Category Archives: The Media
Study Shows We Want More News!
by Robin Embry on March 22, 2012 | no comments
in Media Relations, The Media, Writing
Is there a glimmer of hope for the rapidly declining news media industry? The ninth edition of the State of the News Media was released this week by Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, and the trends and key findings are definitely worthy of note. For the past several years the report has focused on the downward spiral of the news industry and the rise of technology. This year is a little more of the same except, according to the study, news is becoming more important to people. This could be a small silver lining for journalists and newspapers.
Our appetite for news is indeed growing, but there is a continuous shift in how we want to receive it…not necessarily a strike against the industry. More than a quarter of the population now gets news from mobile devices, and this trend is responsible for a nine percent increase in traffic to major newspaper sites last year. Thanks to apps and direct newspaper home page visits on our phones, access to news is easier than ever and it’s having a positive impact on news sites.
Another interesting trend is that, for the first time in almost a decade, the three main broadcast television networks saw an increase (4.5%) in news viewership, and CNN experienced a 16 percent increase. At the local level, the morning and evening news ratings grew for the first time in five years. Again, positive news.
It seems print media is quickly trying to respond to our thirst for easily accessible online information. In fact, the Pew Report projects that in the next several months we will see more than 100 more publications join the existing 150 publications that have moved to a digital subscription.
Our hunger for news is growing, and it seems like the industry is making small steps forward. The questions is: has the industry already fallen so far behind in technology and lack of engagement with its audience that an unpromising future is already decided? An excerpt from the Pew Report overview says, {A year ago we wrote here: “The news industry, late to adapt and culturally more tied to content creation than engineering, finds itself more a follower than leader shaping its business.” In 2012, that phenomenon has grown.”}
Reporters across the country have been writing about this all week in publications like Forbes, The Chicago Tribune and The Washington Times. There are different opinions about the findings, but most agree that the future of the news industry is most certainly uncertain. To learn more about the 2012 State of the News Media results, click here.
The Golden Rule Applies Online, Too: Social Media and Civility
by Dana Coleman on February 28, 2012 | 1 comment
in Facebook, Social Media, The Media
A Washington D.C. reporter’s recent series on underage drinking resulted in an unexpected and disturbing backlash as teens and their parents reacted with outrage. To be clear, their outrage wasn’t directed at the minors caught in the act, the merchants who’ve sold to underage drinkers for years or the parents who leapt to the defense of their law-breaking children; this venomous backlash was directed at the reporter for doing the story.
Upset teens flooded the TV station’s Facebook page and reporter Andrea McCarren received vulgar and threatening emails. In an interview with CBS news, she said: “It felt like an orchestrated Facebook and Twitter campaign of hate. People put my home address on the Internet. There were calls for revenge and retaliation against my family. I’m now in about my 27th year as a reporter and I have never seen anything like this.”
After taking herself off the air for a week, McCarren is back on the job and WUSA’s Facebook page today reflects tremendous support for her determination to continue her reporting on an important issue. But this episode certainly does make one pause and wonder, “What is wrong with people?” But more importantly, it should make us consider how we’d handle such a sudden and unexpected social media-driven attack against our own organizations.
The erosion of civility – both in our national public discourse and now increasingly reflected on social networking sites – is appalling. And recent studies by the Pew Internet & American Life Project on the social and emotional climate of social networking sites reveal how widespread the online problem has become. Pew found that 88 percent of social media-using teens have seen someone be mean or cruel on a social network site. And among American adults surveyed, while 85 percent said their social network site experiences have been mostly kind, 49 percent said they, too, have seen mean or cruel behavior displayed by others online.
Some commendable grassroots civility efforts have been launched in recent years to combat the erosion of civility, like the Oshkosh (Wis.) Civility Project. These community-based campaigns urge people to observe nine principles of civility that are good advice for both interpersonal and online communications:
- Pay attention
- Listen
- Be inclusive
- No gossiping
- Show respect
- Be agreeable
- Apologize
- Give constructive criticism
- Take responsibility
Another well-intentioned civility project failed spectacularly, however, when its founder called it quits after only three of 585 political leaders agreed to sign a pledge requiring them to promise:
- I will be civil in my public discourse and behavior.
- I will be respectful of others whether or not I agree with them.
- I will stand against incivility when I see it.
For those for whom the nine principles of civility or the three planks of the civility pledge are too much to remember, of course, there is a single guidepost that can steer us all right in our public discourse in any venue; it’s called the Golden Rule.
Has your organization been the subject of an attack via social media? If so, how did you respond? And if not, are you prepared to deal with the type of backlash WUSA and its reporter experienced? Share your thoughts on civil discourse with us. And remember, be nice!
Tales of Social Media, First Amendment Rights & Hackers
by Dana Coleman on August 23, 2011 | 2 comments
in Facebook, Social Media, The Media, Twitter
Social media, First Amendment and data security issues are interwoven in recent accounts of current events that raise fascinating concerns and questions.
In San Francisco, attempts were made to foil protesters planning to disrupt public transportation services when the Bay Area Rapid Transit authority temporarily interrupted cell service at several subway platforms. This unleashed a barrage of reaction and debate on both sides of the issue. Perhaps the most notable and certainly the most vicious group to take exception to BART’s action was the hacker group Anonymous, which attacked myBart.org, defacing the site and releasing personal information for 2,400 BART riders, and even organizing a subsequent demonstration.
It’s not only the vigilante group that is acting in the wake of BART’s decision to thwart protesters by disrupting cell service, however; the Federal Communications Council has also launched an investigation into the matter.
Was BART’s temporary shutdown reasonable given the public safety concerns of the transit authority, which designates free speech areas for public protests safely outside of its train and subway platforms? Were the free speech rights of the protesters violated? What about other riders who may have tried to reach a child, parent or even emergency services during the period cell service was disrupted? Was it worth the cost to attempt to prevent potentially dangerous protests?
While all these issues are sorted out, BART’s professional reputation has certainly been damaged. Policy-makers are questioning the organization’s decision-making and lack of leadership, some even comparing BART to former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, who shut down cell service in Tahrir Square in response to peaceful protests earlier this year.
Days before the San Francisco incident, social media was cast first as the villain and then as the hero across the pond in London. First, rioters utilized BlackBerry Messenger to organize days of extremely destructive and disturbing lawless acts. In the wake of the riots, however, volunteers have been recruited and massive cleanup efforts have been mobilized via Twitter and Facebook, redeeming social media’s role in this unfortunate episode in the eyes of Londoners and other observers.
Back in California, Anonymous is again making threats, this time in Fullerton where the vigilante organization seeks retaliation for the alleged beating death of a homeless schizophrenic man by Fullerton police. The Anonymous YouTube video is both fascinating and disturbing with its masked spokesperson, computer-modulated voice and demands.
So where will this tale end? Its conclusion is yet to be written. The debates surrounding the use of social media platforms to incite action, the use of cyber-attacks to exact vigilante justice and the threats to First Amendment rights and data security are too important, however, for any of us to ignore. Where do you stand on these issues? Which of these threats do you find most disturbing?
When it comes to working with reporters, relationships rule
by Erin Lawley on August 18, 2011 | 2 comments
in Media Relations, Networking, The Media, Uncategorized
There are many factors that determine whether a reporter covers a story. Is there a news hook? Is the story compelling? Is it relevant to that media outlet’s readers, listeners or viewers? And so on.
As a communications professional, you unfortunately can’t control all variables that determine whether a reporter covers your story. But one thing you can do to improve your chances is to get to know the reporter(s) in question. In my experience, reporters are more likely to pick up the phone or return an email if they’ve met the person on the other end of that communication than if a stranger contacted them about the same topic. And once you’ve had a positive work experience with a reporter – meaning the reporter got a good story – that journalist is even more likely to work with you again.
Here’s a little advice from a reporter turned PR-pro:
1. Identify the target(s)
Pick the publication or publications where you’d like to get some press. Then start reading so you can get a feel for the publication’s tone and topical preferences – and identify which is most likely to write the stories you’ll pitch. If you work for a health care company, find the health care reporters. If you work in finance, figure out who covers banking and finance and read up on the types of stories that reporter has written in the past.
2. Dangle the carrot (or … the cup of coffee or the sandwich)
Basically, send the reporter an email and offer to buy him something to eat or drink. Tell him you want to chat because you think you could be a good resource for him. Ethically, a lot of reporters can accept this sort of “gift” as long as it’s nominal (below $20), and most won’t turn down a chance to do so.
(This step is much more difficult if you and the reporter live in different cities. In that case, I suggest an introductory email that providing some brief information about what you do and a couple of timely and relevant topics you can speak to and/or a specific news story you will be able to pitch to that reporter in the near future. This will help the reporter become familiar with you and your work without feeling like they’re getting the hard sell.
From here, your relationship’s strength will be based solely upon the merits of your pitches and how easy you are to work with – i.e. how long it takes you to respond to questions and whether you provide substantive answers.)
3. Don’t push
Keep your date, and don’t lead with the hard sell. Ask the reporter how he got to his current position, what he covers, the kinds of stories he likes to write. Then tell him about yourself or your company. What do you do? What are your areas of expertise? What insights or news might you be able to provide to the reporter? Discuss a couple of upcoming developments or topics that you think he might find interesting.
If he’s glued to the conversation, and you’ve got a specific story pitch, go for it. And you don’t have a specific story, that’s fine – end the meeting with an invitation for the reporter to call you with any questions on your company or the industry and promise to send them anything you think they’ll want to know about.
4. Follow up
Sometime in the immediate days following your meeting, send a short email thanking the reporter for his time. Remind him that you’re happy to be a resource for his work and provide your contact information.
It might seem unnecessary or overly formal, but given the staff-strapped state of most newsrooms, reporters have a lot on their plates and in their inboxes. This simple message will remind the reporter that he had good time talking with you and help solidify your relationship.
5. Stay in touch
The first four steps alone will help you get a media mention when you’re ready to pitch a story because the reporter can identify the person who’s sending it. But if this is a reporter you think you’ll want to pitch frequently or who you know will be covering your company/clients on a regular basis, you should make an effort to stay in touch. This can be as simple as sending a short note at the top of emailed press releases (‘Sending this along because I figured you’d want to be in the loop’) or dropping him a line or phone call once a month to say hello and see if you can offer any help on the stories he’s developing.
By developing a relationship with a reporter beyond the standard pitch and follow-up, you’ll increase your chances of landing coverage.
photo credit: http://bit.ly/o3X9Fm
The Print Versus Online News Debate
by Erin Lawley on August 2, 2011 | 3 comments
in The Media, Writing
Not long ago, when I was standing on the other side of the fence that separates public relations and journalism, my temper nearly got the better of me when a PR friend told me a story about scoring local news coverage for his client.
My friend had coordinated interviews between his client and a reporter at the daily print newspaper, and the story was set to run in, let’s say, Wednesday’s paper. On Tuesday, a reporter from a competing news outlet pinged him, inquiring about the very same story topic. My friend had a good relationship with the second reporter, but he ignored the scribe’s calls, voicemails and emails. The reason for the elusiveness, my friend told me, was his assumption that the second reporter would post the news to his publication’s website immediately, endangering its chances of appearing as planned in the daily print publication’s Wednesday edition.
(For those unfamiliar with the dynamics of local-market breaking news competition, a daily print publication is less likely to run a story after that story has been covered by a competitor. Scooped online, the daily may have opted for online-only coverage, too.)
As a journalist, I was miffed. I wasn’t working for either of these news outlets, but I sided with the second reporter – he’d put in the work to dig up the lead, but was blocked from breaking the news. Just as I was about to berate my friend for his tactics, he insisted he had acted on orders – his client wanted to break the news in print, even if it meant risking lesser or no coverage elsewhere.
I was shocked. Working for a mostly online business news outlet at the time, I didn’t realize some people still think stories in the print daily generally outweigh online coverage.
For one thing, there are the statistics: New numbers from Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism show that at the end of 2010, more people were getting their news online than from print newspapers, and more advertising dollars were funneled to online outlets than their print brethren. In fact, the Pew study reports that “every media sector is losing audience now except online.”
And there seem to be increasing benefits to online coverage – for example, websites largely don’t have to worry about chopping a 1,000-word story to fit into a 700-word space. And online content is becoming increasingly easy for anyone to find and access, thanks to RSS feeds, news alerts and the proliferation of social media and mobile devices.
On the other hand, my friend retorted, a printout or a PDF isn’t the same thing as an actual news clipping.
What do you think? All else being equal, is print or online coverage more desirable? Is this a conversation you’ve had with colleagues or clients? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
The Difference In Breaking News Today and 10 Years Ago
by Ashley Webb on May 3, 2011 | no comments
in Social Media, The Media, Twitter
I can distinctly remember sitting in my 10th grade Algebra class when news broke nearly 10 years ago on September 11, 2001, that terrorists had attacked the World Trade Center. Our entire student body gathered in the auditorium as we watched the news unfold on CNN.
Sunday night’s news of Osama bin Laden’s death was just as momentous, as I will always remember sitting on my couch watching TV when ABC interrupted my Sunday night guilty pleasure to broadcast the breaking news.
Although I watched the news unfold on TV much in the same way I did 10 years ago, the news of Osama bin Laden’s death actually broke on Twitter, The New York Times reported. According to the report, Keith Urbahn, chief of staff to former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, tweeted “So I’m told by a reputable person they’ve killed Osama bin Laden. Hot damn.”
The rumor of bin Laden’s death had social media websites abuzz as people posted messages of the news to Facebook and Twitter every second. According to The New York Time’s Media Decoder blog, Twitter recorded more than 4,000 Twitter messages per second at some times during President Obama’s address.
Commenting on Twitter’s role in breaking the news, Nicholas Jackson of The Atlantic wrote:
“Twitter has once again proven its worth. It might not win wars or spark revolutions — that’s still being debated — but its value is clear to those of us who watched their feeds fill with news and notes over the past hour. Newspapers might be dead or dying, but traditional ink-on-paper reporters were able to share this story much faster than cable news outlets by adapting to this technology.”
Social media websites like Facebook and Twitter have changed the way the world receives its news; it’ll be interesting to see how these stories break 10 years from now.
How did you hear the news of bin Laden’s death? Do you think social media websites, like Twitter, are credible news sources?
The Royals Go Modern Day and Embrace Social Media
by Robin Embry on April 28, 2011 | no comments
in Facebook, Social Media, The Media, Twitter
I must admit I am obsessed with anything and everything that has to do with the royal wedding. The date has been marked on my calendar for months and I will join the millions around the world who will be glued to our televisions early Friday morning.
This event will indeed be a media spectacle for the record books, so it’s no surprise that even the British Monarchy has joined the social media bandwagon and, honestly, they would be crazy not to. This is no different than any other media event: If people are going to talk, you might as well try to control the message.
According to Greenlight, a London-based marketing firm, online mentions of the wedding are up 700 percent in one month and that is expected to continue to increase throughout the week. The wedding has its own Facebook page, official web site, Twitter account, YouTube channel and wedding photos will be available on Flickr.
Of course, providing the public with this much access is not without risk. “The Internet gives people a huge megaphone that they otherwise wouldn’t have,” said Micah Sifry of the Personal Democracy Forum in an ABC News report. Even though the positive comments outweigh the negative comments 6:1, there are protestors out there and social media outlets can help the naysayers rally quickly. But British authorities are devoting many man hours to monitoring all the social media sites for any signs of protest, so they will be ready for any disturbances on the big day. Other issues include urgent upgrades by mobile providers to handle the influx of additional texts and tweets throughout the week and there are tons of unofficial apps launching everyday.
Let’s say the royal family didn’t embrace social media. This event was going to cause a social media frenzy whether they actively participated or not, so kudos to the British Monarchy for providing the public with this level of access. This allows us commoners across the ocean to feel a part of one of the biggest media events of our lifetime. Best wishes, Will and Kate!
News Media Depend Increasingly on Aggregators, Social Networks to Deliver Audience
by Dana Coleman on April 8, 2011 | no comments
in Advertising, The Media
The U.S. news industry depends increasingly on other organizations to deliver a growing portion of its audience, finds “The State of the News Media 2011,” a report from the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism. These players, which frequently take a share of the revenue and control the audience data, include independent networks, aggregators and social networks.
One author of the report notes that in a world where consumers decide what news they want and how they want to get it, the future belongs to those who understand the audience best and can leverage that knowledge.
News consumption is becoming more mobile, with 47 percent of Americans now receiving some form of local news on a mobile device. Online is still a leader in how people say they get their news at 46 percent, surpassed only by local TV news at 50 percent.
In fact, every media sector is losing audience now except online. This includes cable news networks like CNN, Fox and MSNBC, which for the first time experienced double-digit loss of viewership in 2010. Radio, which has been a relatively stable media platform, is expected to experience major change soon with the addition of online radios by carmakers like Toyota.
For the first time, overall online advertising revenue surpassed spending on print newspaper advertising, and with the growing popularity of tablets, growth in online ad spending is expected to continue. The growth in online ad spending doesn’t necessarily translate to good news for news organizations, however. Much of that online ad spending goes to places other than news sites, and the Pew report predicts that is unlikely to change. Since online advertising will likely never generate profits for news organizations to compare with the ad revenues generated in traditional platforms like printed newspapers, news sites continue to seek ways to charge for content and develop alternate revenue streams.
The media is dynamic and evolving. Pew’s latest report reinforces the importance of not only identifying your audiences but understanding the way they prefer to receive content. From the changing needs of journalists to the most effective way to target ad budgets as news consumption trends shift, this understanding is more critically important than ever to developing an effective strategic communications and marketing plan.
Do you know how your audience prefers to receive news and information? How have you seen those trends change in your organization?
Prepare to pitch!
by Allison Russo on September 24, 2010 | no comments
in Media Relations, Public Relations, The Media
Nothing can instill more anxiety and angst in a public relations practitioner than picking up the phone to call Good Morning America or The New York Times with a pitch. The truth is that it doesn’t have to be that complicated. Although it is important to speak eloquently on your subject matter (you are a publicist, so this should be a piece of cake!), the best way to carry out a flawless pitch is by being prepared. There is nothing worse than calling an editor with a healthcare pitch only to find out that they now cover the sports beat (at least that’s what I’ve heard…).
Below are a few steps to consider during the preparation and pitching process that will help ease your media relations mindset:
Know who to pitch:
- Television: Assignment Desk (local) or Producers (national)
- Radio: News Director or Assistant News Director
- Print: Editors or Reporters (based on their individual beats)
- Blog: Blogger
Research the media contact:
- Google past articles a reporter has written
- Read their personal blogs to learn their interests
- Review their past experience on LinkedIn to find any common professional connections
- If you have access to Cision, read their contact profile for cues on how they like to be pitched
- Follow them on Twitter and read what they’ve been tweeting about recently.
Pitch preparation and execution:
- Email pitching: Draft a tailored (remember all the research you did?), concise and informational pitch with proposed story topics. The subject line is the key to having the media open your email, so make it eye-catching. When applicable, I have had great success by including the title of a specific television or radio segment or of the section of a newspaper or magazine in the subject line.
- Phone pitching: Have talking points or a script prepared and expect to have only a minute or two to deliver your pitch. The first thing you should ask when phone pitching is if the reporter is on deadline. This lets them know that you “get it.” Hopefully they will appreciate the gesture and either give you a few minutes to pitch them or ask that you send them information by email (do this immediately after you hang up). If you get voicemail, leave a short message letting them know you will send them an email with the info (again, do this immediately after you hang up).
Follow-up and connect:
- Make sure to follow up the next day by phone or email to make sure your contact has received your pitch (or voicemail) and ask if you can provide additional information.
- Connect to your contact, if possible, through social media — especially if you plan to reach out to this person again the future. Find them on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. This is a good way to develop relationships with the media and follow up in real-time.
Don’t Take It Personally: Media Relations Can Be a Brutal Business
by Robin Embry on July 29, 2010 | 1 comment
in Media Relations, Public Relations, The Media
Salespeople aren’t the only ones who have to make “cold calls.” In the PR world, we have to pick up the phone everyday and talk to the media…busy people who are often frantically working on a deadline…doesn’t that sound like fun!
I used to think if I adhered to Media Relations 101 and pitched a reporter a newsworthy story that fit their beat, it would be worth their time to listen. But, hey, reporters are no different than the rest of us and they are entitled to a bad day. At the other end of that bad day, we’ve received some entertaining responses over the years.
Situation: A serious infection is consuming the country and my client released the fastest test on the market that can ultimately save lives. I call a reporter who consistently covered the infection outbreak for a solid month.
Response: “Seriously, do you know how many PR people call me every day hoping I will write about their client. I don’t care if this test saves lives, I’m not giving a company free advertising. You guys exhaust me!” (Note, this “well-respected” reporter called me two days later and apologized for her outburst caused by lack of caffeine that morning.)
Situation: We read in the local newspaper that a local company “might” be expanding into China. We assume if the reporter thinks just the possibility of overseas expansion is news then surely it’s newsworthy that our local client has just opened an office in Australia.
Response: “Don’t call me about companies opening businesses outside of Nashville…we don’t cover companies that are expanded outside our city.” (We wanted to say…”Have you READ your newspaper this morning?!”)
You know the old saying “there’s no crying in baseball.” Well, there’s also no crying in PR, so we take things on the chin and move on. If you’ve had a funny experience, please let me know. I can always use the comic relief.
