In 2010, Vocus, a public relations software company that would eventually become CISION, released its first State of the Media report. Now, nine years later, CISION released the 10th annual State of the Media report. The report shares unique insights about the industry and specifically highlights journalists’ perspectives on different topics and trends, serving as a useful resource in navigating media relationships.
As with most annual reports, the State of the Media report has evolved over the last decade. Originally, it was written as a white paper, with detailed analysis of the current state of the industry with predictions from Vocus’ Media Research Group. The report focused on the large number publication closures and reporter layoffs. It also highlighted trends believed to become more commonplace, including paywalls and online publications.
Now, the report is built around survey responses from thousands of journalists and analyzes the current trends influencing the industry. With 10 reports completed, I thought it would be interesting to see how the industry has evolved.
What Predictions Came True from 2010?
The original report was written not long after the Great Recession, which greatly impacted the media industry. In 2009, approximately 293 papers folded, and major newspapers had 421 layoffs and buyouts.
Due to the dwindling number of staff and papers, the report predicted that journalists would be “performing dual roles” and that more papers would adopt the paywall model. Clearly, both predictions came true.
As PR professionals, we see many journalists covering broad beats and needing to learn about a variety of topics that fall under those beats. For example, many reporters cover “tech.” This beat requires reporters to understand a broad range of technologies, including SaaS, IoT, AI, ERP, VR, etc. The breadth of topics that fall under one beat often makes it more difficult to develop a deep understanding of each variety of technology and stay up to date on the latest trends.
In response, PR professionals have become an important resource that can assist journalists in understanding specific trends and offer key industry experts to support the development of their stories.
Key Takeaways from 2019’s Report
As predicted in 2010, many publications are now available online and that has enabled readers to engage with content in unique ways and given journalists tools to track that engagement, which are playing a role in how journalists are evaluating stories. According to the 2019 report, 65 percent of journalists say availability of detailed audience metrics has changed the way they evaluate stories.
The survey analyzed how journalists from different countries valued different metrics. In the U.S., readership was the most important, closely followed by engagement. No matter the country, readership was the leading metric. The most engaging content has images, infographics and personalized data analysis. All resources that PR professionals and brands can assist in developing and offer to journalists.
Interestingly, staffing, a challenge that began around the time of the first report, continues to be one of the biggest challenges for journalists. Twenty percent of journalists said “staffing and resources” is the biggest challenge.
While the industry continues to face problems it faced in 2009, the third most common challenge is more recent: the ongoing conversation about fake news. CISION asked journalists if they felt the public had lost or gained trust over the last year, 63 percent said they believe the public lost trust. Though the number is high, its down significantly from 2017, when 91 percent of journalists believed the public had lost trust in them.
Be a Valuable Resource
The troubles that plague the industry also present an opportunity for PR professionals to act as a key resource for journalists. PR professionals can craft tailored pitches and unique stories, but also serve as a resource by driving new content, creating graphics and offering key experts to bolster a story.
Based on the 2019 report, it appears PR professionals are trending upward. In 2018, only 9 percent of reporters said their relationships with PR professionals had gotten better. This year, that number has increased to 27 percent.
Keep up the good work!