Online Public Relations Thoughts

This article on continued cutting at American news gathering operations is depressing. At some point, the editorial product will be so damaged readers will see little value in either print or online offerings. The future of news is news gathering and publishing, no matter how it reaches readers or viewers. When news gathering falls, so does readership. I've seen papers in recent months that were disgraces. Maybe they were never much good. I don't know, but they lacked news. They had wire service stories that anyone can pull off the internet 12 hours earlier and a sparse scattering of local stories from a small staff.

I'm talking out of self-interest, but PR needs healthy news publishing. We need news gathering operations that provide a third-party view. Our form of unpaid persuasion depends on a vigorous industry. Today, news publishing is sick. The future has caught up with it, and publishers were not ready. They had the time, and they were warned, but they milked every last drop out of print until loss of ad revenue forced them to the wall. Now, they need to be creative to find a new business model, and they appear to be lacking. Perhaps entrepreneurs will rise in news gathering who will show the way. I hope so. We need a beacon of light in a dark hour.

Update: The benefit of using a dictionary is a reminder that I'm not the best speller. The headline is now corrected according to The American Heritage Dictionary.