We have all experienced the changing patterns of news sourcing by journalists with the advent of the internet, and more specifically social media. Being in the business of communications, it is critical for us to understand how journalists consume information in order to reach out to them most effectively. Here is the link to the report:
http://slidesha.re/13SfZoS
The research threw up some very interesting insights, the key ones being:
• A majority of journalists cutting across age, gender and specialization use the Internet to develop their stories. The benefits they garner from the digital space range from story conceptualization and content validation to background research and insights into current and evolving news updates and trends.
• Social networking sites have evolved as an important platform for journalists, who leverage them to gauge public opinion during crisis situations.
• Company websites are accessed to get authentic information, especially for quotes.
• PR/communication agencies and companies need to use the Net vigorously to reach out to the journalists faster. Communication agencies are best placed advising their clients to post crisp content, sound bytes, clips and pictures on their web sites as journalists, especially in crisis situations, look for authentic pieces of information amid grapevine. They also look for quotes from company spokespersons that could easily be made available through company web sites.
• The traditional way of writing and sending press releases has long become outdated. There is clearly a need to reinvent touch points, formats, styles and objectives of press releases when over 47 percent journalists use less than 10 percent of the press releases they receive.
• It is crucial for the sources of dispatching news releases to be exclusive. Checking on the veracity of sources involves identifying more innovative touch points across social media, company web sites and blogs, among others.
