#MEDIAINSIGHTS REPORT EVOLVING SOURCES OF NEWS FOR MEDIA A
STUDY
About 20:20 MSL: 20:20 MSL is one of India's largest
multidiscipline communications firms and a leader in the area of
specialty communications services including corporate reputation
management, strategic media relations, analyst relations, social
media, crisis and issues management, events and activation
services. The firm is also the acknowledged leader in technology
communications space in India. Through its powerful network of more
than 150 staff across offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai,
Kolkata, Hyderabad and Pune, as well as the reach of the MSLGROUP
and Publicis Groupe international network, 20:20 MSL partners with
more than 100 leading Indian brands and multinationals to deliver
world-class communications. About IIMC: The Indian Institute of
Mass Communication (IIMC) is one of India's premier institutes for
training, teaching and research in mass communication. Set up to
impart quality education and conduct research with special
reference to the socio-economic growth in the country, it was set
up by the Government of India in 1965 on the recommendation of a
team of internationally known mass communication specialists from
UNESCO and the Ford Foundation.
With a tremendous media explosion and the proliferation of
large amounts of data online (especially on social media) and the
emergence of more than 300 round-the-clock news channels, the speed
at which information is sourced, sifted and included in news
stories has undergone a paradigm shift. 20:20 MSL, one of India's
premier Public Relations firm and the Advertising & Public
Relations Department of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication
(IIMC) joined hands to research the changing patterns of news
sourcing by journalists and their effect on the news writing. The
current research, exploratory in nature, has been undertaken with a
view to understanding the changing patterns of news sourcing by
media persons and the concomitant effect on news story writing.
This first-of-its- kind research combined the academic expertise of
IIMC with the professional rigour of 20:20 MSL to arrive at
insights that would benefit India's media and communications
industry. The findings of this study are aimed at benefiting
PR/communication agencies and practitioners in leveraging their
strategies and tactics. Mr. Sunit Tandon, Director General, IIMC
& FOREWORD RESEARCH TEAM: IIMC Research lead : Professor
Jaishri Jethwaney, PhD. Team members : Krishna Pandey, Narendra
Singh Rao and Prarthana & 20:20 MSL The research was conducted
through one-on-one interviews with a number of journalists based in
Delhi and telephonic interviews with journalists from various other
cities and towns. A stratified sample of 309 journalists was
identified, encompassing a cross-section of 239 English and 60
Hindi-language print media outposts, news and business television
channels and digital media organizations. Ten other journalists
were selected from Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil and Telegu
media. A pre-determined and encoded questionnaire for face-to-face
interviews was designed along with a research guide for telephonic
interviews. Researchers on the team comprised seasoned media and
communications academicians and practitioners from IIMC and 20:20
MSL. The research operates on the hypothesis that digital and
social media have become important sources of research and news
sourcing for journalists. The research universe was drawn keeping
in view, the state of Internet penetration in the country. The
sample was carefully chosen to cover a cross section of media in
metro and mini metro cities of India. It is planned to undertake a
series of such research studies in future that would cover language
& regional media adequately. METHODOLOGY Chetan Mahajan,
Managing Director, 20:20 MSL
PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS Total = respondents309 Experience (in
years) North 215 South 45 West 38 East 11 15% 70% 12% 3% Number of
journalists by region 68% Male 211 32% Female 98 Over 21 yrs. 16-20
yrs. 11-15 yrs. 6-10 yrs. Less than 5 yrs. 7%22 40 13% 110 36% 105
34% 32 10% Gender ratio
By beat (multiple response) Science & Tech Business &
Corporate 21% Development Political Lifestyle & Entertainment
15% 3% 10% 5% 29%12%5% Legal Sports Others 86 64 21 49 44 20 12113
By media type 10% Financials 31 6% Business Magazines 19 4% Trade
Magazines 13 14% Other Magazines 43 12% Electronic 38 31% Mainlines
95 18% Wire 54 5% Online 16 By Language The universe comprised
mainstream newspapers and magazines, financial and trade papers,
wire agencies, online portals and news channels. The journalists
from various media were represented as reflected in the chart
below. Bengali Marathi 4 1% 2 1% Gujarati Hindi 0%1 60 20% Telegu 2
1% 1 0%Tamil English 77%239 PS: Since there are some journalist who
cover more than one beat, the total will not reconcile with the
total number of respondents i.e. 309 - this content needs to be
moved to the next page. This is applicable for "By Beat (multiple
response)" section.
CONTENTS Key Findings The Number Game The First step to the big
story The Press Release Story Most Importantly, Are they used? How
are they used? Talking about favourite sources What about
genuineness of the source? Is gender a barrier? The net connect
What is the social quotient? Most 'likes' for facebook 07 08 10 15
19 21 24 27 30 33 37 40
KEY FINDINGS PR/communication agencies and companies need to
use the Net vigorously to reach out to the journalists faster.
Communication agencies are best placed advising their clients to
post crisp content, sound bytes, clips and pictures on their web
sites as journalists, especially in crisis situations, look for
authentic pieces of information amid grapevine. They also look for
quotes from company spokespersons that could easily be made
available through company web sites. The traditional way of writing
and sending press releases has long become outdated. There is
clearly a need to reinvent touch points, formats, styles and
objectives of press releases when over 47% journalists use less
than 10% of the press releases they receive. It is crucial for the
sources of dispatching news releases to be exclusive. Checking on
the veracity of sources involves identifying more innovativetouch
points across social media, company web sites and blogs, among
others. A majority of journalists cutting across age, gender and
specialization use the Internet to develop their stories. The
benefits they garner from the digital space range from story
conceptualization and content validation to background research and
insights into current and evolving news updates and trends. Social
networking sites have evolved as an important platform for
journalists, who leverage them to gauge public opinion during
crisis situations. Company websites are accessed to get authentic
information, especially for quotes.
8 The first section of the questionnaire focused on how many
stories journalists write per week and what triggers their story
ideas. Conversations with the 309 journalists interviewed reflect
that the number of stories journalists write declines as their
level of seniority increases. However, the number of stories they
edit makes up for the time spent away from writing and reporting.
Also, the research indicates that journalists from the North
contribute the most number of stories. Senior journalists write
lesser stories than their younger counterparts #mediainsights
Journalists in the North contribute the most number of stories
#mediainsights THE NUMBER GAME SECTION 1
9 South Between 1-5 Between 6-10 Between 11-15 More than 15
Between 1-5 Between 6-10 Between 11-15 More than 15 Between 1-5
Between 6-10 Between 1-5 Between 6-10 Between 11-15 East WEST North
8% 46% 12% 34% 24% 69% 05% 02% 18% 82% 10% 3% 58% 29% THE NUMBER
GAME SECTION 1
10 THE FIRST STEP TO THE BIG STORY The research sheds light on
how journalists conceive story ideas. Internal meetings, tip-offs,
events and primary research were the most popular sources with 63
percent of journalists relying on these activities for story ideas.
Internal brainstorm sessions and editorial meetings were found to
be the most preferred sources for generating fresh content-related
ideas. Online content and social networks seem to be triggers for
the same pie of journalists across all experience levels. In an
informal interview chat, one of the journalists said that reading
and surfing could provide some cues, but that it was sheer hard
work when one finally wrote a story. There was no way one could do
desktop stories, said another journalist. Yet, another journalist
felt that the Net could provide a trigger. Seasoned journalists,
more often than not, develop sustainable relationships with their
sources, consult experts and interview key people to get the
flavour for the subjects they are reporting on. Looking
specifically at regional variations in story conceptualization,
more journalists from the South look for story triggers in
competitive media vis-- vis other regions. The regional analysis
also indicated that most journalists from East draw on events to
evolve fresh story ideas. The popularity of interactive formats
provides an immense opportunity for corporates to reach out to
media in the East through press events. SECTION 1 Internal
brainstorming meetings are the biggest source of story ideas
#mediainsights In terms of getting story ideas, age is no bar as
far as reliance on online media is concerned #mediainsights News
hooks across competitive media serve as story idea triggers for 16%
of journalists in the South, versus 9% in the North #mediainsights
Events are more favored by journalists in the East, followed by the
North, West and South #mediainsights Communications agencies are
most preferred by journalists covering sports, followed by those
covering Business & Corporate and Science & Technology
#mediainsights Women reporters have a greater affinity for
communications agencies versus their male counterparts
#mediainsights
11 Competition media/ channel/newspaper 10% Tip-off 14% An
event 15% Social Network 07% Online content/news 08% 09% Primary
research 13% Others 03%Communication agencies THE FIRST STEP TO THE
BIG STORY Internal meeting decision 21% SECTION 1
12 THE FIRST STEP TO THE BIG STORY Internal meeting decision
Competition media Tip-off Communication agencies Primary research
Others An event Social Network Online content North South East West
20% 9% 13% 16% 8% 8% 9% 13% 4% 26% 16% 16% 7% 2% 10% 10% 10% 3% 29%
6% 15% 20% 3% 3% 6% 18% 0% 20% 11% 14% 14% 5% 6% 8% 19% 3% SECTION
1
13 THE FIRST STEP TO THE BIG STORY Business & Corporate
Lifestyle & Entertainment Science & Tech Sports 21% 10% 13%
12% 5% 13% 10% 13% 3% 25% 7% 14% 16% 8% 6% 10% 13% 1% 19% 11% 10%
17% 11% 11% 8% 9% 4% 19% 9% 13% 19% 8% 3% 13% 14% 2% Internal
meeting decision Competition media Tip-off Communication agencies
Primary research Others An event Social Network Online content
SECTION 1
I remember that as a Principal Correspondent of a daily, I
would file at least of 3-4 exclusives in a week. On a daily basis,
it used to work out to minimum of two stories. However, the
scenario today hasnt changed in terms of numbers but what has
perhaps changed is that I have to ensure that these stories are
getting filed. The first story idea trigger is definitely the way
you track the sector and if theres any important development that
comes up. Press releases and company events also serve as important
first steps. We also keep a track of all major publications to
ensure that we have everything important covered. Sudhir Chowdhary,
Features Head, Financial Express Anurag Prasad, Senior Editor,
Fortune India Talking from the perspective of a magazine, the
number of stories are higher for a daily, however the thing to be
kept in mind here is the size of the story. For a typical 2500 word
magazine story, it makes up for five 500 stories or over eight 300
word stories for are usually written for dailies. Therefore, this
dynamics have to be considered keeping everything in mind. As the
experience grows, you write lesser stories but of course, there are
responsibilities of reading, rewriting and editing more stories. As
far as story triggers are concerned, I believe numbers alone dont
make a story, especially for a magazine. Ideas primarily come from
internal editorial meetings, constantly meeting people and more
recently tracking social media closely. EXPERT SPEAK SECTION 1
15 This section offers insights into the growing redundancy of
press releases and the need to explore other communications
avenues. The primary objective of creating and sharing a press
release is to bring a story to life. But that does not always
happen. Most press releases are not even read beyond the first two
lines in cases where the writer has done a brilliant job. While
seasoned professionals may have written off the press release
concept as a media outreach tool, it continues to exist, even as
questions arise in connection with the purpose it serves. On an
average, 44 percent of journalists receive more than 15 press
releases a day. What is surprising is that only 27 percent of
journalists with less than 5 years of experience receive more than
15 releases a day vis--vis a whopping 64 percent of journalists
with two decades of experience and over. It is important to keep
senior journalists posted on key announcements. However, it is
imperative to screen the level of importance effectively. Younger
reporters getting fewer press releases than their senior
counterparts may actually mean losing out on an opportunity. Since
seasoned professionals mostly have richer sources of information
gathering, their dependence on press releases is relatively lesser
than that of their younger counterparts. While receiving the press
release is one matter, reading is another and definitely more
critical. Thirty-seven percent of journalists said that they read
more than 50 percent of the press releases they received; while 20
percent revealed that they read less than 10 percent. A scanty 4
percent of journalists do not read any press releases that come
their way. THE PRESS RELEASE STORY SECTION 2 44% of journalists
receive more than 15 press releases a day #mediainsights 64% of
journalists with over two decades of experience receive more than15
press releases a day #mediainsights The largest portion of press
releases is focused on legal developments, followed by news updates
in the business/ corporate sector and the science and technology
space #mediainsights 37% of journalists read more than 50% of the
press releases that they receive #mediainsights Younger journalists
read a larger number of press releases vis--vis their senior
counterparts #mediainsights
16 Development, Sports, and Science & Technology are the
most popular categories in terms of the topic focus of press
releases #mediainsights Journalists in the western part of India
get the largestnumber of press releases #mediainsights Journalists
with 16 to 20 years of experience source the highest proportion of
story ideas from the Internet (9%), compared to the overall average
of 4% #mediainsights Journalists in East India read a greater
number of press releases over their counterparts in other regions
#mediainsights THE PRESS RELEASE STORY Seniority predictably plays
a key role in the extent to which press releases are being read.
Forty-four percent of journalists with less than 5 years of
experience read over 50 percent of the press releases that they
receive as against close to one-half (23%) of their senior
counterparts (with more than 20 years of experience). In this
context, the goals of communication professionals, for whom the
press release remains a key component of their media relations
activities, would be best achieved if they reached out to reporters
rather than senior level editors. The research indicates that news
events across the development and social sector garner interest
with 62 percent of journalists reading more than 50 percent of
related press releases. The sports sector comes in second at 55
percent, followed by science and technology (39 ). The West leads
the way with the greatest number of press releases (61% of
journalists receive more than 15 press releases a day) followed by
the North (44 ), South (38 ) and East (27 ). Just as events are
more favoured by journalists in the East to get story ideas, press
releases seem to be the regions favorite as well, with 45 percent
of journalists reading more than 50 percent of the press releases
that they receive. Meanwhile, a mere 24 percent of journalists in
the South read more than 50 percent of the press releases. % % % %
SECTION 2
17 THE PRESS RELEASE STORY How many press releases are received
44% More than 15 2% None 12% Less than 5 28% Between 6 and 10 14%
Between 10 and 15 27% 46% 60% 63% 64% Less than 5 yrs. 6-10 yrs.
11-15 yrs. 16-20 yrs. Over 21 yrs. SECTION 2
18 How many press releases are read 4% None THE PRESS RELEASE
STORY 18% Around 10-25% 21% Around 25-50% 20% Less than 10% 37%More
than 50% SECTION 2 23% Over 21 yrs. 31% 33% 35% 44% 16-20 yrs.
11-15yrs. 6-10 yrs. Less than 5 yrs. 27% Business & Corporate
Science & Tech Development Political Legal Lifestyle &
Entertainment 39% 62% 37% 31% 32% 55% 49% Sports Others
19 Clearly, press releases are received and some are read. But
whether they are used is what makes or breaks it. Only 6 percent of
journalists across all categories said that they don't use the
press releases in any context. A proportion of 48 percent stated
that they used less than 10 percent of the press releases they
received. While this percentage might be low, it could also reflect
the quality of the press release in question, or the level of
importance and newsworthiness the announcement holds. Additionally,
7 percent of journalists said that they used more than 50 percent
of the press releases that reached them. With experience, the rate
of journalists' dependence on press releases goes down too. This
also supports our previous data points of senior journalists
reading fewer press releases as compared to their younger
counterparts. While 10 percent of journalists with less than five
years of experience use more than 50 percent of press releases for
building their stories, the percentage drops to 3 percent for
journalists with an experience of 16-20 years behind them. MOST
IMPORTANTLY, ARE THEY USED? Only 6% of journalists dont use press
releases for building stories #mediainsights 9% of journalists use
more than 50% of press releases for conceptualising stories
#mediainsights Senior journalists use fewer press releases for
stories than their younger counterparts #mediainsights SECTION
2
20 MOST IMPORTANTLY, ARE THEY USED? 7% Less than 5 yrs. 6-10
yrs. 11-15 yrs. 16-20 yrs. Over 21 yrs. 10% 7% 5% 3% 5% None Less
than 10% Around 10-25% Around 25-50% 13% 26% 48% 6% More than 50%
SECTION 2
21 A press release goes through various life stages before it
actually takes the shape of a story and gets published. It is
created and sent to journalists, who may choose not to read it. And
if they do, they may choose not to use it. If they get used to the
press release format, what is the final outcome? Thats the question
that we will seek to answer in this section. Overall, a good press
release is seen more as an idea for a story, than the story itself.
56 percent of journalists believe that a worthy press release
serves as a story idea versus 9 percent who may use it as the story
itself. Not to mention the remaining 35 percent of journalists who
draw on selective press releases to develop a major portion of
content for their stories. The research ascertains that as
journalists gain more experience the need to showcase novel ideas
keeps spiraling upwards. While 10 percent of the journalists with
less than 10 years of experience may use a good press release as a
story in itself, the pie becomes half (5%) for journalists who have
over two decades of experience. If we look at East, while no
journalist may use the press release as a story in itself, 64
percent of the journalists agreed that they use press releases as
major content of their story and 36 percent utilise them as story
idea triggers. Journalists in the North, South and West use press
releases as triggers for story ideas, followed by major content for
their stories and lastly as a story in itself. Science and
technology, and development sectors have an advantage over other
sectors, since these press releases are often used as a story in
entirety 17 percent and 19 percent respectively. 60 percent of the
journalists use business and corporate press releases to generate
story ideas whereas the percentage goes up to 70 percent for the
sports news. Looking at the gender analysis specifically, while 30
percent of the male journalists use the press releases for major
story content, the percentage goes up to 44 percent for the women
counterparts. HOW ARE THEY USED? A good press release is seen more
as an idea for a story, than the story itself #mediainsights 35% of
journalists use press releases as a major source of content for
their stories #mediainsights The proportion of senior journalists
who use press releases as a story in itself is half that of their
younger counterparts #mediainsights Journalists in the North, West
and South display similar behavior in terms of how they use press
releases; East differs #mediainsights Press releases from the
Science & Technology and Development sectors are used as
stories in themselves to a greater extent than press releases from
other sectors #mediainsights More women journalists use press
releases as major content source versus their male counterparts
#mediainsights SECTION 2
22 HOW ARE THEY USED? A story in itself Major content for a
story An idea for a story NORTH SOUTH EAST WEST 9% 12% 8% 6% 5% 35%
31% 38% 47% 27% 56% 57% 55% 47% 68% Less than 5 yrs. 11-15 yrs.
Over 21 yrs. 16-20 yrs. 6-10 yrs. 11% 39% 50% 04% 27% 69% 64% 36%
5% 13% 82% A story in itself An idea for story Major content for a
story SECTION 2
I feel that press releases give a brief overview of the subject
at hand but are not comprehensive enough to convey the whole story.
While I read about 50% of the press releases that I get in a given
day I only use them if they are deemed newsworthy. I feel compelled
to read further if the first paragraph is interesting enough, the
subject line or the headline does not make much difference to me.
While I have no preference for a specific format I would like to
have the release in the body of the email rather than as an
attachment. I also feel that follow ups are not important at all
and if the release is interesting enough it will get picked up and
follow ups don't help in achieving coverage. Venkatesh Ganesh,
Special Correspondent, Hindu Business Line Sudhir Chowdhary,
Features Head, Financial Express We get about 20-25 press releases
in a day and definitely, the subject line is what makes us read it.
And then of course, follow ups serve as reminders, but they should
be limited to very important press releases only. Once we open the
email, it is the headline and the first paragraph that either makes
it to the story or not. EXPERT SPEAK SECTION 2
24 The study takes a closer look at what sources journalists
most rely on during the course of their formative research for a
story. Most journalists (62%) prefer getting their information
directly from the source, while choosing multiple options in the
questionnaire. This could mean opting for interactions with the
concerned spokesperson, engaging in a site visit, referring to
company websites as a content source. This is reason enough for
companies to ensure that they have an updated website, and more so,
an updated news room. When they had to choose just one option, 67
percent of journalists vouched for interviews with the concerned
person and visiting the company's website as their most preferred
content research activities. Social media took a relatively small
portion of the pie with a miniscule 8 percent of journalists opting
for this source as a content research platform. In a one-on-one
interview, a business correspondent said that talking with analysts
was another popular source of information. Product reviews were
written after personal experience of using the products and
experiencing its pros and cons. Breaking down to the regions, in
the West and North, 63 percent and 56 percent (respectively) of
journalists rated interviews with spokespersons as their most
favoured source of gathering information. In the East, this
proportion is much lower at 27 percent. This also reflects the fact
that most large corporate offices are based out of Mumbai, Delhi or
Bangalore, thus offering a greater opportunity to meet company
representatives. While the East's preference for spokesperson
interactions might be low at 27 percent, it ranks highest in its
access of information from company websites, with 36 percent of
journalists vouching for it. TALKING ABOUT FAVOURITE SOURCES
SECTION 3 63% of journalists in the West and 56% in the North
prefer spokesperson interactions for researching on stories
#mediainsights Younger journalists, who are more digital media
savvy than their seasoned counterparts, use social media platforms
for content research #mediainsights 67% of journalists prefer
company websites or interactions with spokespersons to research on
their stories #mediainsights While only 27 of journalists in the
East prefer interviews for gathering information, 36% prefer
referring to company websites #mediainsights %
25 TALKING ABOUT FAVOURITE SOURCES While choosing multiple
options Social media 8% Web sites of organizations 138 %17 Tip-off
from sources (known) 15%15% Stories in print or electronic media
11%16% Site of the event 16% Interviews with the concerned 29%
Tip-off from sources (unknown) {34} 4%4% SECTION 3
26 TALKING ABOUT FAVOURITE SOURCES North South East West
Stories in print or electronic media Interviews with the concerned
Web sites of organizations Tip-off from sources (known) Social
media 56% 47% 27% 63% 10% 11% 09% 16% 04% 09% 00% 00% 11% 09% 36%
16% 19% 24% 27% 05% SECTION 3
27 WHAT ABOUT GENUINENESS OF THE SOURCE? The research examines
how journalists establish the credibility of their sources and the
information they have received. Cross-checking from various sources
was the most preferred route to source authenticity, with 55
percent of journalists choosing this option. Speaking with the
concerned company representative is the next in line, with 37
percent of journalists declaring their preference for it. A scanty
8 percent relied on intuition to verify a source's credibility. The
preference for gut feel is lower in journalists with 6-10 years of
experience (3%) vis--vis journalists with more than two decades in
the field (20%). Taking cues from the previous section, 92 percent
of journalists in the East preferred to cross check from various
sources. However, their dependence on interviews was low with only
8 percent of journalists choosing this option. Journalists from
this region displayed little or no reliance on gut feel as a
precipitating factor for checking the genuineness of their sources.
Overall, men exhibited a stronger gut feel dependence quotient,
with 9 percent of male reporters relying on intuition to
authenticate their sources, as against 4 percent, among women
journalists. SECTION 3 8% of journalists depend on gut instinct to
verify the authenticity of their sources #mediainsights Journalists
in the East majorly rely on cross checking information for ensure
authenticity of the source #mediainsights To ensure authenticity of
the source, cross- checking is the most preferred tool among
journalists #mediainsights The greater the journalists level of
seniority, the stronger his or her reliance on gut instinct
#mediainsights Men rely more on gut-feel vis--vis women journalists
to authenticate sources #mediainsights
28 WHAT ABOUT GENUINENESS OF THE SOURCE? 55% 37% 8% Through
cross checking from various sources Speaking with the concerned
spokesperson Gut feeling SECTION 3
WHAT ABOUT GENUINENESS OF THE SOURCE? 29 55% 59% 60% 55% 48%
%37 39% 36% 31% 32% 08% 03% 04% 14% 20% Less than 5 yrs. 6-10 yrs.
11-15yrs. 16-20 yrs. Over 21 yrs. Through cross checking from
various sources Speaking with the concerned spokesperson Gut
feeling SECTION 3
1430 Another component of the research focused on the role of
gender in reporting. Overall, the result was encouraging as 89
percent of the journalists interviewed said that the gender of the
source was immaterial. However, looking at the regional analysis, 9
percent of journalists in the East avowed that the gender of the
source was extremely important. This perception was non-existent in
the West and South. While speaking to journalists, it is evident
that some biases do creep in when it comes to the subject of the
story. While those covering the Development and Social sectors have
no gender bias, the ratio falls for categories like Legal, and
Science & Technology. Twenty-three percent of journalists
covering the legal space revealed that the gender of their sources
was important to some extent while 17 percent of Science &
Technology reporters echoed this view. IS GENDER A BARRIER?
Journalists covering the Developmental and Social sectors have no
gender bias #mediainsights 17 of journalists covering Science &
Technology declared that the gender of the source is important to
some extent #mediainsights % The gender of a source does not matter
for 89% of journalists #mediainsights 23% of the journalists
covering legal developments feel that the gender of the source is
important to some extent #mediainsights SECTION 3
31 Only to some extent Definitely Not Really 9% 2% 89% IS
GENDER A BARRIER? SECTION 3
If we talk about sources for doing a well-rounded story,
analysts are getting extremely important. This is also keeping in
view that company spokespeople are getting very repetitive. There
are very few spokespeople who have that spark to keep a
conversation going, without sounding the same every time. I feel
that not having opinionated spokespersons is hurting the companies
- if your representative is a walking press release, then perhaps
you don't want to talk and hence industry experts like analysts
become important to get the pulse of the issue in question. As far
as genuineness of the source is concerned, cross- checking is
critical. We have industry sources distributors, analysts, experts,
etc., and speaking to them allows one to get the sense of whether
the information one has received from a particular source is
correct, but going by the gut-feel is perhaps the most risky thing
to do. Company websites can be an important source of information
but far too many companies don't even bother updating their
websites, which kills the purpose. A website is like a caf if your
experience is bad in the first visit, you don't come back to it! I
would recommend every company to have a highly responsive press
section companies like Amazon manage it quite well. Nimish Dubey,
Writer and Editorial Consultant Anurag Prasad, Senior Editor,
Fortune India Conducting research for a story is a huge exercise
and there is no one prime source that can give all the information.
For a large story in a magazine, the number of stake holders can be
anything upwards of 15-20, at times going as high as 40-45, to get
the right pulse and relevant perspective. That's the amount of
research that we are talking about, which ensures cross-checking at
every stage. Of course market research firms and reports play a
huge role. However, I also believe that while data is important, it
is not primary. Numbers should tell a story, otherwise they are
meaningless. In all, it is the story-telling aspect that we always
focus on. EXPERT SPEAK SECTION 3
33 Of the 309 journalists interviewed, 92 percent have adopted
the Internet for reasons ranging from research and information
sourcing to story ideation and validation. While a meager 4 percent
was found to draw resources from the Net to frame story ideas, 11
percent have been consuming the digital space for validation and 64
percent of journalists consider it as an effective platform for
research and information sourcing. Digging deeper, we found that 75
percent of Science & Technology reporters used their time
online for research and information sourcing, followed by business
and corporate journalists (69%). The Net has well and truly cast
its web with 61 percent of journalists confirming that the Internet
has become the biggest source of information gathering. Only 11
percent think that the time is yet to come. This is an indication
of the importance of being seen online at the right time and
ensuring relevant content enrichment in the online space.
Expectedly, the younger the journalists, the more they depended on
the Internet. 95 percent of respondents with less than five years
of experience use the Internet for myriad reasons in the context of
news. 86 percent of journalists with more than 20 years of
experience have also adopted the Internet of which 54 percent use
it for background research and information sourcing. In the context
of regional variances, the South ranks the highest with 98 percent
of respondents using the Internet, followed by the West (95%) and
the North (91%). The East lags behind at 82 percent. THE NET
CONNECT 92% of journalists turn to the Internet for varying reasons
to source information #mediainsights 64% of journalists use the
Internet for research and information sourcing #mediainsights
Science & Technology reporters spend most of their online time
on research and information sourcing #mediainsights 61% of
journalists agree that the Internet has become the biggest source
of information gathering information to a great extent
#mediainsights The younger the journalists, the greater their level
of Internet access for sourcing information #mediainsights 86% of
seasoned journalists with more than two decades of experience use
the Internet for varying reasons to source information
#mediainsights Journalists in Southern India use the Internet more
for sourcing information vis--vis their counterparts in other
regions #mediainsights SECTION 4
Information Sourcing 27% Background Research 37% Validation 11%
Story Ideas 04% Content Generation 04% Facts & Figures 04%
Facts & Figures 04% Email 01% Dont Use 08% 1434 THE NET CONNECT
SECTION 4
1436 THE NET CONNECT Only to some extent To a great extent Not
really 28% 61% 11% Less than 5 yrs. 6-10 yrs. 11-15 yrs. 16-20 yrs.
Over 21 yrs. Less than 5 yrs. 6-10 yrs. 11-15 yrs. 16-20 yrs. Over
21 yrs. Less than 5 yrs. 6-10 yrs. 11-15 yrs. 16-20 yrs. Over 21
yrs. 25% 28% 30% 38% 32% 66% 60% 53% 56% 59% 10% 12% 18% 06% 09%
SECTION 4
1437 The research would have been incomplete without analysing
the respondents' 'liking' for social networking platforms. Out of
the 309 respondents surveyed, 90 percent use social networking
platforms, reaffirming the altering patterns of an increasingly
multi- channel communications landscape. With younger journalists
accessing social networking platforms with greater frequency, the
age-factor presumably plays up here as well. 94 percent of
journalists with less than 10 years of experience visit social
networking platforms versus 59 percent of their counterparts who
have more than two decades of experience. Personal interviews with
journalists offered refreshing insights into the dynamics of social
media usage. One respondent said he used Twitter to build contacts.
Another said that scanning social networking sites offered a
glimpse into the psyche of the youth. Journalists often surf the
social networks to know what's trending, and gauge the mood of the
people, especially post a crisis situation. Another journalist
opined that the advent of social media had changed the way
'breaking news' was being perceived. Every single respondent
interviewed from the East frequented social networking platforms.
The North and South, followed at 93 and 89 percent respectively,
while the West was comparatively low at 74 percent. Social
networking platforms seem to be more in vogue among journalists
covering the lifestyle and entertainment segment. 95 percent of
reporters from this beat use these platforms, followed by business
& corporate (87%) and sports journalists (85%). In terms of the
gender break-up, more female journalists were found to use social
networks (97%) than their male counterparts (87%). WHAT IS THE
SOCIAL QUOTIENT? The younger the journalists, the greater their
frequency of social media access #mediainsights More female
journalists use social networking platforms than their male
counterparts #mediainsights 90% of journalists use social
networking platforms #mediainsights 100% of journalists in East
frequent social networking platforms the highest amongst all
regions #mediainsights SECTION 4
1438 WHAT IS THE SOCIAL QUOTIENT? Visit social networking
platforms < 5 Yrs 5 to 10 Yrs 11 to 15 Yrs 16 to 20 Yrs >20
Yrs North South East West 94% 95% 87% 87% 59% 93% 89% 100% 74%
SECTION 4
1439 WHAT IS THE SOCIAL QUOTIENT? Visit social networking
platforms Business & Corporate Science & Tech Development
Political Legal Lifestyle & Entertainment Sports Others 97% 87%
Female Male 87% 92% 90% 86% 85% 95% 85% 93% SECTION 4
1440 Facebook rules the roost with 56 percent of journalists
frequenting this platform over others. Out of this, 79 percent have
less than ten years of field experience. This finding links back to
our previous discovery of a greater inclination among younger
journalists towards online platforms. Facebook is most frequented
by journalists covering the Lifestyle (66%), Sports (65%) and
Science & Technolgy (61%) sectors. Predictably, Twitter is the
next favourite. It is most frequented by journalists covering the
Legal industry (38%), the Developmental and Social sectors (24%),
and Business and Corporate news (22%). Google+ is most frequented
by journalists covering Developmental and Social sector (10%). Its
popularity among this section of journalists could stem from strong
e-governance initiatives that leverage Google+ Hangouts. LinkedIn
also features in this list, with 14 percent of business and
corporate journalists calling it their most favoured social
network. While the East favours Facebook, it shows no traction for
Twitter. Other regions have a balanced view of Facebook and
Twitter, with the former having an edge. The South scores higher in
its usage of Google+ and LinkedIn than other regions. While
Facebook and Twitter are favourites among both genders, Google+
usage is more prevalent among male respondents than their female
counterparts. MOST 'LIKES' FOR FACEBOOK Facebook rules the roost
among all social networking platforms even in the media fraternity
#mediainsights Facebook is most frequented by journalists covering
Lifestyle, Sports and Science & Tech #mediainsights Twitter is
the next favorite for journalists after Facebook #mediainsights
Twitter is most frequented by journalists covering the Legal,
Development & Social and Business/Corporate sectors
#mediainsights Google+ is most frequented by journalists covering
Developmental & Social sector #mediainsights LinkedIn is most
frequented by journalists covering Business & Corporate space
#mediainsights Journalists in the South use Google+ and LinkedIn a
lot more than those from other regions #mediainsights Google+ is
more frequented by male journalists than women journalists
#mediainsights SECTION 4
1443 MOST 'LIKES' FOR FACEBOOK North South East West 20% 11%
00% 18% 07% 13% 00% 00% 03% 22% 09% 13% 61% 38% 91% 39% Facebook
Twitter Google+ LinkedIn SECTION 4
1544 22% 17% 24% 20% 38% 20% 10% 18% 14% 9% 0% 2% 8% 5% 0% 5%
6% 2% 10% 8% 8% 2% 0% 10% MOST 'LIKES' FOR FACEBOOK 42% 61% 52% 53%
31% 66% 65% 58% Business & Corporate Science & Tech
Development Political Legal Lifestyle & Entertainment Sports
Others FacebookGoogle+ TwitterLinkedIn SECTION 4
We see more affinity among younger journalists for internet and
social media platforms. This gap is primarily because of
unfamiliarity to some extent among older journalists and also
because they being busy with 'focused' stories there's this myth
associated with social media of not being focused. The truth is you
can be as serious or as frivolous on social media. Also, the more
focused you are, the better work you do whether you are on or off
the internet or social media. There's spot breaking news on
Twitter, you get the public pulse on social platforms, and in fact
the top stories are being determined increasingly on what's being
discussed on social platforms. Basically, using internet or more
specifically social media is a matter of personal style element and
comfort level. Taking a step ahead of citizen journalism, crowd
sourcing is becoming an important aspect of new age media. Social
media is not an alternative to mainstream media, but is emerging as
a force to shape the behavior of mainstream media. For me, simply
put, Twitter is the new-age Parliament and Facebook is the new-age
caf. Other platforms like Linkedin and Google+ are yet to appeal to
journalists, as far as I can see. Linkedin is majorly for
self-promotion and works great to brands and self; however
journalists prefer a more informal environment and wider reach
which works against Linkedin. Talking about Google+, there are two
things that can help you knowledge & information and contact
& people - and G+ doesn't score high on either. Facebook and
Twitter have become hubs, while Google+ is still to become one,
hence it doesn't score too high. Madhavan Narayanan, Columnist/
Associate Editor at Hindustan Times Gagandeep Singh Sapra,
Entrepreneur & Popularly known as The Big Geek I cannot say
about others, but for me social media has helped me get real time
feedback about what people think about a new product or feature.
Earlier, the conversations were limited to few people; however,
with the aid of social media, that's changed tremendously. I don't
use social media to set the topic of my stories; rather I use to
build on them. In other words, conversations on social media don't
influence what I write, but of course the tonality does get
affected because of real time feedback. EXPERT SPEAK SECTION 4