A Columbia Journalism Review article by former New York Times reporter John Sullivan and titled True Enough, the second age of PR, talks about how public relations has become the dominant source of information for the media:
Some experts have argued that in the digital age, new forms of reporting will eventually fill the void left by traditional newsrooms. But few would argue that such a point has arrived, or is close to arriving.
“There is the overwhelming sense that the void that is created by the collapse of traditional journalism is not being filled by new media, but by public relations,” said John Nichols, a Nation correspondent and McChesney’s co-author.
Nichols said reporters usually make some calls and check facts. But the ability of government or private public relations to generate stories grows as reporters have less time to seek out stories on their own. That gives outside groups more power to set the agenda.
A previous post on this blog touched on this same topic.
For reporters, this should be a big concern. Although, at many newspapers, this doesn’t appear to be an issue. More press releases means less work for a reporter and less expense for a publisher.
For businesses, this should be a happy wake-up call.
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