Meeting the Rapid Fire Needs of the Media
As I contemplated this post to tout the recent enhancements to our media site, PR Newswire for Journalists, I found myself reflecting on how the role of journalists has evolved and changed over the years, and how at every phase, PR Newswire has tried to answer their changing needs.
A former reporter myself, I remember the unmistakable sound of AP wire copy spewing from the newsroom printer. Back then in the early ’90s, reporters worked their beats and wrote one story a day.
By the time I joined PR Newswire in the late ’90s, the internet swallowed up that old printer and between online outlets and 24-hour news channels, people were consuming news round the clock. Members of the media were producing more content than ever for multiple platforms.
Recognizing the increasing expectations that journalists were being faced with, we set out to provide an online resource for members of the press to have easy and immediate access to company news, embargoed releases, images, and other items.
A group of us from various PRN departments who had worked at wire, print, and broadcast outlets drew on our collective reporting experience to create the first “PR Newswire Press Room,” as it was first coined.
Initially, it posted real-time news releases, contact information, media advisories, and daybook listings. That was in late 1997. Over the years, several features were added to help journalists meet their ever-increasing newsgathering demands, including a news release archive, beat pages, photos and logos, experts, and the ability to select the precise type of news they wanted and when.
This week, we made additional upgrades that make it easier and quicker for journalists and bloggers to search, customize, and view content on any device. Our quick video demo (under two minutes) of the site will show you:
- An optimized view of the site on a cell phone or tablet
- Multimedia archive with thousands of images
- Instant customization right from your search
- New Community Page, where you can access job listings, media moves, and an industry blog
If you are interested in learning more about how PR Newswire can help you find information, experts, images, and other tools to help with your stories, email us at [email protected].
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Brett Savage-Simon is PR Newswire’s former director of audience relations and was a television reporter in her former life.
