MYTH ONE: Traditional media are dead.
Susan Brophy is a Ketchum vice president and media strategist, based in Chicago, with 15 years of media relations experience working with business and consumer media.
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Every day we see news coverage about the rising popularity of non-traditional media — or another story about staffing cuts at local and national news outlets. So it's no surprise that many people would think traditional media are in trouble. But layoff stories are more an indication of media companies' desire to keep shareholders happy — not the actual demise of traditional news outlets.
Despite the rising popularity of citizen journalism, consumers still view traditional media outlets — especially local TV news and newspapers — as their most trusted sources for credible information that impact their lives. The survey found that nearly three-of-four adult respondents rely on local TV news for key information, while only 13.4 percent of them turn to Web logs, or blogs. And consumers are four times more likely to use local newspapers than blogs.
For consumers, newspapers and TV news have long been the gatekeepers of information. While it's more challenging to be a gatekeeper when you're surrounded by bloggers, traditional media will continue to hold the credibility edge — especially as more "citizen journalists" join the blogging world. It's going to be even tougher to discern the facts from opinion and fiction. And consumers will likely respond by giving even more credibility to traditional media sources.
So for PR practitioners and our clients, traditional media — print and broadcast, especially — continue to be a prime driver of consumer attitudes and choices. That means strategies that focus on reaching consumers through traditional news outlets — especially at the local level — will continue to play a vital role in the success of any program.
