News Sources: Who Do You Trust?
By Jeff Beringer, Vice President, Dialogue
jberinger@golinharris.com
As we look forward to the next 50 years of communication, many in our industry are trying to predict which channels and information sources audiences may trust most in the years ahead.
Will mainstream media be obliterated by "citizen journalists" who self publish their thoughts on a whim -- and who don't always subscribe to conventions of journalistic integrity such as rigorous fact-checking and multiple sources commonplace in mainstream media?
And will online/digital sources of information replace the stalwarts of the media world today? Or will the biggest names in news simply keep evolving their product offerings into new formats?
The answer is probably somewhere in between.
Today, LexisNexis unveiled the results of a new survey asking consumers about the kinds of information channels and sources they trust most today for critical news (such as pandemics, looming weather events, etc.), and which sources they'll likely rely on in the future.
A few of their key findings:
Today, consumers still trust "traditional" media most for critical news -- "traditional" defined as professional journalists from newspapers, television and radio (and their related Web offerings)
Emerging media including citizen journalists (eg, bloggers), Web-only news outlets, and direct to audience communications tools like podcasts took a distant second in trust for "breaking" news.
Neither of these two conclusions should come as a big surprise. But it's important for professional communicators to read between the lines here: The method by which information is published or shared isn't nearly as important as the credibility of the source and the journalistic integrity behind the information. New media channels such as Web-based news outlets are among the most trusted information resources, so long as they're authored by someone who can be trusted to tell it to you straight.
It's also important to note that this survey speaks primarily to breaking news -- like the live reports from the shores when a hurricane is coming in -- not more "niche" news that's specific to an individual's interests. Other studies clearly show that consumers rely on the Web for finding more in-depth information and dialogue about sharply-defined topics of interest. While the Today Show or MSNBC.com may cover a myriad of technology-related stories, Apple loyalists may find more news and opinions specific to their interests on The Unoffical Apple Weblog (TUAW).
The Internet has made it easier than ever before to get news on demand any time of the day, on any particular topic. And as consumption of "traditional" (print newspapers, magazines, TV) continues to decline across many demographic sets, more and more individuals are feeding their growing appetite for news -- particularly news specific to topics of interest -- by going online. As consumers get more comfortable with getting specific news online, you can bet that they'll get (and trust) more of their "breaking" news from online sources too.
Lexis-Nexis went on to ask survey participants about how their media consumption habits are likely to change in the future.
The key take-away? Most consumers say that, in the future, they'll be a bit more "inclusive" in their media consumption, relying on both traditional/mainstream/established media channels and more "emerging" channels such as bloggers and direct-to-consumer sources like podcasts.
As we continue to evaluate the right channels for communicating with our target audiences effectively, it will become increasingly important to understand which information sources, channels and technologies they trust most. And adapt the way that we tell our clients' and organizations' stories accordingly.
At GolinHarris, we're investing a great deal of intellectual capital in preparing for the changes already underway. We're refining (and in some cases, building anew) the processes and tools that allow our teams to move quickly with changing consumer media habits and build creative campaigns that reach audiences effecitvely in the myriad of channels they trust.
One such example of this is Dialogue -- our approach for delivering client messages across relevant channels whether online, offline, or even experiential. For each client's unique communications challenge and audience, we devise a creative strategy and deliver messages appropriately through the right mix of channels that matter to the people we're trying to reach.
50 years from now, it's hard to imagine exactly what the landscape of influential media might look like, but it's safe to say those with a track-record of accuracy and balance in reporting will come out on top. Whether it's online or off.
By Jeff Beringer, Vice President, Dialogue
jberinger@golinharris.com
As we look forward to the next 50 years of communication, many in our industry are trying to predict which channels and information sources audiences may trust most in the years ahead.
Will mainstream media be obliterated by "citizen journalists" who self publish their thoughts on a whim -- and who don't always subscribe to conventions of journalistic integrity such as rigorous fact-checking and multiple sources commonplace in mainstream media?
And will online/digital sources of information replace the stalwarts of the media world today? Or will the biggest names in news simply keep evolving their product offerings into new formats?
The answer is probably somewhere in between.
Today, LexisNexis unveiled the results of a new survey asking consumers about the kinds of information channels and sources they trust most today for critical news (such as pandemics, looming weather events, etc.), and which sources they'll likely rely on in the future.
A few of their key findings:
Neither of these two conclusions should come as a big surprise. But it's important for professional communicators to read between the lines here: The method by which information is published or shared isn't nearly as important as the credibility of the source and the journalistic integrity behind the information. New media channels such as Web-based news outlets are among the most trusted information resources, so long as they're authored by someone who can be trusted to tell it to you straight.
It's also important to note that this survey speaks primarily to breaking news -- like the live reports from the shores when a hurricane is coming in -- not more "niche" news that's specific to an individual's interests. Other studies clearly show that consumers rely on the Web for finding more in-depth information and dialogue about sharply-defined topics of interest. While the Today Show or MSNBC.com may cover a myriad of technology-related stories, Apple loyalists may find more news and opinions specific to their interests on The Unoffical Apple Weblog (TUAW).
The Internet has made it easier than ever before to get news on demand any time of the day, on any particular topic. And as consumption of "traditional" (print newspapers, magazines, TV) continues to decline across many demographic sets, more and more individuals are feeding their growing appetite for news -- particularly news specific to topics of interest -- by going online. As consumers get more comfortable with getting specific news online, you can bet that they'll get (and trust) more of their "breaking" news from online sources too.
Lexis-Nexis went on to ask survey participants about how their media consumption habits are likely to change in the future.
The key take-away? Most consumers say that, in the future, they'll be a bit more "inclusive" in their media consumption, relying on both traditional/mainstream/established media channels and more "emerging" channels such as bloggers and direct-to-consumer sources like podcasts.
As we continue to evaluate the right channels for communicating with our target audiences effectively, it will become increasingly important to understand which information sources, channels and technologies they trust most. And adapt the way that we tell our clients' and organizations' stories accordingly.
At GolinHarris, we're investing a great deal of intellectual capital in preparing for the changes already underway. We're refining (and in some cases, building anew) the processes and tools that allow our teams to move quickly with changing consumer media habits and build creative campaigns that reach audiences effecitvely in the myriad of channels they trust.
One such example of this is Dialogue -- our approach for delivering client messages across relevant channels whether online, offline, or even experiential. For each client's unique communications challenge and audience, we devise a creative strategy and deliver messages appropriately through the right mix of channels that matter to the people we're trying to reach.
50 years from now, it's hard to imagine exactly what the landscape of influential media might look like, but it's safe to say those with a track-record of accuracy and balance in reporting will come out on top. Whether it's online or off.