For Clients and Friends of Potomac Communications Group, Inc.
Journalists, Adapting to the Internet,
Are Changing the Practice of P.R.
f all the changes being driven by the “new media,” one of the greatest is in the world of “old media.” Because of the Internet, the practices and needs of mainstream journalists are becoming radically different from what they were only a few years ago. And that is having a major impact on the practice of public relations.
According to recent research reports and interviews with a diverse sample of working reporters, journalists are scrambling to keep up with the rapid technological changes taking place in communications. To succeed, they now must make full use of the wired world even as they work to compete with it.
Some specific findings from recent studies and media interviews:
- Almost 75% of today’s working journalists use the Internet at least once a day – up from 48% just a year ago.
- The vast majority of journalists want information by e-mail or fax; anything delivered by “snail mail” is considered dated even before the envelope is opened.
- A growing number of journalists will not open an e-mail attachment, for fear of a possible virus; they need the story in the body of the e-mail.
- Most journalists now respond to readers by e-mail. Many journalists resent “pitches” over voice mail. According to one reporter for a major newspaper, “As soon as I hear it’s a pitch, I hit ‘erase’.”
- Journalists want electronic news releases integrated with photos or graphics, downloadable in JPEG form.
- In any voice mail, leave your name and telephone number first so if the reporter needs to check it by playing the message again, that information is at the front of the recording.
Change is taking place at Internet speed. Steven S. Ross, associate professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, studies the use of the Internet by mainstream journalists. “Six years ago we were surprised to find as many as 30 percent of the respondents saying they used the Internet once a week or so,” he says. “Today, Internet connections are more ubiquitous than telephone connections.”
The most popular web sites for journalists are the sites of major media. “They trust the same news sources that the public does,” says Ross – the MSNBC, CNN, New York Times, and Washington Post web sites. “Beyond that, they’ll seek out the ‘branded’ web sites – like National Geographic.”
Reporters seek out the web sites of corporations and trade associations to gauge an organization’s credibility or get a general position. “But they still want a live interview, not canned quotes from the site.”
These findings have major implications for organizations trying to earn media coverage. “Journalism is far more competitive, and it moves much faster than ever before,” says Frank Maisano, PCG Program Director. “If you can’t boil your message down to the ‘subject’ line of an e-mail message, you’ll have trouble getting a hearing. And if you can’t point the reporter to web pages that reinforce your message, you’ll have a hard time making the sale.”
Ross agrees that the wiring of journalists has an impact on public relations. “More than ever, of course, it means you can’t lie,” he says. “They can find out in a hurry, and you’re dead.
“In addition, you shouldn’t make errors of omission – leaving out major facts or the main arguments of your critics. If reporters find out, they’ll be ticked off – and it’s easier than ever for a reporter to find out. So I believe one of the main rules of public relations has changed. It used to be, never bring up the arguments of your critics. Now it should be, bring up those arguments – the reporter will find out anyway, on their web site – so you can knock them down. And build a little credibility.”
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