“The online news audience is enormous,” says The Pew Research Center in The State of the News Media 2012. Well, it’s certainly not news that the online space is terrifically huge and vastly populated. Pew’s insight does, however, cast an interesting light on the nature of that space. Digital news is efficient, timely, accessible and empowering to the masses – everything for which journalism professionals strive.
Traditional media institutions may struggle with the challenge of monetizing a digital medium as traditional subscriptions, ratings shares and advertising revenues decline. From the professional perspective of journalism, however, online news represents a Renaissance of opportunity and readership. The top 25 news sites in the U.S. averaged 342 million unique monthly visitorsin 2011, Pew reports citing Nielsen Online data. By and large, these sites include the same media sources Americans have long trusted in newsprint and network television.“Amid all the change, perhaps the most optimistic sign for the news industry is this: brands still matter,” says Pew. Of the top 25 news sites, two-thirds are run by traditional news organizations.For organizations, the digital branding success of traditional media leaders also represents an opportunity in the public affairs space. Building trust is key to engaging and motivating a digital audience. That audience is more likely to trust the authoritative perspective of an organization when its message is conveyed by a trusted news source, regardless of platform.
As Pew says, brands still matter. Dominion Strategies offers a full range of media relations services, strategically connecting clients to trusted, influential media organizations and ensuring that their perspective is heard and understood.
