• Media Landscape Check-Up: Boston, MA

    Media Landscape Check-Up: Boston, MA

    The COVID-19 pandemic has brought sweeping changes into every facet of life in the Greater Boston area. Businesses are closed, kids are out of school, many are working from home and essential workers at hospitals, grocery stores and emergency services are on the front lines putting themselves in harm’s way to keep our communities afloat.

    While the lives of Boston’s media members have been upended by the coronavirus like everyone else, they are striving to keep citizens informed on how to navigate the pandemic, and what’s to come in the short and long term. COVID-19 has consumed seemingly all headlines – worldwide and here at home – with many reporters from across the region dropping their regular beats to cover the rapidly changing reality. 

    In looking at the Boston media landscape, several coverage themes have emerged across local publications.

    Bay State Businesses

    The most evident impact of the pandemic is felt at local businesses – either forced to close their doors, lay off employees or revamp their entire business model to try and survive. Unfortunately, many companies have been forced to restructure and lay off thousands of employees across the region, dramatically increasing unemployment claims in Massachusetts. As the crisis continues, local businesses continue to be profiled by Boston’s media, spotlighting how they and their workforces are adapting to the new normal.

    Relevant Articles:

    Boston’s Medical Community

    Home to some of the best hospitals in the world, Boston’s healthcare community is facing the unprecedented challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic head on with the rest of the world. From hospitals shifting patient visits to virtual appointments and finding ways around equipment shortages to businesses altering their operations to support the medical community during this time, we’ve seen no shortage of coverage on how the region’s elite medical workforce is managing the crisis.

    Relevant Articles:

    An Ecosystem of Innovation

    In addition to being a hub for the medical community, Boston is a hub for innovation and home to some of the world’s most revered scientists, innovators, engineers and entrepreneurs. These individuals and their associated companies across Greater Boston are working overtime to develop solutions for the challenges we’re facing, from lack of medical equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) to e-commerce and fulfillment solutions for businesses that have gone digital. 

    Relevant Articles:

    Impact on the Everyday

    Stories of inspiration, strength and heartbreak featuring the pandemic’s impact on everyday life in Greater Boston continue to flood news mediums over the recent weeks. From neighborhoods banding together when forced to stay apart to parents balancing working at home with their newfound homeschooling duties, local media continues to connect Boston’s communities with our most personal stories.

    Relevant Articles:

    The pandemic has forced everyone to reflect on what is most important, as well as which news and services are truly essential. We’re continuing to monitor coverage in the Boston area and beyond in the midst of this crisis, and will report regularly. We’d love to hear from you – what stories are you seeing in the local news? Is there one that needs to be told? Drop us a line and let us know what stories have been impactful for you.

    Kaileigh Higgins

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  • Media on the Move: Week of August 27

    Media on the Move: Week of August 27

    Amid the natural disaster catastrophes and political calamity heating up in August, the media landscape continues to shift. Reporters are making moves to digital newsrooms, going in-house for private companies or moving on to other endeavors. On Tuesday, the Omaha World-Herald announced it eliminated 23 staff positions, including 10 layoffs. Slightly less sympathetic, but just as significant, the New York Daily News cut half its newsroom staff in July, as reported by the Huffington Post.

    In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, more than one-third of large newspapers in U.S. have suffered layoffs between January 2017 and April 2018 – a fairly staggering number considering that many of those publications have already poured resources into digitization to avoid taking those kinds of hits.

    As part of its jobs issue, the Columbia Journalism Review looked at the history of newsroom buy-outs since the financial crisis of 2008. In the past, the article notes, buy-out offers were generally strong and could provide journalists a chance to make relatively seamless transitions into other areas of work or to other publications. Today, however, buy-outs do not provide the same kind of cushion, and most journalists take them as a last resort to leave on their own terms.

    What does this mean for the media landscape in general? In an op-ed for the Washington Post, Christopher Daly argued that the ‘death’ of journalism is being oversimplified:

    “The picture is not so bleak if you look at the bigger category of people who work in what might be called ‘the media,’” he writes. “… NPR is having a banner year, as are MSNBC and Fox News. The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal are reporting record numbers of digital subscribers.”

    Instead, he says, the impact is being felt at the local and state levels, where the media’s traditional role as a watchdog is either being undermined or eliminated completely.

    In the tech world, an apt comparison might be that there are increasingly fewer and fewer reporters able to cover more of the niche subject areas, or that reporters are bombarded by pitches and can only afford to focus on news that includes big names or big moves.

    At any rate, the past few months have seen significant movement by reporters across the board as the sands continue to shift.

    CNN: Ahiza Garcia joins CNN’s tech team after three years with CNNMoney

    Wall Street Journal: Ben DiPietro left the publication after seven years

    New York Times: Erin Griffith left Wired to cover startups and VCs

    TechCrunch: Kristin Korosec joined TechCrunch to cover auto technology and transportation

    TechCrunch: Kate Clark, formerly of PitchBook, joined the publication to cover startups and VCs

    Town & Country: Sam Dangremond left full time position after eight years, remains as contributing editor

    FierceRetail: the publication was discontinued, and former editor Jacqueline Renfrow is now freelancing

    Conde Nast: the publisher put Brides, Golf Digest and W magazines up for sale after losing more than $120 million in 2017

    Charles Trowbridge

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  • Media on the Move: Week of March 6

    Media on the Move: Week of March 6

    As we enter March, newsrooms everywhere are continuing to shrink. Vox Media announced a plan to layoff around 50 employees, as reported by CNN. The decision is allegedly due in part to a pivot away from its video services, with the changes mostly impacting publications including Racked, Curbed and SB Nation.

    Also reported by CNN, Newsweek Media Group fired multiple staffers from their publications, including Newsweek’s editor-in-chief Bob Roe, executive editor Ken Li and reporter Celeste Katz. Nancy Cooper, managing editor at the International Business Times, one of Newsweek’s sister sites, has taken on the role of acting editor at Newsweek, according to Huffington Post.

    On the flipside, The Atlantic announced its plan to hire 100 new staffers over the course of 2018, increasing their headcount by 30%.  Half of those additions are set to join the editorial team. This growth will also include the formation of a “Talent Lab” to find diverse writers consisting of both full-time writers and contributors, as reported by TechCrunch.

    Another notable change to the media landscape is the sale of The Los Angeles Times, along with The San Diego Union-Tribune and other newspapers, to local billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong.

     

    ABC: Zachary Kiesch joins as a correspondent in New York.

    Barron’s: Michael Kahn left the publication after 15 years.

    Business Insider: After almost three years, Chris Weller is leaving the publication to work at the NeuroLeadership Institute.

    Buzzfeed: Molly Hensley-Clancy is now a news reporter covering national politics and the democratic party.

    CNBC: Angelica LaVito was hired as consumer health reporter and Lauren Thomas was hired to cover retail and real estate.

    CRN: Dylan Martin joins as an associate editor covering IoT.

    Deadspin: Megan Greenwell became the site’s first female chief editor.

    Forbes: After three years as tech editor, Miguel Helft left the publication. No word on his next steps.

    NBC News: Jason Abbruzzese left Mashable to join NBC as senior tech editor.

    New York Times: Quinn Norton joins the editorial board as the lead opinion writer on power, culture and the consequences of technology. Kim Murphy joins as an enterprise writer. Jack Nicas leaves The Wall Street Journal to join as a tech editor.

    Outline: Adrianne Jeffries left the publication to freelance, while Casey Johnston joins as an editor.

    Time: John Patrick Pullen joins as the magazine’s West Coast news desk editor.

    The New Yorker: Carolyn Kormann joins as a staff writer covering the environment and Naomi Fry joins to cover a wide-range of culture topics.

    The Atlantic: Natasha Bertrand joins as a staff writer and James Somers as a contributing editor.

    Washington Post: Sara Sorcher joins as deputy editor of Power Post.

     

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    Matter

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  • How Lawyers Can Become Valuable Resources for Journalists (and Get Quoted)

    How Lawyers Can Become Valuable Resources for Journalists (and Get Quoted)

    Given the number of attorneys in the United States (some 1.2 million practicing ones), it seems unlikely that the majority of these lawyers can become trusted resources for journalists. It is possible, and before such a union can materialize, there are rules that apply for both parties. The below focuses on a lawyer’s role in forming a mutually beneficial relationship with reporters.

    Rule 1. The Media Do Not Work for Lawyers, Clients or Firms

    Simply put: Reporters are interested in getting a scoop and writing an article in a compelling, accurate way. To achieve this, they seek and cultivate relationships with people-in-the-know to glean information to report their stories out. It’s up to the journalist to decide what the angle is, with whom to speak, what information to use. In short, they call the shots and decide what goes in a story and how it’s presented. Lawyers – no matter how high up a firm’s food chain – have no say.

    Rule 2: Say Something Relevant, True … and On the Record, Preferably

    On a positive postscript to Rule 1, lawyers can influence a story by controlling their messaging, especially if what they say is relevant beyond their internal audience and business goals.

    One obvious rule is that lawyers know their topics inside and out before positioning themselves as thought leaders to the media. Because of their work, attorneys are on the frontlines of human and corporate drama, amassing relevant insight and perspective. Information based on experiences is the currency reporters and readers crave. Focus explaining a legal issue’s impact on various audiences depending on the media outlet. Get to know a reporter’s beat and previous articles.

    A journalist may seem like an ideal contact given a recent article, though it’s best to review previous ones to get a sense of their style and what they’ve covered previously (and how). Reporters love trend pieces so upon reviewing articles, ask yourself (or discuss with your PR team) why this is important and what’s next. The “what’s next?” question will help develop potential follow-up articles.

    Client sensitivities by lawyers are certainly legitimate concerns, and sometimes attorneys must pass on a media opportunity due to a client conflict. Clients naturally come first, though there are other ways to work around not commenting or providing insight. Specifically, a lawyer can set interview conditions, perhaps speak on-background with the goal of educating a reporter while cultivating a long-term relationship.

    Rule 3: Never Blow Off a Deadline (or a Reporter)

    Time is money for lawyers, and the same goes – albeit indirectly – for journalists. The reason reporters have deadlines is to feed the process of the news cycle. In this age, it’s about posting to the web as soon as possible to attract readers to a site (which in theory would generate ad sales and more viewers). Before the web, deadlines kept the process moving by ensuring that copy would get to the typesetter and presses in time to make the press run. A missed deadline then, meant overtime pay. Now, it’s more the speed of disseminating information that translates to Benjamins, though most news outlets continue to publish hard-copy editions.

    Reporters are generally mindful of a lawyer’s time, and it’s fair and kind to be mindful of theirs by keeping appointments. If anything crops up at the last minute that forces a cancellation, check with an equally qualified lawyer as a replacement to speak with the reporter. That extra effort and attention to detail will resonate with the media.

    Rule 4: Never Ask to See an Article Before Publication. Never.

    Only select people are permitted to read a reporter’s article before it’s printed, specifically their main/news editor, copy editor and perhaps someone else in the newsroom. That’s it, so asking will only demonstrate a lawyer’s misunderstanding of the media and make the process awkward. Only one thing annoys a journalist more than this, and that is providing juicy information – and then saying, “That’s off the record, right?”

    Certain media will agree to review quotes beforehand with a source, though that condition is set before the interview, not during or after, and it’s becoming more rare.

    Rule 5: Embrace Media Training

    When it comes to seeking legal counsel, people (including PR professionals) rightfully defer to the lawyers. The same dynamic should hold true in media training. While not lawyers, PR counsel are just as valuable as legal advocates because reputation is at stake in both cases. Lawyers – no matter how legally brilliant – are best served by listening to a PR professional. If there’s a disagreement over an approach, an engaging, healthy back-and-forth often leads to a thoughtful and agreed-to media plan.

    Rule 6: Follow-up, Keep in Touch … Though Don’t Overdo It

    After an interview, continue to keep reporters in mind. Send a brief thank you email. Make investments by keeping in touch by providing information that is relevant and useful. If a lawyer anticipates a regulation to kick-in that would affect clients, chances are a journalist for an industry publication or a beat reporter for a business outlet would like to cover it – or at least know about it.

    Send along a timely and germane client alert with a note saying that you are happy to discuss – even if it means no immediate ink for you or the firm. It’s simply helpful gesture highlighting a lawyer’s knowledge and one step closer to solidifying a one’s status as a trusted media resource.

    A version of the above post originally appeared in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and its affiliates.

    Claire Papanastasiou

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  • PR People: We Know Enough to be Dangerous

    PR People: We Know Enough to be Dangerous

    Public Relations was not my first career choice, or so I thought. I thought that I wanted to be a lawyer, in fact I took the LSAT not once but twice, but the universe it seems had different plans. Now I find myself in a career where I represent my client’s best interest in the court of public opinion – sound familiar?  I often find that when I tell people what I do, they scoff and dismiss me as yet another liberal communications person, who was too lazy to develop the skill set of say an engineer or physicist or… a lawyer. It might not help that I live right next to Harvard and MIT, some of the most renowned academic institutions on the planet.

    I think there is a major disconnect between what people think that PR practitioners do and what we actually do. People seem to either think that PR people are slackers or not academically inclined, or my favorite – “Your work sounds like that show Mad Men.” Well let me tell you that we work very hard, and the only thing that I have in common with Don Draper and the misogynists at Sterling Cooper is an affinity for good scotch and a catchy tag line.

    Like any profession slackers make their way into PR, but they never last long and are usually weeded out early in their would-be-careers. Real PR pros – the great ones – are experts in dozens of disciplines, or at least they can convince other experts of their superior knowledge. Today I may be trying to convince a producer at NBC of why a consumer product that shines shoes is superior to all other shoe cleaning options, and tomorrow I may be talking best practices for ensuring healthcare IT security compliance with an editor at the Wall Street Journal.

    In PR you learn quickly that editors, producers and journalists have no problem telling you that you clearly have no idea what you are talking about, so you have to get a clue and get it quickly. Learn enough to be dangerous in a number of arenas and present that knowledge intelligently and confidently in a way that convinces the real expert that you just might know something more than he does – that is what it takes to be successful in PR.

    The business savvy that PR practitioners must possess, even at a young age, is something else that I think that many outside of the profession do not recognize. The opportunity to work with C-suite executives on major accounts provides a level of access that most twenty something’s can’t even dream of. You have to believe that if you are writing the CEO’s byline for Forbes you are getting a high level of attention. You also can be sure that you have instilled a high level of trust in your skill set.

    Also, as PR agency people become more seasoned, we get to witness acquisitions, mergers, hirings, firings, product launches… you get the idea – another level of access that not many people are privy to. Throughout the course of all these business moves we also get to see what works and what doesn’t. Not that PR people are or should be business advisors, but I have met some senior people who are certainly capable.

    PR requires a constant personal evolution, whether it is to keep up with new or social media or simply to learn about a new client’s industry. Good PR people aren’t just master communicators they are master formulators, planners, organizers, managers, writers, technologists, sociologists, psychologists and whatever else they might need on that day to get the job done.

    Ryan Lilly

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  • The Modern Day Press Kit

    The Modern Day Press Kit

    Press kits used to be a simple matter of some smart-looking file folders and well-written material. Today, though, that once mundane delivery unit has become increasingly important. In our environmentally-conscious world, the ditto machine has gone digital and some major industry events have even banned paper press kits entirely! Instead, we rely on DVDs and flash-drives of all shapes and sizes to ensure our friendly editors have what they need to write about our clients. (more…)

    Matter

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  • One man's "lazy" is another man's "smart"

    Gawker is one of my favorite blogs to read – it’s snarky, it’s fun, it’s informative and usually it’s right on the money. The other day though, I was a little surprised to read an entry on “The Laziest Journalists on Twitter.” In the post, Ryan Tate called out BusinessWeek’s Douglas MacMillan, WSJ’s Jessica Vascellaro, Wired’s Priya Ganapati and Fortune’s Jessi Hempel, calling them lazy for tweeting requests for sources when working on stories. (more…)

    Matter

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  • What are you reading?

    For years, ‘what have you been reading lately?’ has been my favorite question to ask when interviewing a potential Matter employee, to the point where I am often teased by some of my colleagues for asking that very question. Nonetheless, I have always believed that the question gives you real insight into what a person offers beyond the ABC’s (writing, organization, press and client relations) of PR. (more…)

    Matter

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