Hiring mid- to senior-level staff with journalism backgrounds is nothing new for PR firms. However, agency executives are increasingly looking at recent graduates of journalism schools to fill junior-level positions.

Theresa McDonnell, EVP and chief consumer strategist at Kaplow, says the demand “is somewhat heightened” as the industry adjusts to the client expectations created by social media and content generation.

“Every brand today is like its own media company,” she explains. “There is a demand in-house ...