I Get Published

I got published this week - my opinion piece is in this week’s issue of PR Week. It’s pretty exciting to appear in this journal if you’re a communications professional. The article explores the newest intersection of social media and citizen journalism.

For many who aren’t communications professionals, those two phrases are like talking about the intersection of macro and Keynesian economics. Not only do most people not know what these terms mean, they have a hard time wanting to figure it out.

That wasn’t the case for the anti-abortion lobby. They not only read my article with great interest, they issued a press release condemning it. I can only surmise that it was a slow news day for them. After falsely accusing me of “applauding” and “complaining” about the issues, they conclude, “Ultimately, Toledo gives Planned Parenthood a playbook for the new media outlook that is important for pro-life advocates to keep in mind”.

The point of my article is that the influence of the everyday news consumer is about to grow exponentially. If you don’t think the news covers the right subjects - or if you think the news is missing the kind of diversity that reflects society - there’s a whole new landscape for your opinion to be heard. This isn’t just about new voices making it onto the pages of the New York Times - this is about influencing what the editors of the major news outlets deem newsworthy.

It may be hard to imagine that the executive editors at the New York Times, CNN, and Reuters are sitting around wondering what I think ought to make headline news this week. But that’s the exact scenario they just invested heavily in. The bet is that the networks that can spark citizen engagement are going to be the media outlets that ultimately deliver the most compelling content (and, of course, deliver the highest ratings).

Thanks, PR Week, for the publication!