CHICAGO (February 11, 2009) – Journalists
are more frequently required to contribute to a blog, e-newsletter,
website or other new media outlets than any previous year, according
to a survey released this week by PWR New Media, a leading e-marketing
firm based in Chicago, Illinois. 60% of journalists responded
that they now contribute to a blog or other on-line site. 39%
of these journalists said they acquired these responsibilities
in the past year and 71% added on-line work to their duties in
the past two years.
A potential contributor to this shift in job responsibilities
is the recession; as jobs are cut at major media organizations,
the remaining journalists are required to take on additional
responsibilities, mainly in the new media area. Gone are
the days when the print version and the website of a publication
had different editorial staff. Today, a journalist is
likely to contribute to all the different forms of communication
that his publication uses. On top of that, new technology
has changed the way news is consumed so the new forms of communication
are of greater importance.
“I'm writing a LOT more for the web,” commented
one journalist. Another stated that his responsibilities
had “completely changed over from print to online. I only
work on two printed publications now .... All other newsletters/news
is provided via the Web.”
In addition to questions related to direct job
responsibilities, PWR also asked how the media wanted to receive, and what
they expected with, releases. 89% of surveyed journalists
identified email as their preferred method of receiving releases. In
the words of one respondent: “The best way to ensure
that your story is covered is to send the release electronically. Sending
a fax or mailed release puts the story outside of the computer
desktop and outside of mind and harder to reuse your language
as it would have to be transcribed.”
An almost equal number of journalists (85%) said
they wanted images with every release. “The absolute,
most important supplement to a press release is editorial-quality,
hi-resolution photographs to illustrate the story,” responded
one journalist. “Good art is always an incentive
to continuing with a story; if a good pitch comes along but there
isn’t any art available, nine times out of 10, we pass
on the story.”
“It is exciting to see the shift from traditional press kits to the more
web-friendly New Media Releases,” said Malayna Williams, one of the founders
of PWR New Media. “More and more, we are seeing journalists making
new media a priority and we always counsel our clients to make their announcements
as web-friendly as they can; thus, making it easier for journalist to incorporate
their content.”
The more exposure journalists have to new media, the more they
rely on it for information and digital content. For this
reason, as journalists’ duties continue to expand in the
new media area, their knowledge base and expectations will also
expand. Therefore, public
relations professionals should strive to include digital content, like photos
and video with embed codes, in all their releases.
“We have, for some time, been providing extra content on our website
that complements what we are able to include in the magazine. We are
also gearing up our official blog, which will allow us greater flexibility
in the immediacy of the topics we can cover,” commented one magazine
reporter.
215 journalists participated in the on-line survey and
spanned all media types: newspaper (57%), magazine (25%), Internet
(5%), television (4%), radio (2%) and news service (2%). For
the complete survey results, click here.
About PWR New Media
PWR New Media is a leading marketing firm specializing in New
Media press releases and e-marketing. Founded in 2006,
PWR New Media provides high-level counsel and campaign execution
for both small businesses as well as Fortune 500 clients, including
Energizer, Bath & Body Works, McCormick, and Motorola. To
learn more, please visit www.pwrnewmedia.com.
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