This week in the news, we couldn’t help but notice an outstanding theme in the most widely discussed topics. In case you weren’t sure: gone are the days of traditional, hard-hitting journalism. Nowadays, there seems to be more of a focus on the “infotainment” news – the latest scandals with our favorite celebrities – instead of politics or societal issues throughout the world. More and more, journalists are using social media and online forums to uncover the news. With the rise in sharing video via social media, publications are now using outside sources for video instead of shooting their own. With citizen journalism rampant, it’s true that anyone and everyone can be a journalist today.
Bulldog Reporter
The relationship between public relations professionals and media is on life support, according to a new report of digital journalists. According to a study from digital video communications firm D S Simon Productions, 90 percent of digital journalists said they have been misled by PR pros, with nearly a quarter of them indicating it happens often.
The report points to communicators doing a poor job of providing proper disclosure in video content they distribute as a major barrier to trust. The study points to specific evidence that failure to disclose limits the willingness of the media to consider using PR provided content.
The Huffington Post: The Blog
Citing the latest string of police brutality incidents that were shot and broadcast by smartphones, Michael Rosenblum makes the case that, “Nothing will ever be secret again.” He notes that the increasing use of digital media allows for a highly informed public, and that perhaps the world of journalism has a lot of catching up to do.
He goes on to say, “Now, and even more so in the future, we are all journalists.
Journalism is no longer restricted to an elite few telling the rest of us what is happening.”
ABC’s ‘World News’ no longer has a full-time Congress reporter
Politico
In what is likely a first for a national broadcasting company, ABC “World News Tonight” has eliminated a full-time congressional correspondent, a move that is suggested to encourage the network’s favorability of “soft news.”
Dylan Byers explains, “The folks at ABC News see it differently: They’re giving the people the news they want, and that’s why they’re winning. When there’s big political news, they’ll cover it. But they don’t need to lead the nightly broadcast with a report on the latest congressional budget battle. Because, honestly, how many people care?”
This latest announcement comes just two years after ABC claimed they were putting an increased focus on political stories. What a difference two years can make.
Tell us what you think about the changing face of journalism and how it affects the job of a PR professional in the comments below.
______
Rachel Borowski is an account executive for WordWrite Communications. She can be reached at rachel.borowski@wordwritepr.com and found on Twitter @RachelBro_ski.
