Increasing & Shifting Responsibilities and Accountability impacting Media Professionals.

The continuing shift from print to online media is requiring journalists to reassess their day-to-day responsibilities and the manner in which they report the news. This, and other findings uncovered in the “2008 PRWeek/PR Newswire Media Survey,” indicate that media professionals are being tasked with more responsibility, are facing changing job requirements, and are more aware of the commercial side of the business than ever before.

The survey, sponsored by PR Newswire and PRWeek, polled a total of 1,231 traditional and non-traditional media, including newspaper and magazine journalists, television, radio and online reporters, and bloggers.

Its objective was to assess the attitudes and ideas of traditional journalists and bloggers, specifically regarding their duties, workload, interaction with PR professionals, and opinions of the future of media industry. A full review of the survey results will appear in PRWeek on Monday, March 31.

“With the media industry in a state of flux, reporters recognize that it is more and more difficult to confine oneself to standard roles and responsibilities. The proliferation of online news sites and blogs has put incredible pressure on traditional media outlets, forcing many to
reallocate or cut staff in order to compete,” stated Dave Armon, chief operating officer, PR Newswire. “The results of this survey bear witness to how these changes are impacting the way in which reporters work, how they perceive their industry, what they value as important, and the efforts that they are taking to adapt to the ever-evolving media landscape.”

Key Findings:

— Hours and Responsibilities
The role of the media professional is changing as reporters are asked to assume more responsibilities and contribute to an increasing array of outlets. Fifty-seven percent of respondents feel they are being asked to work more today that in the past few years, while 56% say they are contributing to other mediums outside of their official duty. Related to their work responsibilities, 42% of magazine journalists are expected to contribute to the website or online version of their publication and 39% of newspaper reporters are expected to do the same. Twenty-two percent of media respondents are blogging for their traditional publication.

— Future of Print Outlets
Consistent with this shift in reporting focus, reporters at traditional print newspapers and magazines recognize the growing influence of the Web as the medium by which people access news. Recent shake-ups and staff reductions at large print outlets have cast a cloud over the industry, with 67% of newspaper journalists anticipating “declines in print circulation and increased focus on the web” over the next three years. In line with this sentiment, 38% of newspaper reporters expect to see “reductions in staff” over the next three years. Print magazine reporters are decidedly more optimistic, with only 9.4% expressing concern about reductions in staff.

Despite the uncertainty in the industry, few reporters believed that their publications in their current state would disappear. Fully 63% of the total print journalists believe that their publication will endure “indefinitely” in its current state.

— Measuring Success
When asked to identify the most important aspect of their work, 91% of respondents indicated “Make my publication successful by creating appealing content for its audiences” as the top consideration of their job, ahead of “Educate and inform the masses,” “Break news,” and “Chronicle events as they happen.” This finding suggests a significant level of commercial awareness on the part of journalists.

— Perception of the Press
Reporters continue to operate on the defensive, with 70% of total respondents suggesting that public opinion of journalists has gotten worse during the past five years, and 52% of the total believing that the general public has a “somewhat negative” opinion of journalists.

— Impact of Blogs on Reporting
Blogs have become an important tool for researching a story. Nearly 73% of respondents sometimes or always use blogs in their research, while a scant 19% report never using a blog for research purposes. The most often cited reason for using blogs in research was “to measure sentiment.”

— Relationship to PR Professionals
The majority of journalists responding prefer PR professionals to contact them by email with nearly 90% listing this as their favored method. Encouragingly, less than 7% said they would prefer not to be contacted by PR pros at all. Eighty-six percent of bloggers report that they currently receive pitches from PR people, with 24% reporting that these pitches never result in a story and 49% saying the pitches they receive are related to what they cover only between 0-25% of the time.

“New forms of media have made a significant impact on the media profession, as journalists work longer hours and fill more multi-faceted roles,” said Julia Hood, publishing director, PRWeek. “For PR professionals, the growing number of outlets — both traditional and online
— offer more opportunity to tell your organization’s story if you take the time to understand and empathize with the reporter’s or blogger’s needs.

While reporters continue to receive a large number of pitches that are not relevant to their coverage area — more than half of respondents said that less than 20 percent of the pitches are relevant — reporters recognize that the competition for content makes seasoned PR professionals a valuable asset.”

Armon continued, “With reporters focusing more on the overall success of the outlets they work for, it is incumbent upon PR pros to take the time to learn about the goals of the publication by talking to reporters, editors and even publishers, reviewing editorial calendars, and reading more than just the particular column or section they are interested in pitching.

“It was very encouraging to see that PR people are considering blogs as a medium when conducting outreach, however, the results indicate that more needs to be done to research the correct blogs. Blog relations are similar to media relations in that you must take the time to build relationships, read the blog, know the blog’s audience, and engage with the blogger even when it will not directly impact you or your client. Additionally, with nearly three- quarters of media respondents indicating that they regularly use blogs in their research to measure sentiment, it has never been more important for PR professionals to do the same. You must know what’s being said about your industry, your organization, and your competitors in this increasingly relevant medium so that you are never blind-sighted when pitching or talking to a reporter who has taken the time to do the same.”