臺灣記者轉職公關領域之研究：職涯規畫及角色轉換觀點

Abstract

Robbins（1993）曾指出，最容易有工作倦怠的人常是那些最優秀、最聰明和最具高度動機的人。隨著媒體大環境的改變，許多臺灣資深新聞記者開始思考人生的下一步，以及個人生涯規畫的藍圖，這幾年，轉職進入企業擔任公關一職，或是被延攬進入政府部門，成為新聞聯絡人或發言人，有愈來愈多的趨勢，但在轉職過程中所衍生的角色轉換及心態調適，也成了臺灣記者轉職公關成功與否的首要課題。 本研究採用深度訪談法及焦點團體法：深度訪談了五位平均媒體專業年資為13.8年，而現轉職擔任公關領域人員的前資深新聞記者們，行業別涵蓋了運輸交通業、速食餐飲業、高科技代工業、百貨購物業，資通產業、政治公關等，同時輔以次級資料，歸納出臺灣記者轉職公關領域的角色轉換，以及其因應之道；有鑒於過去針對記者與公關人員之研究，並未有從資深公關及僱主面，來探討記者轉職公關後的優勢與劣勢，本研究另外又以焦點團體法，訪談兩位完全沒有媒體經驗的資深專業公關，以及一位晉用記者轉職公關發言人的地方縣市首長，希望透過三角檢測（triangulation）能從不同面向了解臺灣記者轉職公關時的整個情境，以提升研究的信度與效度。 研究結果顯示，記者轉職公關的確在新聞議題的掌握，及豐沛人脈上有一定優勢，但如何放低身段，融入企業文化，並充實自己在語言及財務分析上的專業，維持在擔任記者時的熱情與衝勁，成了轉職成功的要件。冀望透過本研究，提供目前正打算轉職公關領域的臺灣記者們在未來職涯規畫時，能有參考的依據。As Robbins (1993) noted, workers most likely to be “burned out” by work are those who are the most exemplary, intelligent, and highly ambitious. Following huge changes in the media environment, many senior reporters in Taiwan began to consider the next steps in their lives and future careers. In recent years, the increasing trend has been for these reporters to transition into the public relations sector or the government sector as media contacts or spokespersons. However, as roles and attitudes change as a result of these professional transitions, acclimating to these changes has become a major key to success. This study uses in-depth interview and focus group methods on the following targets of research: five former senior news reporters with a mean career-age of 13.8 years who have since transitioned into a new professional role in the public relations field. Their current roles as public relations personnel are in disciplines including transportation and freight, fast food and beverages, high tech subcontracting (OEM), department store sales, telecommunications, and governmental public relations. In supplement to this I have also used secondary data to draw up a summary of the ways in which Taiwan’s news reporters have switched their roles and which methods they have used to adapt to these transitions. Past studies of news reporters and public relations workers have ignored the advantages and disadvantages of the transition of reporters into public relations from the vantage point of senior public relations workers and employers; it is this gap that this study seeks to fill. I also seek in this study to use focus group methods to interview senior public relations workers with no previous experience in the news media field, also included is a senior government official at the local city-county level who promoted a news reporter to the role of spokesperson. I rely on triangulation methods in this study to more deeply understand the overall situation of the transition from news reporting to public relations in Taiwan, and thus ensure the reliability and validity of this research. My research results show that such a transition does have its advantages for those news reporters who have a clear grasp of news topics and who have a solid professional network on which they can rely. However, it becomes a crucial point of success or failure that reporters are able to humbly enter into a corporate culture while bolstering their language and financial analysis skills and maintaining the enthusiasm and initiative they had as reporters. It is my sincere hope that this study will be of referential use to reporters in Taiwan facing this sort of transition in their careers and their lives.