December 12, 2005

Stamp Out Stone Age PR! New Media Puts New Spin on News Conferences

New media not getting what it needs from traditional news conferences, says audio-visual evangelist—here's how to get more media bang for your PR buck.

by Jim Sulley, senior VP, Newscast

When it comes to putting on news conferences, many PR professionals are still living in the Stone Age. It's no secret that the way the media delivers stories has changed dramatically over the past few years. But surprisingly, most news conferences are conducted in the same manner they were 25 years ago. Communications specialists must adapt to and approach news conferences in ways that will enable them to provide the today's news organizations with story elements demanded in the new Internet age.

The Web has transformed traditional media. The New York Times now offers video on a daily basis to its readers. The Washington Post, The Rocky Mountain News and others now use "flash journalism"—pictures, video and audio integrated into an interactive package that lets readers view the story as they want in the order they want.

Journalist now face the challenge of changing the way they gather the elements of their stories—at many newspapers, photographers are expected to gather audio and shoot video, in addition to providing traditional photos.

And many radio and TV sites are making greater use of pictures and video as part of multimedia packages everyday.

These changes create new opportunities for communications professionals, who can help journalists gather these new story elements—particularly at news conferences. In doing so, communications pros can improve the depth and impact of media coverage.