1. From Shorthand to Broadband
Journalism in the digital age – and what it means for PR

2. Introduction: a shifting media landscape
The Daily Telegraph showed great foresight when
in 1994 it became the first UK national newspaper
to publish online. It took another four years before
BBC online was launched in 1998 and The Guardian
followed suit the following year. But much of the
‘traditional’ media remained relatively resistant to
change for many years - as recently as 2001, the
Daily Mail’s chief executive, Charles Sinclair, declared:
“We have no belief that newspapers will transfer
themselves onto the Internet”.
It’s really only in the last three years that we have
seen the wider media truly embracing the potential
of the Internet. A key turning point came in 2005,
when a repentant Rupert Murdoch spelt out the
need for a change in mindset within the traditional
centres of media power: “Certainly, I didn’t do as
much as I should have after all the excitement of the
late 1990s…quietly hoping that this thing called the
digital revolution would just limp away. Well it hasn’t,
it won’t, and it’s a fast-developing reality we should
grasp as a huge opportunity to improve our journalism
and expand our reach.”
Today, 32 million in the UK have access to the Internet
and broadband is now an everyday utility with 52%
of all adults in Great Britain connected at home, (NOP
FRI Survey December 2006). This has undoubtedly
acted as the catalyst for a change of gear: as more
and more people make the Internet the centre of
their media consumption, so the ‘traditional’ media
has started taking the medium more seriously. This is
fundamentally changing the way news is gathered and
reported.
This report is based on a survey of the opinions of UK
journalists from across the media spectrum and explores
the extent to which their jobs have changed since the
dawning of the digital age. It should make interesting
reading for any media professional, but will be particularly
thought provoking for Public Relations practitioners who
work so closely with journalists every day.
1

3. About the survey The survey demonstrated this is changing fast. Clearly
there are now many online-only publishers creating new
The survey for this report was conducted throughout
content every minute of the day that is specifically for
September and October 2007 using an online
the web. But even amongst the ‘traditional’ media, 44%
questionnaire. A total of 47 journalists completed
of respondents said that at least a fifth of their online
the questionnaire anonymously. These journalists
content is original new content.
were drawn from across the media spectrum – from
national news reporters to radio and trade specialists. Approximately how much of your online content is new (i.e., not
repetition of existing offline content)?
Which of the following best describes the media organisations
you work for? Response %
None 8.9
Response %
0–20% 24.4
National newspaper 28.3 21–40% 22.2
Regional newspaper 8.7 41–60% 11.1
Lifestyle magazine 10.9 61–80% 2.2
Broadcast-TV 2.2 81–100% 8.9
Broadcast-radio 2.2 100% (we only publish online) 17.8
B2B trade magazine 4.4 Don’t know 4.4
Technology trade 19.6
Freelance 6.5
Web publisher 15.2 Online now means multi-media
Other (please list) 2.2
The survey showed that not only are virtually all media
online, but that multi-media content is being embraced
Who’s online?
online as well. The days of static text/image websites
The survey found that virtually all of the journalists are gone. Blogs, audio podcasts and video elements
surveyed worked for media that had some kind of are common across the websites of today’s media.
online presence (only 2.2% didn’t). Video in particular has made a huge impact – despite
only 2% of the survey respondents being traditional
Does your media title have a presence online? broadcasters, 66% said that they included online TV or
Response %
video on their websites.
Yes 97.8
No 2.2
Which of the following formats do you offer online?
Response %
Which format draws the biggest audience?
Online TV / video clips 65.9
The perception of the journalists from the ‘traditional’ Blogs (journalist authored) 72.7
Blogs (public authored) 20.5
media (in other words, not online-only) was that their Audio podcasts 63.6
traditional print or broadcast formats still accounted Video podcasts 43.2
for their largest audience: 72% of those that knew said Community/discussion boards 65.9
None of the above 17.8
this was the case. However, online is certainly rapidly
Don’t know 11.4
growing in influence: 27% said that their online format
was drawing the largest audience. This is borne out
when the latest ABC circulation figures are reviewed Rise of UGC
which show that the Sun has three times as many User Generated Content (UGC) has become an
readers of its website than its newspaper. Similarly, the integral part of the media mix today and the survey
Guardian has 15 million online readers, compared to showed that 91% of the respondents accepted some
370,000 newspaper readers. kind of UGC. This ranged from the (almost ubiquitous)
On which format do you have the largest audience?
Which of the following applies to your media organisation’s
Response %
approach to user generated content (UGC)?
Our original ‘traditional 53.3
Response %
print/broadcast format
Our online format 20.0 We accept comment on 88.9
stories online
Don’t know 11.1
We accept and publish user 46.7
We only publish online 15.6 pictures
We accept and publish user 17.8
films and content
Online content: original or reproduction? We regularly quote bloggers 28.9
We include third-party 8.9
For many years, websites for much of the media were bloggers on our site
seen purely as a place to reproduce existing content – an We don’t accept UGC (other 8.9
than traditional letters to
online archive that took its lead from the offline world. editors, phone-ins, etc.
2

4. option for people to comment on stories online, to survey respondents seem to have very little training to
quoting bloggers in stories and publishing of user help them adjust to their evolving roles. 33% may be
films and pictures. Although only a minority (9%) doing piece to camera but only 9% have had Video
were doing so, it was also interesting to note that Journalism training.
some media had incorporated content from third party
bloggers alongside that from staff journalists. What kinds of training have you had to help you create new
forms of media content?
The changing role of journalists Response %
Presenting to camera/VJ training 8.7
When asked how the digital age had affected their Audio/podcast training 8.7
roles, journalists said they were expected to produce Writing for the web 13.0
more content and (probably as a result) worked Blog training 4.4
None 65.2
longer hours. They are expected to work across
media platforms – a third were expected to do piece
to camera. Many (30%) said they had less time How PRs need to react
to research stories in person and the blogosphere
The respondents were asked what kinds of content
emerged as a key new source of stories for a large
from PR professionals would help them. Emailed press
proportion (44%).
releases are still by far the most popular content PRs
• “I’m required to think about multimedia potential can provide, but it was interesting to note the emerging
on every story - is there material that could be used demand for digital content. 29% of respondents said
online? I am also trained to produce video clips.” microsites to support stories were helpful, more than
one in five now find video content useful and audio
• “I have less time to go out and get scoops” is also becoming more important. Social Media News
• “It’s now much easier to research or find online Releases (SMNRs) that combine elements of all the
sources of stories, for example Facebook” above in a way that makes them easy to reproduce
online are a very new phenomenon, but one in five
• “It has allowed us to produce longer articles in
journalists already recognise their potential.
full online, rather than only being able to print
edited versions.” Assuming the content is high quality and well targeted, which of the
following do you find useful to receive from public relations officers?
• “I think in a more 3D way, my role has expanded
Response %
from pure print to print and online editing which
means thinking for every story “what’s the added Hard copy press releases 4.4
Emailed press releases 97.8
value I can give online.”
Social media news releases 22.2
Visual images such as 60.0
photographs
In what way has the internet, and the delivery of media content
Video content – e.g., links to 22.2
over the web, changed your role?
short films
Response % Audio content – e.g., links to 17.8
recorded interviews, etc
I now focus more on analysis rather 16.3 Link to a microsite with more 28.9
than news
information about a story
I’m sometimes expected to do piece 32.6
to camera
I’m expected to produce more content 62.8 Online to dominate in ten years
I have a blog not connected to my 9.3
media organisation Finally, respondents were asked if they thought online
I have to do podcasts as well 39.5
would become the most important channel for their
I use things like blogs to source 44.2
stories, etc media organisation. The overwhelming majority (93%)
I have less time to research stories in 27.9 felt that it would and 28% said it already had.
person
Exclusives have become more 37.2
important How long before you think online/digital becomes the most
important channel for your media organisation?
I compete with my readser (via UGC) 2.3
for space
Response %
I work longer hours 37.2
I think it already has 28.3
It’s had no impact 4.7
Within six months 0.0
Within 12 months 10.9
Within five years 34.8
Low levels of training
Within ten years 13.0
Interestingly, despite a clear shift towards what can be I don’t think it ever will 13.0
termed multi-channel or multi-media journalism, the
3

5. What does all this mean for the Embrace multi-channel PR
PR industry? Second, we must recognise that the way journalists
work has changed forever and reflect that in how
Comment on the
we work with them. Just as the survey showed most
survey findings
journalists now think and act in a ‘multi-channel’ way,
from Gareth
so must we. It’s no longer just broadcasters that want
Thomas, Head
powerful video content, newspapers do too. We need
of Interact,
to question the value of old adages such as the one
Brands2Life
that says it makes no sense to send picture stories to
radio newsdesks – in fact most radio stations now
welcome such content to help bring their websites
alive. There’s a huge opportunity here for us to
package stories with all kinds of multi-media elements
– something that can help time-poor journalists and
increase the exposure of the brands we represent.
This survey shows just how far the media has evolved Join the online conversation
in recent years - virtually everyone is now represented Third, it is clear that the Internet – and in particular
online and the Internet is no longer treated as the poor the blogosphere is an important source of stories for
cousin to ‘traditional’ print or broadcast, but often as journalists. Therefore we have to contribute content
the primary channel to reach audiences. and ideas direct to the Internet. This can be achieved
The knock-on effect for journalists is that they’re by writing our own blogs – assuming we have
increasingly expected to operate as ‘multi-channel’ something interesting to talk about – or by nurturing
reporters - filing print stories, keeping blogs updated relationships with the prominent bloggers that are on
(often personal and ‘official’), writing online articles the feedreader lists of journalists.
and even recording video reports or audio podcasts. Certainly there are those in the industry who recognise
Will Lewis, the visionary editor of The Daily Telegraph, the need for these kinds of changes and who are
highlighted this trend earlier in the year commenting already making great strides. But, from speaking to
that: “success in the new media world will require a journalists and PR people, it seems to me that the
new breed of journalist – one that no longer works majority have some way to go before the way we
in one medium but with words, pictures, and moving work reflects the way the media has changed.
pictures.” The perhaps inevitable consequence is that
journalists are working longer hours and have less time Gareth Thomas is an associate director at award-
to get out and about to source stories. winning public relations consultancy, Brands2Life.
Over the last ten years he has devised and run more
For me, there are at least three key ways in which the than 40 public relations campaigns to raise awareness
PR industry needs to respond to these changes: of both large and small brands. A keen blogger and
social media evangelist, he heads Brands2Life’s Interact
Value online division which helps companies take advantage of
First, we need to learn to value online media coverage emerging social media channels to ensure their brands
much more highly as a way to reach our audiences. stand out from the crowd online. Gareth began his
Too many still regard ‘traditional’ print or broadcast career as a press officer with the Department for
media coverage as the most important output from a Education and Employment and holds a Bachelor of
campaign. It is still very important, but surely getting Science degree from the University of Wales.
covered by the Sun Online, with an audience three
times larger than the print newspaper edition, should
also be considered significant. Often online is regarded
as a ‘nice to have’.
Part of the problem here is that most Board-level
decision makers are ‘digital immigrants’ – people
who have not grown up with the Internet and who
are less likely to intuitively understand its growing
importance. As PR professionals we need to promote
understanding of the importance of online within our
organisations.
4

6. About Brands2Life
Giles Fraser and Sarah Scales founded Brands2Life in
April 2000 and have grown it to a 55-person strong
business. Brands2Life is a strategic, high impact PR
agency focused on helping brands stand out from
the crowd. Clients include: 3i, Cisco, CNET Networks,
Flight Centre, Intel Corporation, Logitech, Rentokil Pest
Control, Sharp, Stepstone, Sungard Availability Services,
Tesco, T-Mobile and Webex.
About Brands2Life Interact
The media landscape is evolving at breakneck speed.
Over the last few years we’ve seen the meteoric rise
of blogs, the spread of internet radio and television,
the growth of citizen journalists and user-generated
content and the viral power of social media. At the
heart of all this change is a fundamental shift in how
people ‘consume’ media - we are receptive to a greater
variety of voices, demand interactivity and two-way
conversations, and our lives require more flexibility in
how and when we receive content.
What does all this mean for your brand and its
messages? How can you produce consumer or business
campaigns that are impactful in this changing media
landscape? Do you target a blogger as you would a
journalist, or do different rules apply? Does it make
sense for a b2b brand to place films on YouTube? What
makes a viral message spread like wildfire rather than
fizzle out as a damp squib?
Interact is Brands2Life’s consultancy arm that helps you
answer these questions and get interactive in a way that
makes sense for your brand. We can help you decide
which of the new channels work for you, including
blogs, podcasts, viral video/games, and much more.
And because we understand ‘traditional’ media we can
ensure that these elements either spice up or integrate
with your existing campaigns.
If you’d like to find out more contact us on
Brands2Life
1 Warwick Row
London SW1E 5ER
T +44 (0) 20 7592 1200
F +44 (0) 20 7592 1201
E info@brands2life.com
www.brands2life.com
5