Following is a roundup of 10 interesting PR- and media-related stories found online last week:
Journalists Should Embrace Branding: Contrary to what Washington Post columnist Gene Weingarten thinks, journalists should embrace promoting their own work and developing their audiences -- yes, journalists should be building their own brands. TV Newser, Footnoted.com and Real Clear Politics are among the real-life examples that show "a growing number of individuals and journalistic enterprises have merged serious reporting with the self-publishing and, yes, self-promoting power of the web to produce high-quality journalism while making names, careers and respectable incomes for themselves." (Reflections of a Newsosaur)
Why Journalists Need Social Media: Though social media might have a bad reputation in journalism circles, journalists who don't welcome the trend and all it offers might find themselves left in the dust. This post discusses five points regarding the importance of social media: 1) it offers a huge sea of information; 2) using it builds your brand and makes you more appealing to potential employers; 3) it can help you weather the storm if you're out of work; 4) it helps you to start your own media empire in no time; and 5) it will help your prominence in search results. (Simply Zesty)
Media Hurt Itself by Rushing to Judgment on Norway Attacks: The worldwide news media hastily pointed fingers at Muslims in the aftermath of the tragedy in Norway, leaving journalists to debate who rushed to judgment the quickest and leaving Muslims wondering if this kind of mistrust will ever end. "In this 24/7 news cycle, driven even more mad by terror experts who conduct research using Google and tweet a mile a minute, journalists should exercise caution," said a historian. For Muslims, it's "guilty until proven innocent," said another commentator. The ordeal should serve as a cautionary tale for journalists, who might unwittingly provoke dangerous reactions. (Reuters)
News: More Than an Eyewitness and Mobile Photo: After word got out that Amy Winehouse had died at her home, this BBC journalist found her address, tweeted and posted pictures from the site, and boosted his Twitter follower count in the process. His tweets were picked up by media outlets across the globe and he was even asked to speak with media organizations outside of the U.K. While this illustrates how a news organization can report a tragedy live thanks to the Internet, it doesn't sound the death knell for traditional media. Social media is a great tool for news organizations, but it won't change the fundamentals of how news is gathered and reported. (BBC College of Journalism Blog)
How Twitter Has Mad Me a Better Writer: Twitter isn't just a significant source of news for many journalists -- it's also a tool that can help strengthen your writing skills. This associate editor at Poynter shares six ways Twitter has improved her writing: 1) it's helped her to cut down on the clutter in her writing, 2) it's given her confidence as a writer, 3) it's helped her to get a better feel for what her audience wants, 4) it's shown her the value of capturing reaction, 5) it's made her feel like part of a community of writers, and 6) it's reminded her that it's OK to use some humor in your writing. (Poynter)
Wikipedia Presents Opportunities for PR Pros: The benefits of using social networking sites for PR have been spotlighted quite often -- but what about the opportunities on Wikipedia? It's hard to enter a query in a search engine without seeing the crowdsourced encyclopedia turn up, and with nearly 4 million unique visitors a month, Wikipedia should be seen as a pure-play PR opportunity. There's clearly a fine line to walk when leveraging the site for PR purposes, but PR pros are masters of that craft. Posting news items, adding or editing your company, and updating articles are all ways to use Wikipedia to achieve PR goals. (Ragan.com)
What Happens When You Take Computers Away From College Journalists?: At Florida Atlantic University, student reporters, editors, photographers and designers have been forced to publish a newspaper without the help of computers. "They write stories on manual typewriters and copyedit them in pencil. They shoot with film cameras and process the prints in a makeshift darkroom. They lay it all out with pica poles and proportion wheels. They paste it all up with X-Acto knives and rubber cement." And guess what? The students love it. This post explains what this is all about. (journoterrorist)
How to Approach Bloggers: A panel of five bloggers recently discussed the best way to approach bloggers. They touched on 12 tips and points of discussion, including the tips that emailed pitches should be short and sweet, phone calls are not welcome, and PR reps should act like a journalist if they want to talk to one. (Socialmedia.biz)
Meet David Minthorn, Master of AP Style: If you're familiar with AP style, you're likely intimate with the AP Stylebook and the "Ask the Editor" section of its website. Even if you aren't too familiar with AP style, you've probably been influenced in some way by David Minthorn, deputy standards editor for the Associated Press and the editor behind "Ask the Editor." On a given day, the AP claims its work is seen by half the world's population. "Because of this ubiquity, Minthorn’s Rules of Order are about as close to a universal code of English usage as there can be." (The Washington Post)
Retweeting Rumors: Part of the News Ecosystem or Irresponsible Gossip?: "Are those who post or retweet unverified reports on Twitter playing an important role in the new ecosystem of news, or are they being irresponsible and indulging in gossip?" This question was back in the spotlight after a rumor about Piers Morgan being let go by CNN made the rounds on Twitter. There's one perspective that Twitter is more like a newsroom filled with occasional rumors than a newspaper that's supposed to print only confirmed facts. Whether newspapers like it or not, the news process is messy and chaotic, thanks in part to the emergence of social media. (GigaOM)
