A year at the intersection of PR & journalism

I began my work with Edelman PR’s Toronto office a little over one year ago. It’s been quite a time of change in journalism and communications. As Canadian National Media Lead, it’s my job to keep track of what’s happening in the industry and offer informed advice to our clients. The daily practice of watching and reporting on the industry, and meeting with as many of its leaders as possible, has left me with a few thoughts.

If you follow me on Twitter you’ll know I spend a lot of time sounding alarm bells about the consequences of the systemic change in the industry. And, let’s be clear, the change isn’t contained to newsrooms. If you are in the content business the imperative to adjust should be obvious.

The platform age has changed everything about how content reaches the audience: From the way you can make money at it, to what the audience wants to see and how they want to see it. Every player in the media ecosystem is struggling to adjust right now.

Is there a lot to worry about? Yes. But, it’s not all about cliffs and misery. With change and increased competition comes opportunity too for those who are willing to let go of the past and embrace a world where journalism and storytelling collides with technology and business.

Here’s what I’m obsessed with right now:

Are labels holding back innovation?

Many Canadian media and PR folks are clinging to old patterns of work and planning when all corners of the industry need to be borrowing ideas from each other. We should consider collaborating to find new ways to create compelling stories for an audience that is drowning in content.

Before you freak out, I’m not saying PR folks and journalists are interchangeable. They’re not.

But, for example, newsrooms could do a much better job promoting and protecting their work and their brands if they worked closely with PR and marketing professionals. Likewise, PR and marketing folks need to harness the power of great writing and relevant conversation-starting work to cut through the noise.

What worries me the most is that our persistent judgement of what journalists and PR people are is holding everyone back. In a world of democratized information — where a woman on Twitter with an iPhone can do a great job reporting on an issue and a copywriter at a PR firm can start a movement — it’s quality content that matters.

Every single one of us is obsessed with generating trust from the audience too. This means that if content creators want to be successful they need to respect many of the journalistic values that make the news so important. The truth is great for business and the idea that PR doesn’t care about that or, worse, tries to avoid it, is largely an antiquated idea.

We have brilliant writers and story people working in paid content for news brands and PR firms. These folks aren’t second-class creators. There is talent there and it’s important we look at the opportunity that comes with new ways of connecting to audience. It’s why our Chief Creative Officer, Andrew Simon, and his team won at Cannes for a documentary they produced with HP’s help about internet security. Is it branded content? Yes. Does it tell an important, interesting story that people need to hear about? Yes. It was featured at HotDocs and we’re incredibly proud of the work they did.

Imagine a world where common interests between PR, newsrooms, brands and the audience create honest and open conversations about the topics we need to talk about. It’s important for businesses to be a part of that kind of world. Living values out loud and showing up in a way that works with people to do great things. As I watch the journalism and PR industries evolve, extending the concept of collaboration across disciplines is not a pipe dream. It might become a business imperative for everyone. It might also be great for journalism and for the audience.

Journalist? Consider entrepreneurship.

As newsrooms shift, journalists need to adapt to survive. But, more importantly change is key to keeping the craft of journalism alive. Entrepreneurship doesn’t necessarily mean starting a business. It’s an attitude. It’s a commitment to be open to opportunities. It’s a determination to find new ways to make your work profitable.

I can only speak from personal experience when I say that you do not have to work in a newsroom to defend smart, values-based storytelling. I bring my journalism training into every room I work in. I fight for the truth. I fight for good stories. I continue to write and connect stories to people. I’m focused on trying to simplify complicated subjects. I want to put things into context and to drag people away from oversimplified assumptions. I know a lot of PR people who think this way.

I know many freelance journalists too who show up, not just in newspapers but as business people. They organize events and bring people together. Living in the messy middle and finding ways to take the skills of journalism into the marketplace is a good place to be. There are jobs here and you can still be you. You can live your values and defend good journalism everyday.

I’m sure my reporter friends are tired of hearing me say this. But, change isn’t an end. It’s a beginning. How will Canadian journalists show up to tell the stories of the future? A lot of the solutions will be found by exploring new ideas and opportunities with our friends in the tech and business sectors. But, if you restrict your idea of where a journalist should or shouldn’t tell stories, how can you find new ground? We need to have a conversation about new areas of opportunity. We need to train a new generation of journalists to not only investigate, synthesize, write and report but also leverage technology and business strategy to get that work to an audience who wants to pay for it too.

We need a movement of civility.

I have seen a lot happen online in the last year and considered it through the lens of diminished trust in traditional institutions like business, media & government. Edelman has been researching trust for the last 17 years and our data tells us we’re in a tough spot. Populism, technological change, the inversion of influence from traditional sources to the mass population needs to change our thinking. Research is clear — our shared audience sees social media as their front page and the feed as news.

We can spent a ton of time talking about how to navigate that new normal and making sure that if you’re creating content you are thinking about all the ways audiences connects to story now. But, there’s something even more important we need to prioritize.

There is a clear and present need in the media ecosystem for measured and thoughtful discussion. A need for kind and open comment and debate. A need, in my view, for content creators from all corners of the media ecosystem to lead by example.

Words matter. I worry that we undervalue the impact of our choices when we work on stories. I can only speak for myself and for the counsel I provide to clients and friends who ask. I’m focused on these questions: How can I make this situation better? How can I improve understanding & collaboration? How I can bring the audience to a fair version of the truth?

It is not a perfect effort but it’s an honest one and I’m proud to say I work for a PR firm who supports me. If all the people who felt this way used their position, their influence and skills to further the goal of understanding then maybe the space where we tell our stories will be better too.

Things are moving so fast in media and communications these days I would be a fool to tell you exactly what life will look like in one year’s time. What I do know is that the best coping mechanism for a changing world is an open mind. And I, for one, am excited to see what the future will look like.