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Posts tagged 'journalism' | Catapult Public Relations
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July 25, 2012
Where Do You Turn For News?
The nation is shocked and saddened by the recent events that unfolded nearby in Aurora, Colorado. As a society we seek out the latest news on the tragedy from various sources in an attempt to make sense of a senseless situation. With the shooting occurring less than an hour away, I too have been interested in the developments as they have transpired. While I initially found out about the shooting via a breaking news alert; in the days since, I have turned to television, newspapers, Twitter and various other platforms to stay updated and informed. This event has not only caused me to pause and reflect upon my own life, but brought to light just how important each of us can be as situations like these unfold. There is emerging a new form of journalism – citizen journalism – whereby we can instantly become on-the-scene reporters. Cell phones allow real-time updates and enable each of us to receive news and information in a matter of seconds rather than rely upon the delivery of a newspaper or the nightly news.
Three Primary News Sources Emerge
We live in a world where news and information is readily available in seconds – not hours or days. I propose that there are three primary forms of sources that people turn to and utilize.
- Traditional Media Outlets: These primarily encompass newspaper but can include radio and television. The advantages are their ability to have time to research and tell a more complete story. Disadvantages can include a delay in response, lack of instant updates and sense of “feeling as if you were there.” For PR professionals these are the outlets who tend to adhere to the Society of Professional Journalist standards and policies. As such, public relation professionals must know how and when to work with reporters and broadcasters.
- Interest-Based Outlets: Examples of these outlets vary in scope. For news it could be CNN or Fox. It also could include specific stations focused on particular topics like ESPN for sports fans or C-Span for government news. Interest-based outlets are the millions of niches that have emerged and described in Chris Anderson’s book, The Long Tail. The PR industry is not only leveraging these outlets to reach more targeted audiences, but in some instances creating their own interest-based sources to engage in more meaningful dialogue with key target audiences.
- Social Media: Facebook posts, tweets and check-ins at various locations provide deeper insight than any news story. Social media is personal, it allows for thoughts, feelings and opinions to be shared – unfiltered and immediately. As one recent AP story pointed out, “As Twitter and other social networks become real-time databases of human thought and interaction, the unfiltered conclusions of some human lifetimes are being cast into the public sphere for the entire world to see.” PR professionals must seek to monitor social media platforms for trending topics and immediate news impacting their community, clients and world. Great resources for monitoring social media can include: DataSift, NetVibes and Ubervu to name just a few.
Do you rely more one on of these sources than others? Can social media be entirely trusted in breaking news situations? Please share your thoughts. I would be interested in your experience.
–Christie Denniston
