State of the News Media 2013: The impact on PR and more

The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence In Journalism released its State of the News Media 2013 report on Monday.  And it appears that the news media in general, at least in the U.S., continues to go on a download spiral.

As far as the overall impact on public relations, communications, and other related fields goes, it seems that many companies are becoming their own media outlets, dispensing their own news while filling in the gaps left behind by shrinking news coverage, according to prdaily.com.  

If that wasn't enough, a study released by Robert McChesney and John Nichols in 2011 shows that there are more PR people than actual journalists, rising from a ratio of 1.2 to 1 in 1980 to 3.6 to 1 in 2008.  

If you want proof, just take a look at the number of former journalists who are now working in PR these days.  And those numbers are only expected to grow between now and the end of this current decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  As in a growth rate of at least 20 percent before the year 2020. And no, they're not talking about 20/20 vision here.

Oh, and as far as traditional media such as newspapers is concerned, while there's reason for optimism for the first time in a long time, threats to their long-term viability still exist.  Print advertising revenue has fallen for the sixth year in a row last year, by more than seven percent, while digital ad revenue has seen slow growth over the past couple of years.

So, what does this mean for you, the aspiring public relations and communications professional?  It means that while that the media landscape continues to constantly change, and not always for the better, the opportunities to make your mark in an always evolving industry have never been better.  It's up to you to find your niche, and shine.

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