L-R, Martha Moore, senior reporter, USA Today; Josh Getlin, NY Bureau Chief, Los Angeles Times; Alexandra Marks, NY Reporter, Christian Science Monitor; and Lisa Anderson, NY Bureau Chief, Chicago Tribune.
There is considerable conjecture over the fate of the PR profession now that reporters can tap the blogosphere for story ideas. In fact, I believe Fortune magazine’s David Kirkpatrick recently quipped that he relies more on the Internet for his reporting nowadays.
At a recent Publicity Club of New York luncheon featuring New York Bureau Chiefs from four major daily newspapers, I decided to pose the question about our industry’s imminent demise. Without skipping a beat, all answered with a resounding vote of confidence. (A palpable sigh of relief was heard from the room full of 175 PR pros.)
Here’s how O’Dwyer’s reported it: “[Lisa] Anderson noted that while the Internet can be an effective tool for information, it becomes hard — impossible sometimes — to weed out fact from fiction, thereby making the blogosphere an inherently unreliable source for news.”
“There are no substitutes for an informed publicist,” [Josh] Getlin said “I’ve yet to see anything that competes with that.”