communication around the three indicators of the journalist profession. They could, for example, host independent internal media that present the employees’ perspective and maintain a critical attitude to the organization in a relevant and compelling manner.

Originality/value
Few studies have explored the role of journalists working as internal communication practitioners and their contributions to internal communication.

Paper type: Research paper