Following is a roundup of 10 interesting PR- and media-related stories found online last week:

'Officials Say' Journalism Isn't Reporting: The recent official claim from coalition forces regarding Taliban insurgents attacking a U.S. outpost near the Afghan-Pakistani border was misleading and in some cases false. While it's common for false claims to be made during war, this incident highlights an important point: "the overwhelming reliance by American media outlets on the claims of government and media officials invariably produces propagandistic and false journalism and subverts the intended function of a free press. It’s one thing merely to include the claims of 'officials' in news accounts. But that is not what this reporting is." American media outlets often use a template when reporting stories involving the government and military. This practice converts media institutions into "little more than glorified press release outlets." (Salon.com)

When to Pitch Journalists: Here is the input of a few journalists regarding the timing of PR pitches. Nearly every reporter contacted about this topic said they are more likely to respond to pitches sent early in the day. One reporter said he responds to pitches at all hours of the day if they're sent via social media. Another suggestion is to send press releases to reporters and their news desk, so that if the reporter is busy, there's still a chance an editor will assign the story to someone else. (PR Daily)

A Tale of Two Announcement Press Releases: Apple iPad vs. Microsoft Surface: Here's a side-by-side comparison of Apple's press release announcing the iPad in Jan. 27, 2010, and Microsoft's recent press release announcing its Surface tablet. The key difference between the two press releases is that Apple chooses to focus on what people can do with its product, while Microsoft focuses on the features and attributes of the product. (Rex Hammock's RexBlog.com)

How PR Professionals Can Screw up Social Media Connections: This founder and CEO of a social media marketing company shares a story of how he followed a PR professional on Twitter then invited them to follow his personal Facebook and other social media profiles. This was the response he received: "Social Media Expert. I have a rule Auto DM asking me to connect on Facebook get unfollowed. Get a website or blog. Be real.” This should serve as a reminder to PR pros to be mindful of assumptions made when interacting in the social media realm. (bundlepost)

Behavio: The Future of Journalism: Behavio, a startup that uses people's location, phone contacts, physical proximity and movement throughout the day to predict a range of behaviors, is one of the six winners of the Knight Foundation's $1.3 million in grants for media innovation. What does this have to do with journalism? This kind of data can serve as essential context for stories involving crowds of people (think Twitter and YouTube during revolutionary movements). (TechCrunch)

The 25 Skills Student Journalists Must Have: At The Poynter Institute's Teachapalooza 2012, a three-day workshop for journalism professionals and professors, "gurus" Al Tompkins and Vicki Krueger shared a list of 25 skills every student journalist must know up on graduating. Included on the list are reporting basics, storytelling, real-time reporting, blogging and Web writing, mobile and backpack journalism, and passion for journalism. (College Media Matters)

Ten Signs You May Have an Unhealthy Relationship With Social Media: Social media is pervasive, and it's a big way we connect with personal and professional contacts each day. But how much is too much? Among the 10 signs that may alert you to an unhealthy relationship with social media are: you use social media terms as verbs (e.g., "I need to Instagram that"), you check your Klout score (period) and you use social media as a justification for getting unreasonable perks. (Influential Marketing Blog)

How Journalists Decide Their Preferred Interviewing Method: Today's journalists have many ways to interview people: in-person conversations, phone calls, emails, Skype, instant messages, text messages, etc. So how do journalists choose which interviewing method they prefer? Here's the input of five journalists. The consensus seems to be that in-person interviews are best, while email should be viewed as a last resort or as a way to set up interviews. One journalist notes that remembering how her sources like to be interviewed has helped her to be more efficient. (Poynter)

Ten Ways to Make Your Public Relations Strategy Mobile-Friendly: "The power of mobile growth and its reach are too big for PR to ignore." Among the 10 ways a public relations strategy can be optimized to reach mobile users are: ensure your website, newsroom, internal and investor communications are each mobile-friendly; use links to trim bloated content; use visuals and video clips; and make your content shareable via mobile. (The PR Coach)

Five Ways to Deal With Freelance Isolation: If you're a freelancer who often feels isolated working from home, Starbucks or another remote-office location, you're not alone. Here are five ways to cope with being an isolated freelancer: 1) move around, 2) avoid the fridge, 3) network for business and social purposes, 4) get a P.O. Box, and 5) create a schedule and stick to it. (Mediabistro's MediaJobsDaily)

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