Inaccuracy, breaking embargoes and vague requests have been named in a list of things journalists do which annoy PR workers.

It comes just days after the Buzzword Report revealed the results of a survey of journalists across the UK about what PR tactics annoyed them most – Americanisms, nagging phone calls and corporate jargon being among the worst offenders.

But while recognising that people in her field can be “a bit annoying”, PR worker Lorna Gozzard has now written a blog for trade magazine PR Week from the other end of the phone line.

Based on her own experiences and those of her friends and colleagues, the article criticises journalists’ manners first and foremost.

Writes Lorna:  “We know journalists are busy and important. We know we sometimes call with something you’re not interested in or at a bad time (though we really do try our best to avoid it).

“But there’s no excuse for being really rude. There are a lot of truly busy and important journalists out there who never behave like that.”

However, she also points out that being nice just to spare the PRs feelings is often counterproductive – a journalist feigning interest in a story often just means their client ends up looking for coverage which is never going to appear.

It also, she warns, means PR workers may send similar items in future rather than more suitable stories.

Accuracy and breaking embargoes on stories are two more bugbears listed, in addition to unreasonable demands made on tight deadlines.

“We know deadlines can be tight. But when a journalist comes to us at no notice, with a massive list of very specific things they need, it is nice to least appreciate that we might not be able to get you them all,” she adds.

“Also, unclear and vague requests can waste a lot of time – if there’s one thing that can be said about PRs, they’re always happy to chat to journalists who aren’t quite sure what they want, so try giving us the chance to work out what’s possible with you.”

The full blog post can be found here.