Top Fashion Journalist Says the Hack/Flack Game Has Changed

“Whenever John Fairchild, the legendary god of Fairchild Publications, was asked for his own job description, his answer proved quick and succinct: ‘I’m a reporter.'”

It’s not like that anymore, though—at least not according to this WWD report on publicists behaving…differently.

Fashion journalist Bridget Foley writes that brands in her space have increased their efforts to actively control the narrative, becoming a little less human in the process.

Foley’s biggest irritation came from an encounter with a rep who insisted that a writerly icon take his seat (before being directed to do so) at an awards show rather than spend a minute speaking to another WWD reporter covering the event.

But she has several other key points:

• Certain designers no longer want to be included in features with “miscellaneous celebrities”, even if those celebs happen to be named Lagerfeld and Lauren.