The Lead

So when the Washington Post leads a story with this: “The news industry, congenitally nervous about its future, looks at the Web this spring and sees cause for panic,” you can imagine news rooms around the country crouching in a collective “Shhh!”

We’ve talked about the potential demise of newspapers – and other news media for that matter – but since that time, we’ve shifted our focus to the news itself. The same WaPo article also says “News consumption has fractured and fragmented in the United States over the past 30 years, but the demand for news is strong.” It’s that last independent clause, “…the demand for news is strong,” that should fuel faith in the institution of news gathering and reporting – and consumption.

The idea of a news gathering-reporting-consumption marketplace thriving in a channel-neutral environment will provide the smartest media ample opportunity to generate revenue through multiple streams. WaPo and The New York Times are examples of ancient media learning new tricks.

At some point in the next five to 10 years, the shakeout started with the Knight-Ridder breakup will have scoured the news landscape and left those media who can’t figure out the revenue models (mid-market dailies, radio, struggling cable outfits?) bereft.

The good news for the PR industry is, as WaPo points out, the strong demand for news. It will have to be told, and there will be tellers. And as long as there are tellers, there will be the PR industry. We just need to be a step ahead of the media – and our clients – by coming up with strategic solutions that use more than media relations if the strategy allows for that.