The recent ‘State of the Media in Wales’ conference brought home the problems facing journalism. We’ve now reached a crunch point in Cymru – with jobs, access to reliable information and political scrutiny all at risk. But there’s another challenge too: the impact on media relations.
No-one wants to be that person who sounds massively out of touch by talking about ‘being more digital’.
But the ripple effects of ‘going online’ are far from over.
For many, TV and radio news are still important. Mamgu still tunes in for the 6 o’clock news. Tadcu still picks up his paper. Even online, ‘legacy’ brands still reach big audiences, despite competition from influencers and new platforms.
Change is still happening. So where are we heading?
If we’re not careful, public service media will become a fringe pursuit. Most will be left with a sea of questionable information, driven by big tech algorithms. Even fewer will understand how Welsh democracy works. Politicians will avoid scrutiny. Important issues will be ignored.
Where next for news media?
One thing that stuck with me from the conference was the relative lack of positive vision in the industry, with some exceptions.
I don’t make this point as a criticism, because it’s entirely understandable.
The BBC is making big cuts in Wales, as a huge question mark hangs over its funding model. S4C faces a similar challenge, with its funding having been reduced and now depending on the licence fee too. And commercial media like Reach/Wales Online are attempting to use paywalls to tackle their loss of ad revenue to the likes of Google.
Yet as the First Minister said at the start of the day, journalism matters. Welsh Government is making moves to try and devolve broadcasting and communications. But even if this happens, it will take time and it won’t be a ‘silver bullet’ in solving these issues.
The impact on comms work
NUJ Training Wales kindly invited me to run a workshop at the event. I chose to address the question of how do PR and comms people respond to this revolution as it continues to play out?
While it’s not healthy for journalism and PR to get too cosy, the two worlds depend on each other. In comms, we’ve relied on news media as a cost-effective and respected medium to inform and influence the public.
To prepare for the day, I asked Welsh journalists and comms professionals to share their experiences. Key themes emerged:
- Journalists under pressure – this makes it harder to build relationships, with the media more reliant on comms people to offer strong headlines, case studies and content
- Algorithms and clicks – comms folk need to provide stories and content that will drive traffic and engagement, not just on media sites but also on the social channels run by legacy media. A press release alone won’t cut it for short-form video. Strong case studies and headlines that spark intrigue and debate are often needed.
- Linked to the above – it’s getting harder to sell in stories
- Risks – more onus on correcting mistakes and protecting case study subjects from online abuse
So how do we respond?
For communicators, I think there are a few lessons here:
- Be strategic. Understand the media landscape and how and when you can use media relations. And just as importantly – when you don’t.
- Be more like a journalist. Not just to create your own content, but also to create better stories to sell to the media. This includes strengthening copywriting skills and developing powerful case studies. Support your colleagues to become good spokespeople. Know what makes an engaging headline. Put ordinary people first.
- Invest in journalist relationships. This isn’t new, but it’s more important than before, Don’t just churn out press releases in a ‘spray and pray’ approach. Get to know reporters and producers and listen to what they want.
A big thanks to the NUJ and all who took part in the conference. Thanks also to those who came to my workshop and shared their views and questions. And thanks to all of you who responded to my survey.
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