The Hippo, the Oxpecker, and the Truth About PR and Journalism

In sub-Saharan Africa, an interesting relationship takes place hippos and oxpecker birds (honestly, bear with me on this one). The hippo needs help with the ticks and parasites that live on its skin and the oxpeckers help out by picking off the parasites and eating them.

The oxpeckers get what they want – a tasty meal. And the hippo gets cleaner, healthier skin. It’s a win-win situation. It's impossible to say whether either species values the other—but each undoubtedly plays a vital role in the other's wellbeing.

This example of mutualism often comes to mind when people talk about the relationship between journalists and PRs. It’s a case of mutuality, without question, but there’s often a simmering animosity between the two. To generate truly effective PR you need to understand the needs of both sides. And that’s where Flourish excels.

Having spent the best part of my career zig-zagging from being a hippo to an oxpecker and back again, I have the unique perspective of being able to understand the concerns of both sides – as well as how to overcome them.



My degree was in multi-media journalism, enabling me to hop between print, radio and TV roles. I worked for a decade and a half as a journalist in mainstream media – print and broadcast. After my degree I was BBC trained and then spent 15 years working for companies like the BBC, ITV, Newsquest, Trinity Mirror and I produced content for everything from national newspapers and magazines, TV and radio, local media, national media and international media. I’ve worked for a really wide range of publications and channels but the point is - the principles of journalism remain the same regardless of medium.

What often goes unrecognised is that these are the very same principles behind good PR.

The two skills you need as a journalist are the ability to identify a story that people want to read – and tell it in a way that resonates with your audience. As a PR? It’s exactly the same two skills, with the added discipline of separating meaningful narrative from a client’s sales spin.

Neither journalism or PR are actually about selling – they’re about creating something people willingly want to read. Good PR helps you build your credibility, your authority and your influence; it raises awareness of who you are and what you do, amplifies your voice and steers your narrative. It tells your story and makes people want to buy from you. It should never be about shouting at them that they should. 

What often goes unrecognised is that these are the very same principles behind good PR.

For both industries, the desire to pitch, write and publish stories that inform and engage is the driving force. At Flourish, we don’t just ‘sell-in’ stories - we shape them with the same editorial instinct that drives a good newsroom. We know what journalists need because we’ve been in their shoes, and we know what clients need because we’re right there beside them. That’s how we build PR that works.

It’s not about spin. It’s about meaningful stories that resonate - and yes, we’re willing to eat a few parasites if that’s what it takes. At the end of the day, we value the rare and hard-earned relationship with have with hippos. And what’s even rarer…they value the relationship they have with us.