Content Providers

It’s just common sense that as journalism evolves, so must the practice of public relations. Of course, there are some who believe that the art/discipline of journalist engagement is inconsequential (or irrelevant) in PR 2.0.

I’m not one, though admittedly the practice has grown more complex given the proliferation of outlets across multiple channels, not to mention changed media consumption behavior in which individuals can have it their way on their time. Then let’s not forget bypassing the journalistic filter altogether in favor of DtC communications.

Here are some recent links to give you a sense of how some news organizations, a media conglomerate, and one J-school are adapting:

  • Time Inc. is announcing today that it’s launching an in-house studio to help its 130 magazines develop videos for the Web.
  • The Associated Press and NowPublic.com announced Friday that they have agreed to an innovative initiative designed to bring citizen content into AP newsgathering, and to explore ways to involve NowPublic’s on-the-ground network of news contributors in AP’s breaking news coverage.
  • One smart perspective on the Web-work landscape comes from the Columbia University School of Journalism, where they’ve been thinking a lot recently about how to better reflect the Internet in their journalism curriculum.
  • The Wall Street Journal is now allowing users to embed its video on their sites, and The New York Times is planning on enabling a similar feature soon. Thanks Kami.
  • Viacom moves on without YouTube. The company recently began offering so-called embed code that allows fans of popular programs such as the “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” to post clips to their MySpace.com pages or blogs.

Obviously, I can fill this weblog daily with nothing but the digital machinations of media’s multiplicitous proprietors. As PR professionals, we should not lose sight that our clients are newsmakers, and that we still have a strong hand in how that news is presented, delivered, parsed, amplified, spiked, received, believed, morphed, ignored, blogged, embraced and/or echoed.

Let’s not obsess over the delivery channels. Shaping client-generated content for a cacophony of interests and consumptive habits remains a core competency that will sustain the profession.