THE NEW NORMAL FOR NEWS - HAVE GLOBAL MEDIA CHANGED FOREVER? ORIELLA PR NETWORK GLOBAL DIGITAL JOURNALISM STUDY 2013
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The New
Normal for news
Have global media
changed forever?
Oriella PR Network Global
Digital Journalism Study 2013
Oriella PR Network Global Digital Journalism Study 2013 1
the new normal for news
have global media changed forever?
Oriella PR Network Global Digital Journalism Study 2013
Executive Summary
The 2013 Oriella Digital Journalism, our sixth annual investigation into the role and impact of digital media in
newsrooms and news-gathering worldwide, in many senses marks a watershed. The study is based on a survey
of over 500 journalists spanning 14 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, New
Zealand, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the USA), and finds digital media well entrenched in all countries, albeit
in very different ways.
More respondents than ever believe their largest readership is now online rather than off, and their performance is
overwhelmingly evaluated based on digital metrics like unique visitors. These developments reflect the significant
investments proprietors have made in their digital platforms, as the world turns away from print media and towards
digital content.
As a result the way journalists work has changed
dramatically:
• ‘Digital first’ publishing is changing the rules • For journalists, social media means more
of the journalism game. A third of respondents than blogs and Twitter – in particular, the use of
believes their title is ‘digital first’ – in other words Google Plus, widely lampooned in many areas of
they break news as it happens online, rather than mainstream media, is remarkably popular, both with
holding it until the next edition. A quarter say they media brands and journalists themselves.
develop multiple versions of the same story as it
• In spite of all the new technology, traditional
develops. And, nearly half of the journalists in our
values remain. The most prized source of news
survey say their title now produces its own video
and validation are conversations with industry
material in-house.
insiders. Expert spokespeople such as analysts
• Mobile is growing in popularity as a and academics are now the first place journalists go
monetisation model - The models for generating to in order to get their news. And the most trusted
revenue via digital journalism are changing too; sources are academics and technical experts, rather
paid-for smartphone apps for rich media content are than executives, marketers and political figures.
rising in popularity while the dominant monetisation
model – ad-supported content – have tailed off
somewhat.
• Digital media has cemented its role within These trends, we believe, indicate the true emergence of
the journalistic arsenal. The use of blogs and digital journalism as a mainstream force in world media –
microblogs to source and verify news stories is a ‘New Normal for News’, as we have dubbed it. Media
broadly in line with last year – but only when the tactics which just a few years ago would have worked per-
sources behind those feeds are known to the fectly well, can no longer be relied on to the same extent
as before. The trend towards ‘digital first’ publishing and
journalists. Journalists’ personal use of social media
mobile content all have big implications for how brands
is also growing. For the first time, the proportion of communicate.
journalists active on Twitter in a personal capacity
has passed the fifty percent mark, and a third have We explore the developments, the challenges and the op-
portunities they bring, throughout the report, and provide
their own blogs.
some actionable guidance based on our conclusions, in
the Summary.
Oriella PR Network Global Digital Journalism Study 2013 2Chapter one:
global media: an
industry in flux
Uncertainty remains
In the last few iterations of the Oriella Digital Journalism Digital media attract eyeballs
Study, we have seen the machinations of the global
economy playing out in newsrooms and editorial offices.
and advertisers but lack
Last year, for example, the picture was far more upbeat in prestige
the developing markets – Brazil, Russia and China – than
in either Europe or North America. More journalists in One of the goals of this study has been to track the
those countries reported an increase in journalist numbers relative fortunes of print and digital media formats. We
and higher revenues than the other regions we surveyed. do this by asking journalists where they believe they
have the largest audience. This year’s study is in line
This year’s picture is more nuanced. In contrast the with our findings in 2011 and 2012: roughly half of
country whose journalists are most bullish about revenues respondents globally agree their largest audiences are
is the USA, where 52 per cent of the media surveyed online.
believed their revenues would increase – with one in three
anticipating revenue growth of ten per cent or more. This Journalists are however dubious as to the financial
sits in stark comparison with the global average of 36 per merits of digital publishing. Only 20 per cent of
cent. respondents worldwide agree that their publication
The situation is different again when it comes to staffing earns more money online than from print, and 44
levels. This year, Germany was the only country where per cent disagree. This is likely a reflection of the
those predicting staff levels would increase was higher substantial investments by media groups in digital
than those predicting a decline. In all other countries, depressing their overall revenues. The New York Times
including China, India, Brazil, the USA and Canada, those Company and Axel Springer in Germany are examples
predicting a decline in staff numbers outnumbered those of companies which have announced reduced profits
who disagreed by at least two to one. recently – partly as a result of increased investment
in digital platforms. As we will see later in this report,
Indeed, the operating environment for media globally is digital metrics have become the chief means used
challenging. In developing markets, broadband internet by publications to track the effectiveness of their
adoption is accelerating: in Brazil, 46 per cent of the journalists’ work.
population now has internet access, while adoption India and Sweden are the outliers when it comes to
in China stands at 42 per cent1. As a result, media print media consumption –69 per cent of respondents
consumption is likely to shift online, away from print – in Sweden, and 61 per cent in India, think their largest
much as it has in Europe and North America. audiences consume their traditional print or broadcast
format. The UK comes a distant third, at 45 per cent,
Data from the advertising industry supports this view. while journalists in France, China, the USA, Brazil and
The WARC Consensus Ad Forecast for 2013 predicts Canada now believe their largest audiences are now
internet advertising will see the strongest growth this year, online.
with predicted growth rate of 13 per cent2. By contrast,
newspaper display advertising is expected to decline by However, when asked about the prestige of print media
2.7 per cent. in their countries, a contrary trend emerges. Globally,
The uncertain outlook for mainstream media is also over half of the journalists surveyed agreed that print
made clear by a sharp increase in concern among those media were more prestigious in their countries.
surveyed that their publication may be taken off the market. It is interesting to note the countries where this view
This year, nearly one in five agreed this was a concern, was not supported: the USA, 35 per cent, Canada,
compared with one in eight a year ago. 29 per cent, and Russia, where not a single journalist
agreed print was more prestigious than online media.
In all of these countries, online news sites and blogs are
well-established in the media mix – to an extent due to
their huge geographical expanse.
1 www.internetworldstats.com; World Bank
2 WARC 2013
Oriella PR Network Global Digital Journalism Study 2013 3‘Digital First’ – where print and Measuring success in the age of
broadcast media meet digital media
The past year has seen many respected media groups For the first time this year, we asked journalists how the
declare themselves ‘digital first’ titles. That is, they will success of their material is evaluated. Once upon a
publish news online as it breaks, rather than holding key time, editors would have looked at the number of pieces
stories over to the next print edition. We view digital first making print, and the number of exclusive articles, as a
as a key catalyst for the new normal for news. In the UK, yardstick of journalist performance. Today, publications’
both the Guardian and the Financial Times announced use of social media to promote their own content, plus
shifts to a digital first model; Axel Springer in Germany the inherent ‘trackability’ of digital content, means
is also investing heavily is this medium. These shifts publishers have a much wider variety of metrics they
are partly in recognition of the changing nature of their can look at.
readership; partly to reduce costs. The message from this year’s survey is clear on the
subject: the single most important measure are unique
The survey broadly reflects the trend. Thirty-nine per cent visits their articles receive – chosen half (50 per cent)
of the journalists surveyed worldwide agree their title is of the journalists surveyed. This view is most strongly
now ‘digital first’, and the trend is especially pronounced held in the US and Canada, with 68 per cent and 86 per
in Canada, India, Russia, Italy and Sweden. As a result, cent respectively, plus Brazil (52 per cent), Sweden (58
more journalists are being asked to work harder: 46 per per cent), Spain (58 per cent) and Russia (52 per cent).
cent of the journalists surveyed this year agree they are In the UK, the somewhat cruder measure of page
expected to produce more content, up from 40 per cent views – highlighted by 51 per cent of British journalists,
in 2012. Further, over a quarter of respondents (28 per compared with 45 per cent who chose unique visits.
cent) this year say they produce multiple versions of the
same story as it develops – compelling evidence that Interestingly, France was the only country that
real-time digital journalism is going truly mainstream. The evidences a deeper model of user engagement – 77
biggest responses here come from China: 64 per cent of per cent of French journalists say they are measured by
journalists say they cover rolling news in this way, followed increases in social media followers, 74 per cent by how
by Germany, with 44 per cent. Paradoxically, in the US, many likes or tweets they get. These figures suggest
just 11 per cent of journalists agree. editors are looking beyond sheer traffic volumes to track
the social media buzz around their coverage.
The growth of digital publishing also means more of
journalists’ work is getting published as practical concerns
over space and pagination become a thing of the past. We
asked journalists roughly what proportion of their output
had been published so far this year, compared with last
year. Overall, 34 per cent of respondents say that nine-
tenths or more of their output made print last year – not a
bad number, until you find out that this year, the proportion
has risen to 43 per cent. The trend is far more marked
in Europe than Asia-Pacific or the Americas – perhaps a
reflection of the tighter resources and competitive media
markets in this region.
Oriella PR Network Global Digital Journalism Study 2013 4How digital media determine news output Over the past six years, the Oriella Digital Journalism Study has charted the emergence of digital storytelling techniques that are complementing and sometimes even replacing the written word and photography. For the past three years, the content type that has grown the fastest is in-house video. This year, nearly half of the respondents surveyed – 49 per cent – said their titles published videos produced in-house. This is an increase of 13 per cent on 2012’s number, and a whopping 30 per cent higher than 2011, when just 20 per cent of respondents said their titles supported video made in-house. Demand for third-party produced video material has grown, but to nothing like the same extent: in 2012, 30 per cent of respondents said their titles used externally-produced video; this year the figure is 34 per cent. Infographics are another content asset that have attracted a lot of attention in recent years. This year, 28 per cent of respondents say their titles published infographics, pro- vided they were developed in-house. This is an increase on last year’s figure, albeit far smaller than for video. As with video, when infographics are produced externally, for example by brands, they prove slightly less popular, with 23 per cent of journalists saying they publish them. There is, however, evidence that some of these new story telling assets are losing their lustre in some countries. For example, 41 per cent of Chinese journalists told us in 2012 they published externally-produced infographics. This year, the figure has fallen to 20 per cent. If one could draw any broad conclusion from this part of the study it is that media are still searching – very hard – for the keys to success in the new normal for news. In Chapter Three, we explore how mobile is one monetisation ap- proach which is growing in popularity as advertising based business models start to fall from favour. Yet for all the technological change, some very ‘traditional’ values remain at the heart of journalism worldwide – values which have important implications for brands wishing to build relationships with them. Oriella PR Network Global Digital Journalism Study 2013 5
Chapter two:
social media and
news-gathering – a
new world order
emerges
Over the past three years we have charted the impact The UK, Canada (both with 68 per cent), China (64 per
social media have had on news-gathering itself. Last cent) and France (55 per cent) are the countries where
year, after observing how coverage of the intense politi- journalists have most readily embraced social media news-
cal turmoil in the Middle East and elsewhere had become gathering – provided the sources are trustworthy.
dominated by social media content, our survey showed just Use of social media by journalists to verify the stories
how popular microblogs – and more traditional blogs –were they’re already working on is also in line with the 2012
for journalists looking for new stories, or substantiation for findings. Globally, 42 per cent of journalists use trusted
pieces they were already working on. microblogs (2012, 43 per cent), and 37 per cent use
blogs they know (2012, 38 per cent) to verify stories.
This year the trend is broadly similar with 51 per cent of Compared with other sources, usage of social media for
journalists worldwide say they use microblogs (e.g. Twit- news gathering and verification has changed the least
ter, Facebook and Weibo) to gather new stories – provided since last year, indicating journalists – and their editors
the source behind those accounts is known and trusted – remain broadly happy with the role of social media in
by them (2012 figure, 54 per cent). As was the case in their journalism.
2012, reliance on these sources falls dramatically when the
As last year, the most important sources of news and
sources are not known to the journalist: 25 per cent say
validation are conversations with industry insiders.
they source stories in this way – the same proportion as
In 2012, 63 per cent of journalists said they sourced
2012.
news through these discussions, 62 per cent said they
used them for validation. This year the figures have
declined, but still outstrip social media channels: 59 per
cent of respondents use them to source news, 54 per
cent use them for validation.
HOW DO YOU SOURCE
HOW DO AND
YOU SOURCE VERIFY
AND THE
VERIFY THE STORIES
STORIES YOUON?
YOU WORK WORK ON?
5%
CHANGE ON 2012
0%
-5%
-10%
-15%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
FAMILIAR UNFAMILIAR FAMILIAR UNFAMILIAR INDUSTRY WIRE CORPORATE PR AGENCIES OTHER
MICROBLOGS MICROBLOGS BLOGS BLOGS INSIDERS SERVICES SPOKESPEOPLE
2013 ALL COUNTRIES SOURCING 2013 ALL COUNTRIES VERIFYING
Oriella PR Network Global Digital Journalism Study 2013 6It is no surprise social media have become so invaluable to
journalists: from President Barack Obama to Rupert Mur-
doch and even the Pope, many of the key agenda-shapers
on the world stage make their views public on social
media. Yet when asked which single information source
journalists would look at first when developing a story, a
far more complicated picture emerges (see chart below).
In 2011-2012, we tracked a significant shift away from
pre-packaged stories in the form of press releases, and
towards the one-to-one contact with expert spokespeople.
That shift is continuing in 2013 – only seven per cent of “Key agenda-
respondents say their press release in-tray is their first port
of call. But there has been a big fall in use of corporate shapers on the
spokespeople, too – from 24 per cent in 2012 to 16 per
cent this year. world stage make
Use of social media has increased substantially, and as a their views public
first port of call is now just one basis point behind the press
release in-tray. Compare this with the picture in 2011, when on social media”
press releases were the number one first source of infor-
mation for journalists. Meanwhile use of third-party blogs
and analysts has experienced slight growth compared with
a year ago.
Of all the countries surveyed, German journalists depend
the most on press releases; meanwhile journalists in the
UK, US, Sweden, Russia and China place the heaviest
emphasis on contact with expert spokespeople.
WHO WOULD BE YOUR FIRST PORT OF CALL WHEN RESEARCHING A STORY?
(ONLY WHO
ONE RESPONSE
WOULD ALLOWED)
BE YOUR FIRST PORT OF CALL WHEN RESEARCHING A STORY?
(ONLY ONE RESPONSE ALLOWED)
INTERVIEWS WITH CORPORATE SPOKESPEOPLE
NEWSWIRES / AGENCIES
OTHER MEDIA SITES
MY PRESS RELEASE IN TRAY
CORPORATE WEBSITES
TWITTER / FACEBOOK / LINKEDIN
THIRD PARTY BLOGS
ANALYSTS
PR AGENCIES
OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT SOURCES
VIDEO SITES (E.G. YOUTUBE, VIMEO)
CORPORATE BLOGS
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
2013 2012 2011
Oriella PR Network Global Digital Journalism Study 2013 7The secret’s in the source
Who are these ‘trusted sources’? This year we asked Interestingly, in the emerging markets surveyed, charities
journalists to state how far they trusted different types and NGOs do not appear to be quite the beacons of
of people in their research. Overall, the message is very trustworthiness many would expect. Just 18 per cent of
clear: academics and other third-party experts (such as Russian journalists, 34 per cent of Indian and 27 per cent
think-tanks) are by far the most respected sources of of Brazilian journalists say they trust these organisations.
information for journalists, with 70 per cent of respondents
saying they trust them. The big exception is China, where 54 per cent of journalists
say they trust NGOs – and indeed they rank second on the
In second place, with 63 per cent, interestingly, come list of Chinese’ journalists most trusted sources. What’s
technical experts drawn from companies’ own ranks. CEOs more, Chinese journalists place greater trust in their own
and marketing leads, who one would associate more readers than any other country surveyed – 58 per cent.
closely with delivering the corporate message, score far Coming after a succession of natural disasters, which
lower: just 41 per cent of respondents say they view CEOs caused hundreds of deaths and casualties, the trend is
as trustworthy, while for marketers the figure is a lowly unsurprising. The implication is that journalists here are
17 per cent. Indeed, more journalists say they distrust tiring of covering the ‘official versions’ from mainstream
marketers – and only politicians come off worse (even PR sources, and are ready to pay greater heed to sources that
agencies fare fractionally better)! are closer to the story and have less interest in glossing
over the details.
There are some interesting variations in the data. CEOs
are relatively well-regarded in Russia (52 per cent), France
and Germany (both 48 per cent), the UK and Russia
(both 45 per cent). Meanwhile analysts are seen as better
sources by journalists in France (81 per cent), Canada (74
per cent), and Italy (57 per cent).
HOW FAR DO YOU TRUST THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS IN YOUR RESEARCH?
HOW FAR DO YOU TRUST THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS IN YOUR RESEARCH?
ACADEMIC OR EXPERT
TECHNICAL EXPERT IN A COMPANY
A PERSON LIKE YOU
ANALYIST
COMPANY CEO
NGO OR CHARITY
Distrust
REGULATOR OR GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL Trust
A READER
MEMBER OR PARLIAMENT OR CONGRESS
PR PERSON – EITHER AGENCY OR IN-HOUSE
HEAD OF MARKETING
AN ORGANISATION’S ONLINE COMMUNITY MANAGER
-40 -20 0 20 40 60 80
Oriella PR Network Global Digital Journalism Study 2013 8Has the age of the citizen journalist arrived?
In many countries publications have re-jigged their working processes to give greater emphasis to user-generated content.
Today, the first images of key events – from the horrific pictures of Syria’s civil war, to the meteorite strike in Siberia in early 2013
– often come from members of the public.
Our survey finds that readers enjoy stronger credibility in the eyes of journalists than politicians, PR professionals or marketers.
Respondents were also asked whether they agreed with the statement: ‘In my organisation, ‘citizen journalism’ carries as much
credibility as conventional reporting’ – to which 20 per cent of respondents say yes.
In other words, more than one in five of journalists in our study are prepared to give readers the same amount of professional
credibility as themselves. Half (51%) disagreed with the statement. Admittedly, there is a huge amount of variety here. Citizen
journalists get short shrift in the UK
(3 per cent think they have as much credibility), Sweden (2 per cent), New Zealand (1 per cent) and Russia (0 per cent).
However in France 58 per cent of respondents gave citizen journalists equal credibility and in Italy 36 per cent. Within BRICs, 43
per cent in India and 37 per cent in China said citizen journalists were equally credible.
The implication is that in the new normal for news, citizen journalism is seen as a valuable source of information for journalists,
particularly where it is hard to cover the story at source, and where there are concerns over the reliability of official information
sources.
Journalists are publishers,
too!
Journalists also see the value of social media for self- The continued growth of social media by journalists in
promotion. Over half (55 per cent) of those surveyed this almost every country surveyed presents real opportunities
year agree that blogs are a good way for journalists to build for brands to cement strong relationships with key
their personal profiles – compared to just 14 per cent who commentators in the new normal for news. The challenge
disagree, and around a third (34 per cent) actually possess is, of course, precisely how this cementing takes place.
one. The study finds journalists overwhelmingly reject the
idea of taking pre-formed story ‘packages’ from single
Use of micro-blogs is somewhat more widespread. This organisations by nearly two to one. This suggests
year the proportion of journalists worldwide who say they corporate communicators should concentrate their efforts
use Twitter has reached 59 per cent. Usage of Twitter is harnessing their company’s (and their experts’) social
highest in the UK, France, Spain, Canada, Australia and networks to help qualify, shape and comment on stories
the US – and it is hardly surprising to see the Anglophone originating elsewhere.
countries are such keen adopters. It is interesting,
however, to note blogging is far more commonplace among
journalists in India (64 per cent), while in some countries,
notably Germany, social media are still very much a
minority pursuit: barely a third of German journalists say
they have personal Twitter accounts.
47% 59%
JOURNALISTS JOURNALISTS
WHO TWEET WHO TWEET
(2012) (2013)
Oriella PR Network Global Digital Journalism Study 2013 9Google Plus comes of age?
The search giant’s social media platform has come in for heavy criticism from mainstream user communities, but it has been en-
thusiastically adopted by a number of media brands and journalists. As in 2012, just over a quarter of respondents (27 per cent)
say they have a personal Google Plus page – though in two countries , France and the US, far greater proportions are Google
Plus users (48 per cent and 61 per cent respectively).
Publications, too, have gravitated towards it – in 2012, 21 per cent of respondents said their titles had a Google Plus page; this
year the figure is 23 per cent. Some leading titles enjoy significant followings on Google Plus. For example, the Financial Times
has 1.3m Google Plus followers, compared with a relatively paltry 430,000 on Facebook, and just 18,000 followers on LinkedIn3.
Considering the vast majority of the journalists surveyed are measured according to visits to their articles, the appetite for
Google Plus in the new normal for news is hardly surprising. It is well known that Google Search gives priority to results from
other Google products (such as Google Plus) – so it is a wonder adoption is not higher. We will continue to track the progress of
Google Plus over the coming years.
JOURNALISTS’ PERSONAL
JOURNALISTS' USE
PERSONAL USE OFOF SOCIAL
SOCIAL MEDIA MEDIA
100.00%
90.00%
80.00%
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
UK France Germany Italy Spain Russia Sweden China India Australia NZ USA Canada Brazil
Personal blog Personal Twitter handle Personal Google Plus page
WHICH OF WHICH
THE FOLLOWING DO YOU OPERATE ON A PERSONAL BASIS?
OF THE FOLLOWING DO YOU OPERATE ON A PERSONAL BASIS?
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
Global 2013
30.00%
Global 2012
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
Personal blog Personal Twitter Personal Google Personal YouTube Other Pinterest Instagram
handle Plus page channel
3 Global social channels drive FT consumption, infographic, Financial Times, 2012
Oriella PR Network Global Digital Journalism Study 2013 10Chapter three:
the digital
business model
Since we launched the Oriella Digital Journalism Study six
years ago, the topic of monetisation online has become
the single most pressing issue media organisations face
today, and the driving force behind the emergence of the
new normal for news. Consumption of print media has “Paid-for apps
plummeted over the past decade (see chart below); as a
result the business model which has fuelled the media for
centuries has been rendered obsolete. This transition has
have almost
wrought havoc on well-established media brands. Time Inc
lost 26 per cent of its revenue between 2008 and 2012, doubled in
popularity
and laid off six per cent of its workforce4. In Spain, El Pais
was forced to lay off a third of its workforce and impose
a 15 per cent pay cut on the remainder5. This negative
trend is mirrored in the survey with 64 per cent of Spanish
respondents predicting that advertising revenue would
since 2012”
decline.
Paywalls have not been a universal panacea. For example,
in the UK, The Times continues to lose around £1m
($1.5m) each week, despite the high-profile adoption of a
paywall in 2010. Nevertheless they are a popular idea with
media bosses looking to staunch the decline in revenues
from advertising. The UK’s Daily Telegraph and The Sun
newspapers both implemented their own paywalls in early
2013.
Source: People Press6
‘i READ A'I NEWSPAPER YESTERDAY’ (% OF US READERS)
READ A NEWSPAPER YESTERDAY' (% OF US READERS)
2002 42
2012 23
4 The Economist, http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2013/03/time-warners-spin-out-plans
5 The Economist, http://www.economist.com/news/business/21567934-after-years-bad-headlines-industry-finally-has-some-
good-news-news-adventures
6 http://www.people-press.org/2012/09/27/in-changing-news-landscape-even-television-is-vulnerable/
Oriella PR Network Global Digital Journalism Study 2013 11Our study shows overwhelmingly that free-for-all access A mobile future beckons for
based on advertising revenues remains the current
orthodoxy, though its popularity has experienced a slight media?
decline, from 38 per cent in 2012 to 35 per cent this
year. This trend surely explains the focus on web traffic The study finds that premium apps have just edged ahead
and unique users as performance metrics for journalists of flat-rate paywalls and ‘freemium’ billing models, to be
explored in Chapter One. media groups’ top way of charging online-only audiences
for content. Though the figures are low – less than 10 per
When it comes to charging for digital content, paywalls and cent – the overall shift in favour of mobile corresponds
‘freemium’ models of monetising content presented on a with changing consumer behaviours. According to the Pew
web browser have given way to the smartphone and tablet. Center, half the American population now possesses a
Adoption of these devices has accelerated enormously smartphone or a tablet, of whom two in three use them to
over the past year, and has caught the imaginations of read the news7. Smartphones and tablets are expected by
proprietors looking for ways of monetising their content analysts to be the fastest-growing mobile device categories
other than through advertisements. Our study has found globally for the next few years8. It is to be expected that
that paid-for smartphone or tablet apps have almost news consumption globally will mirror this trend: moving
doubled in popularity, from five per cent in 2012 to eight not just from print to online, but from ‘fixed’ desk or laptop
per cent this year, with continental European media groups computers to mobile devices.
– plus Chinese proprietors - leading the charge.
One in four French journalists, and 20 per cent in Brazil,
said their titles operated premium apps. In Italy, 12 per
cent, Spain, eight per cent and in Germany, nine per cent,
of journalists surveyed agreed. By contrast, in the USA and
Canada, not a single journalist said their title had premium
apps. Indeed, a far higher proportion of respondents in
these countries said their business model was based on
ad-funded free access to content.
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING DO YOU GENERATE ON A PERSONAL BASIS?
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING DO YOU OPERATE ON A PERSONAL BASIS?
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
Global 2013
30.00% Global 2012
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
Personal blog Personal Twitter Personal Google Personal YouTube Other Pinterest Instagram
handle Plus page channel
7 The Future of Mobile News, Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, October 2012 http://www.jour
nalism.org/analysis_report/future_mobile_news
8 Canalys, February 2013, quoted in Mobithinking Global Mobile Statistics, March 2013 http://mobithinking.com/mobile-mar
keting-tools/latest-mobile-stats/a
Oriella PR Network Global Digital Journalism Study 2013 12If the new normal for news means that media groups indeed peg their long-term future to mobile devices, the ramifications for brands are significant. First, it is prob- able that news content will be far more interactive than it has been in the past, as touch-screen interfaces open up new possibilities for storytelling. One example could be interactive graphics (or ‘digi-graphics’) which allow readers to navigate their own path through stories. The New York Times and The Guardian are two pioneers in this area, though many other newspaper groups are bolstering their capabilities here9. Second, we may see a polarisation of how journalistic output is published. Short, punchy news updates providing near real-time coverage of events in print and on video, op- timised for small screens at could be one end; longer-form feature and investigative pieces at the other. ‘Shorter but quicker’ journalism could also afford media brands greater prominence – and consequently greater traffic - in search rankings, news readers and ‘social news aggregator’ apps such as Flipboard and Pulse News10. The impact on the job For all the changes playing themselves out in newsrooms and editorial offices, journalists remain generally upbeat about their jobs. Thirty-four per cent of respondents say they enjoy the job more (the same as in 2012), and just 17 per cent disagree (2012: 14 per cent). Unsurprisingly, in countries where uncertainty is highest, job satisfaction is lower. In France, where over half of re- spondents expected editorial teams to be cut, the majority say their job satisfaction has stayed the same or lessened over the past two years. On the other hand, in China, where 38 per cent of respondents said their publications had hired more journalists, job satisfaction was the highest. Sixty per cent say they enjoy their job more but not a single one says they enjoy it less. The study does find that the ‘New Normal for News’ is cre- ating new headaches for many journalists. Roughly one in three surveyed agreed they are finding it harder to keep abreast of events on social media. The figure is closer to 50 per cent in France and the US, but in the UK, Germany and Brazil, the figures are far lower. One conclusion to draw from this finding is that brands must pay closer attention to ‘trending’ topics – tailoring their output accordingly. Many brands, particularly B2C brands and ‘newer’ B2B companies, have embraced this thinking; more well-established firms however have found it more challenging. 9 The Guardian’s interactive graphic on the Arab Spring, and NYT’s ‘Mapping the Nation’s Well-Being’ are two stand-out examples of digi-graphics 10 The momentum behind news aggregation mobile and tablet apps should not be underestimated. In April 2013, Flipboard, one of the most popular of these, announced it Oriella PR Network Global Digital Journalism Study 2013 13
Conclusion:
the rule book gets
redrawn
This year’s study has seen the major shifts identified a Recommendations for
year ago accelerate and become more deeply entrenched.
Journalists are using social media to source information
communicators:
and promote their output; harnessing a wider range of
content assets to tell stories; and have embraced real-time 1. Break down the stove pipes separating media,
reporting. They are less keen on pre-packaged news in the digital, blogger and influencer engagement. In-house
form of press releases, which just two years ago remained communications leaders should drive their teams
the first port of call for news-gathering. to identify and engage with all the influential voices
around their brand.
At the same time, the quest for revenues is forcing proprie- 2. Identify who matters – not just media, analysts and
tors to make tough decisions. If the respondents to our bloggers, but academics, think tanks and ‘person-
study are to be believed, there will be fewer full-time ‘staff’ alities’ too. Analyse the conversations about and
journalists in 2014 than there were this year. Industry around the brand to identify ‘sleeping influencers’,
consolidation – and closures – will continue. One in three whose interest broadly align with your own, but have
participants in our study agrees that the number of media yet to be ‘activated’.
globally will shrink. As a result, there will be fewer opportu-
nities for coverage, and far greater competition for space in 3. Train your geeks – identify the most media-friendly
the titles that remain. This state of affairs will benefit ‘sector subject matter experts at all levels in the organisa-
bellwethers’ but brands with a lesser profile will need to tion, and train them on messaging, tone of voice,
work harder to gain cut-through. interview management and social media. Let them
communicate as employees of the company – and
There are bright spots. If mobile strategies pay off, big bolster monitoring to evaluate its effectiveness.
changes in the way news media gather communicate Even simple actions, like tweeting key items of cov-
the news could be the result. Real-time reporting could erage alongside the journalist’s Twitter handle, can
become more commonplace, and indeed we may even see have big impacts.
the emergence of ‘news cycles’ which more common to 4. Think visually, think mobile, think interactive –
broadcast radio and TV newsrooms. Mobile publishing may publications’ illustration and media production teams
also accelerate new forms of ‘interactive’ journalism, where are better-resourced than ever to support an evolv-
users find their own path through the story. ing audience. Challenge your teams to explore new
ways of telling your story visually – and build ties
One emerging trend not covered in this study is ‘data with these teams.
journalism’ – the convergence of data analysis and re-
porting, which has been accelerated by the publication in 5. Add Google Plus to influencer and media en-
many countries of large amounts of government data. UK gagement strategies; encourage in-house blog-
newspaper The Guardian’s Data Blog is probably the best gers to use the platform to socialise their output and
example of this new discipline, which we plan to explore build Author Rank scores. The study shows media
further in next year’s study. are enthusiastic Google Plus users: brands wishing
to make their voices heard among journalists are
The ‘New Normal for News’ brings with it challenges, in advised to mirror them.
the form of a shrinking media pool and dwindling editorial
resources – but also real opportunities. Opportunities to
maintain ongoing dialogues with journalists via social me-
dia; opportunities to feed into breaking news coverage as it
develops; and opportunities to create new kinds of content
assets suitable for audiences on the move.
Oriella PR Network Global Digital Journalism Study 2013 14With Thanks METHODOLOGY The Oriella Digital Journalism Study was compiled in March and April 2013 using an online survey of 553 jour- nalists in 15 coun¬tries from broadcast, national, lifestyle, regional and trade media and blogs in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, New Zea- land, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States. On average 37 journalists were surveyed in each country. ABOUT THE ORIELLA PR NETWORK The Oriella PR Network is an alliance of 20 communica- tions agencies in 26 countries around the world. Our partnership is built upon a set of global best practices and close working relationships not offered by others of its kind. The network was founded by Brands2Life and HORN to address a gap in the market for strategic global commu- nications. Oriella provides globally-integrated PR, digital communications and social media campaigns for industry leaders and challenger brands alike. Oriella partners exist in major and secondary markets throughout The Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. www.oriellaprnetwork.com Oriella PR Network Global Digital Journalism Study 2013 15
CONTACT DETAILS: Brands2Life, UK Giles Fraser | +44 20 7592 1200 | giles.fraser@brands2life.com HORN, USA Sabrina Horn | +1 646 202 9777 | sabrina.horn@horngroup.com Botica Butler Raudon Partners, New Zealand Allan Botica | +64 21 400 500 | allanb@botica.co.nz Buman Media, Russia Natalia Bucelnikova | +7 499 922 2401 | natalia@bumanmedia.ru Canela PR, Spain / Portugal Deborah Gray | +34 915 230 584 | dgray@canelapr.com Clipping, France Jean-Louis Aubert | +33 (0)1 44 59 69 00 | jean-louis@clipping.fr EastWest PR, China / Singapore Christian Dougoud | +86 10 6582 0018 | christian@eastwestpr.com Fink & Fuchs Public Relations AG, Germany Katja Rodenhäuser | +49 (0) 611 741 3159 | katja.rodenhauser@ffpr.de LVTPR, Belgium / The Netherlands Charly Lammers van Toorenburg | +31 (0) 30 656 5070 | charly@lvtpr.nl Maverick PR, Canada Julie Rusciolelli | +1 416 640 5525 | julier@maverickpr.com Arcane, Canada Bryan Taylor | +1 646 280 2959 | bryan@arcane.ws MDI Strategic Solutions, Poland Janusz Leszczynski | +48 606 371 960 | jleszczynski@mdi.com.pl Noesis, Italy Giovanna Pandini | +39 02 8310511 | giovanna.pandini@noesis.net PR-COM, Germany Alain Blaes | +49 (0)89 59997 700 | alain.blaes@pr-com.de Vero PR, Thailand / Vietnam Brian Griffin | + 66851676952 | brian@veropr.com VIANEWS, Brazil Pedro Cadina | +55 (11) 3865 9990 | pedro.cadina@vianews.com.br Westmark Information, Sweden Mikael Westmark | +46 8 522 378 00 | mikael@westmark.se Candour Communications, India Dhrubajyoti Gayan | +91 99101 52352 | gayan@candour.co.in Oriella PR Network Global Digital Journalism Study 2013 16
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