The Media is Dead. Long Live the Media!

The Media is Dead. Long Live the Media!

The media, particularly but not exclusively in western countries, is in crisis. Ever since I left the BBC, the corporation affectionately known as “auntie” has been laying off thousands of its nephews and nieces!

Newspaper conglomerations are firing journalists in droves in the UK, US, Brazil and even in Switzerland, where I am based.

The “fortunate” journalists who are left behind have to do more with less.

And in this digital world they have to work on all fronts.


For more bittersweet insights into the depressing state of journalism see last month’s episode of “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver.

What does this mean for you?
The traditional print and broadcast may not have the time or resources to write your story, attend your press conference or go on your press trip, but many are more open to accepting your written or visual content.

The BBC used to be reluctant to take video footage, known as B-roll or vides news releases, from organisations. But today the BBC and other major broadcasters such as Al Jazeera, Euronews, CCTV, Russia Today regularly download broadcast quality content from the ICRC video newsroom.

Unable for financial, logistical or political reasons to send their reporters to conflict zones, they build their stories using this free content. Some though like the BBC baulk at using the interviews of the agency spokespeople or representatives.

If you have newsworthy content, you can even decide which media to offer it to. The ICRC recently found itself in the enviable position where The Sunday Times and the BBC were interested in publishing the account of the siege war and suffering in Madaya by the head of the ICRC delegation in Syria. The article was published on the BBC website, where it was one of the most read that week.

When journalists become PR people
If you can’t rely on that resource in-house, you can follow the example of the UN refugee agency, which has a roster of freelance journalists who report on asylum and refugee issues.

Do you remember the story of this girl?

yusra-mardini

Yusra Mardini is the Syrian girl who swam at the Olympics in Rio as part of the refugee team. Well, a journalist in Berlin contracted by the UN refugee agency first broke this story, which was picked up by the world’s media.

I personally wonder if a journalist paid to write an article by an organisation can objectively report on that organisation when it is in the news.

But I am told this is an issue for the media outlet and or journalist and not the organisation. It would seem though important that it is made clear that the journalist can report on the organisation’s issues and that they should not feel obliged to self censor for fear of offending their PR client!

It is a model that is gaining traction. I know of a number of print and broadcast journalists in Geneva who write or produce video for international humanitarian organisations. Unable to make a living from pure journalism, they welcome the extra income.

Keeping the editorial line
There are still some die-hard publications, which you will find it difficult to convince to take your copy, even if it is extremely well written. The New York Times recently turned down a powerful story about healthcare workers in South Sudan written by a former journalist now working as a public relations officer at the ICRC.

But the New York Times seems more open to taking text if it comes with photos, especially if they are “laundered” through the photographic agency you are working with. Recently the newspaper accepted this story commissioned by UNICEF on Syrian refugees coming into Europe

uncertain-journeys-the-new-york-times

It was, however, placed in the opinion section. The first time the New York Times had a visual editorial.

The boundaries between journalism and public relations are moving. The two professions have always had a symbiotic relationship but with the media in crisis, for the moment, it would seem that more journalists are moving into PR full-time or on a freelance basis.

If you have a budget to employ or to contract them, you can be certain that it will be easier to get the story of your organisations issues or activities covered in the way you want it to be told.

Images by

other words.org,

abc.net.au,

NYTimes