Fair Media Council

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Fair Media Council

• Indecent Proposals Strange Bedfellows
• What to Expect from Media in 2009
• Presented by
• Jaci Clement, Executive Director
• Fair Media Council

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Fair Media Council

• "I support the free press,
• let's just get them
• out of the room."
• George W. Bush

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Fair Media Council

• Who We Are
• 501c3 nonprofit media watch organization
  comprised of about 200 businesses and nonprofits
  stretching from LI to NYC
• What We Do
• We do two things. . .

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Fair Media Council

• What We Do
• Advocate for quality local news, which is the
  vital link between all people, all businesses,
  all organizations and the government to keep the
  public informed, allow our community to prosper
  and retain our quality of life.

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Fair Media Council

• How do we do that?
• Meet with media decision makers regularly
• Critique the medias performance, and
  congratulate them on a job well done
• Write/speak on media issues
• Bring the media out to meet . . . you

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Fair Media Council

• The other thing we do
• Educate the public -- especially business groups
  and students -- about the news media, including
  whats happening behind the scenes that affects
  the news

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Stuff We Do

• How we do that
• Media Savvy Breakfast Series meet and learn
  from the media
• Media Fix Workshop Series improve communication
  skills
• Connection Day the only major conference of its
  type in the country
• Folio Awards recognize quality news

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Stuff We Do

• Products our toolkit Media Guide, Handbook,
  Resource Guide
• News Literacy Project
• Media Savvy Teacher Recognition Program
• Blog
• Speak at Events
• Write on the topic of local news

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Fair Media Council

• At the heart of what we do . . .
• we serve as the bridge that brings the news media
  together with the public, to build understanding
  on both sides
• and to encourage responsible media coverage that
  is responsive to the needs of the community
• voice of the community

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Fair Media Council

• The problem, if there is a problem in this
  country, is because we have a free press people
  have no idea what its like to live in a country
  that doesnt.
• -Art Buchwald

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You The News Media

• Key Takeaways
• What Is News Why Its Important
• How Why Its Changing
• What To Expect From Media in 2009
• How To Leverage Your Opportunities

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The Nature of News

• Definition News is something out of the
  ordinary (usually negative)
• Standard Its constantly changing. Whats
  considered news today may not be viewed as news
  tomorrow
• Value What else is happening in the world helps
  determine news value
• Association Exercise in objectivity based
  entirely on subject means

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The Purpose of News

• As a businessperson
• News outlets to tell your story promote your
  stuff
• Establish yourself as an expert gain respect
  in industry and among customers
• Editorial coverage 3x-5x more influential than
  advertising

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The Purpose of News

• Caretaker of democracy strength of our news
  media is proportional to the strength of our
  country
• Watchdog of government
• First responders
• Purveyors of credible information
• Investigations to protect the public

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conventional wisdom sez

• Thanks to technology, we have more news and more
  news choices than ever before
• This is the age of instantaneous news Watch or
  read it as it happens
• Content is king The news business is highly
  competitive

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Todays Media Industry

• Since 2000, media has lost more than 200,000 jobs
  30,000 jobs in 2008 alone.
• In 1983, 50 media companies in the U.S. owned the
  majority of news outlets. Now, its down to six
  media companies.
• Speculation that NBC and CBS will cease news
  operations, as well as Sirius XM.

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Todays Media Industry

• Research by Pew Research Institute, Poynter
  Institute and the FCC all illustrate there is
  less local news created when a local outlet has
  an out-of-town owner.
• Poynter also found theres less variety in news
  these days, usually a handful of topics
  dominating the headlines.

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The Real Story Echo Effect

• Through 2008, weve seen less local news produced
  and less variety from the major news outlets.
• What we do have is more delivery channels (web
  sites, eblasts, PDA alerts) bringing us the same
  stories so it appears we have a plethora of news
  when its really the same basic story.

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Old News
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Case in point

• Sanja Gupta may be next Surgeon General.
• Story in Newsday, but not Newsday Washington
  Post
• Story showed 134,000 Google hits but 60,000 of
  those were either the WaPo article carried by
  another outlet or the WaPo story as the basis for
  a story.

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Fair Media Council

• "The one function that TV news performs very well
  is that when there is no news we give it to you
  with the same emphasis as if there were."
• -David Brinkley

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Repackaging of News

• Taking one news story and using it across
  multi-media platforms
• CNN style Take a news story, rework the news
  story into a feature story and now its two
  stories same information, just positioned
  differently

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conventional wisdom sez

• Thanks to technology, we have more news and more
  news choices than ever before
• This is the age of instantaneous news Watch or
  read it as it happens
• Content is king The news business is highly
  competitive

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Todays News

• Technologys ability to bring news to you faster
  than ever before has changed news gathering.
• Remember Cronkite? Murrow? Facts were vetted, put
  into context
• Now, emphasis is pushing information out to you
  as fast as possible. This has changed news in two
  ways

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• In one of the most disturbing and disgraceful
  media performances of this type in recent years,
  television and newspapers carried the tragically
  wrong news
• -Editor Publisher

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Facts? Why Bother?

• News is no longer about providing context and
  relevance.
• Speculation has taken place of the facts, due to
  time constraints and lack of staff.

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From Iron Pants to Sweetheart

• News is no longer about credibility. Its about
  like-ability.

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View from the Cellar

• Pew Research has found credibility of news has
  continuously fallen over the past 10 years.
• Only 30 percent of viewers believe CNN, but that
  puts it at the top of the news heap.
• ABC NBC Only 24 percent believe it!
• CBS Only 22 percent believe it!
• NYT Only 18 percent believe it!

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Key Societal Trends

• Power is moving from institutions to communities
• Business innovation is shifting to bottom-up
  model
• User generated content preferred
• Reliance on viral marketing, word of mouth

SOURCE Forrester Research Social Computing How
Networks Erode Institutional Power, And What to
Do About It Feb 2006
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News Today

• Decline in credibility echoes declines in
  circulation and viewership.
• Purpose of news has been distorted public has
  reacted by seeking out people they trust to
  provide them with real news and first-hand
  experiences

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conventional wisdom sez

• Thanks to technology, we have more news and more
  news choices than ever before
• This is the age of instantaneous news Watch or
  read it as it happens
• Content is king The news business is highly
  competitive

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Fair Media Council

• "If one morning I walked on top of the water
  across the Potomac River, the headline that
  afternoon would read 'President Can't Swim.' "
• -Lyndon B. Johnson

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The Big Shift in News 2009

• Newsrooms that were once competitors will now
  share news and resources.
• The trend started nationally, now its hitting
  locally

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Shouldve Seen It Coming

• Home  Opinion  CBS News Polls
• Poll Obama Gained During Debates
• CBS News/N.Y. Times Follow-Up Survey Of Likely
  Voters Suggests Democrat's Advantage Grew
• Oct. 20, 2008 by Brian Montopoli

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More of the Same

• Trust in GOP Reaches Record Low
• Just 23 percent in a new Washington Post-ABC News
  poll, said they trust Republicans more than
  Democrats to handle the main problems facing the
  nation, the lowest level reached by either party
  in surveys dating back to 1982. (Dec. 18)

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And more..

• A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, among the
  broader category of people registered to vote,
  found Obama ahead by 10 points.

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And again
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A National Look

• In November, former rivals Dallas Morning News
  and the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram began sharing
  photos reviews
• WaPo and The Sun in Baltimore are now sharing
  Maryland coverage
• The 3 major dailies in South Florida are now
  partners, as are five papers in Maine and eight
  in Ohio

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Closer to Home

• NBC and Fox began sharing affiliate coverage in
  Philadelphia rolling out format
• WNBC-TV here has replaced its newsroom with a
  content center best described as what will
  become AP-Style Wire reporting
• News channels used to compete, now will cooperate
  on stories
• NY LNS set to begin June 22

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Hey! Whered Everybody Go . . . ?

• In 2009, it will be harder to get the traditional
  medias attention, as they have less feets on
  the streets
• Content sharing will mean less reporters at a
  news conference

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conventional wisdom sez

• Thanks to technology, we have more news and more
  news choices than ever before
• This is the age of instantaneous news Watch or
  read it as it happens
• Content is king The news business is highly
  competitive

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What it all means to you

• Media relations and crisis management planning
  needs to be brought into focus in 2009, because
  if you are lucky enough to get major news
  coverage AND ITS WRONG, you face increased odds
  of that same story appearing well, everywhere

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What It All Means to You

• Stop thinking geographically Reach out to media
  outlets that hit your target audience, no matter
  where they may be. (Think global, act local)
• Think social is the new local Make better use
  of social media, RSS feeds, etc. whatever YOU
  can control to get your story out

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What It All Means To You

• Be certain who your audience is, and exploit
  niche media channels. (Size doesnt matter.)
• MSM is on life support. The public has the tools
  to build their own personal media universe and
  they are.
• Concentrate on ROI. Use media to make phones
  ring, not hang on the refrigerator.
• Budget, beware! If you are buying advertising
  now, bundling is so 2007!

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What It Means To You

• News coverage is now viewed as marketing.
• Think of real news as local natural resource we
  need to keep our communities informed, thriving
  and moving forward.

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Be An Advocate!

• Get involved. Demand more from your local weekly
  media outlets. Write letters. Complain directly
  to them or to FMC.
• FMC wants you to be able to get your story out,
  but we also want you to live in communities that
  you know are safe and being taken good care of by
  those in power.

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The Power of Complaint
LONG ISLAND PRESS RELEASES

• NewsLI.Com
• Village of Islandia Attempting to Ban Coverage of
  Public Hearings
• Fair Media Council Encourages Media to Cover Oct.
  7 Event 
• On Oct. 7, the Village of Islandia is set to put
  into law a ban of videotaping, recording or the
  transmission of their public meetings. The vote
  is scheduled to take place at 730 p.m. at the
  Village Hall. In an era where the public is
  rightfully demanding more transparency in
  government, the Village of Islandia is responding
  by instituting a ban of public hearing coverage
  that will leave its public in the dark, said
  Jaci Clement, executive director of the Fair
  Media Council, noting that news coverage is vital
  to keeping the public informed and public
  officials accountable. Given the environment we
  live in, this raises a red flag. Whats happening
  in the village that the local government doesnt
  want the public to know? The village needs more
  news coverage, not less, to find the answer to
  that question and to allow democracy to work as
  it is intended. The Fair Media Council is a
  501c3 not-for-profit organization that advocates
  for quality local news coverage. More information
  may be obtained at www.fairmediacouncil.org.

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Fair Media Council

• FMC wants you to be
• Media Savvy
• Media Connected

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Fair Media Council

• What You Need to Know About Local News . . .
• Local media is changing rapidly, both in its
  products and its people. Staying current is a
  full-time job

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Fair Media Council

• What You Need to Know About Local News . . .
• 2) The job of the news media is to afflict the
  comfortable and comfort the afflicted.
• Your media relations efforts must be proactive.
  Otherwise, the only time a reporter will call
  will be when you dont want to answer.

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Fair Media Council

• What You Need to Know About Local News . . .
• 3) Your public relations representative not only
  needs continuous training and media outreach
  opportunities, but also needs a seat at the
  senior management table.

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Fair Media Council

• What You Need to Know About Local News . . .
• 4) Take a lesson from the majors Get media
  training.

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Fair Media Council

• 5) Do you have a crisis communication plan in
  place? If not, get one.
• Dont wait until youre the subject of breaking
  news. By then, its too late.

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Fair Media Council

• What You Need to Know About Local News . .
• 5.5) Its much harder for a reporter to take
  liberties with the reputation of someone he or
  she knows, which is why its vital for key senior
  management to establish relationships with the
  news media.

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Fair Media Council

• Im all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons
  out of the hands of fools. Lets start with
  typewriters.
• Frank Lloyd Wright

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Fair Media Council

• Questions?
• (Are you DTV ready?)
• www.fairmediacouncil.org