Journos hack into corporate PR

It appears that all is not lost for redundant American journalists, according to this today.

With many more thousands of US media being forced to leave the newsrooms than ever before, the post by David Walker highlights interesting developments for the Press there; and also for British journalism, if old-school print English hacks are willing to follow the lead of our entrepreneurial American media cousins.

The loss of journalism jobs, as in purely editorially-based jobs, has been immense and devastating in the USA: in recent months, the effects of global recession have hit the USA’s media far harder and quicker than anywhere else.

But the speed of enterprise and sourcing alternative work has also been staggering, as Walker’s post highlights. Journalists are moving into corporate-land, producing content, films and blogs, delivering outstanding editorial to the Media on behalf of Mr CEO. Our redundant journalists could learn a lesson from this.

Whilst corporate comms has been seen as a barron landscape for a trained journalist, it represents a rich picking: as Brian Storm, founder of US-based MediaStorm, points out: “A PR message has no authenticity. It won’t go viral. Organizations are looking for a new way to get their message out, and journalists can play a role in that.”

I know if I was looking to work in a stable, financially-rewarding and challenging commercial environment, the choice of an over-worked, under-paid, massively non-appreciated newsroom would hold far less appeal than a contemporary, profitable and engaging boardroom scenario for me. That, and the prospect of an above-average industry-level fee, of course.

It’s all about content, dummy

Great post here today from Gina Chen, and it raises a basic and fundamental point which many publishers and media management bods are missing – the mass audience is dead, replaced instead by individuals requiring content as, when, and where they want it.

Readerships want flexibility. Different avenues to hook into their news and current affairs. Various places they can access the information they want.

Buying a newspaper or magazine in the traditional way is simply not relevant for many media consumers today…and still the publishing behemoths continue to flog their outdated business models. Or offer an online replica of the print version.

Definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.

Chen’s post highlights many salient points, but my favourite is quite simply that it is all about content.

Content drives media interest and purchase, whether that be of newspapers, magazines, online portals…it all links back to content. Why would search engines be completely driven by fresh content if it wasn’t valuable?

The concept of investing in ‘hyperinterests’ of content for sites, whereby visitors can search for exactly what they want, as proposed by Chen, is absolutely superb: it reinforces the importance and relevance of content.

Having reviewed this, it may seem like a rant – not so. I am passionate about content. Content is the key.

If only all journos viewed social media this way…

…it would certainly be a different journalistic landscape in the UK.

The journo in question? Joanna Geary, Web Development Editor at The Times: her blog, describing her gradual increase in interest and passion for online news development and the growth of online media tools, is an inspiring example of what can happen when journalists open their eyes to the world of opportunities available.

It’s a great blog, and she clearly has the future in her sights: if only more would take her lead. Read it and learn, people.