On the eve of this year’s Fourth of July celebration, it’s important for anyone working in media relations and nonprofit communications to salute and take stock of one of the most important tent poles of American Democracy, the press. Last week’s horrific shooting in the newsroom of the Capital Gazette was another grim reminder of the danger some journalists face. The  U.S. Press Freedom Tracker found 17 American journalists have been attacked on the job. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, last year 262 journalists were jailed worldwide in connection with their work.

Plus, the way people consume their news is continuing to change in ways that inevitably will affect how journalists do their jobs. Recently, Pew Research Group issued their annual State of the Media Report, measuring how and where people get their news.

• Newspapers – While more that 30 million people still get their news from print and digital newspapers, circulation went down 11 percent for daily newspaper and 10 percent for Sunday papers. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal are reporting big gains in digital circulation, while most others are dropping. Some small newspapers don’t get enough traffic to even be counted. The Pew report found another disturbing fact. The average visit to a digital newspaper website is just two and a half minutes long.
• Online Outlets – Pew found roughly 93 percent of adults get their news on either a mobile or desktop device. In the fourth quarter, visits to “digital native” online outlets created just for online use, as opposed to being extensions of pre-existing news publications, went down 5 percent last year to 22 million. Average visit time here was 2.4 minutes. Nearly all have Facebook and Twitter accounts. They also offer more than articles – 83 percent offer newsletters and 71 percent have podcasts as well. According to a 2017 Reuters report on the media, at least 51 percent of Americans they surveyed said they used social media for news in the past week.
• TV News – The most recent Pew report from 2017 on TV news found that while the audience for local television news programming is in decline, local TV news still gets more viewers on average than cable and network news programs.

What do these statistics mean to nonprofits looking to share their news with the public?

• Keep it interesting – Don’t forget that journalists are working at outlets fighting for a constantly shrinking slice of our attention. They are under constant pressure to create content that is attention getting enough to earn likes and clicks. Make sure the information you share with them is newsworthy and connects with an audience beyond your organization.
• Know your target – Do the extra leg work it takes to make sure the person you are pitching covers the topic you are pitching and that you anticipate and answer questions they may have.
• Respect their time – Be mindful that journalists work long hours, often on nights, weekends and holidays. Thanks to social media, their deadlines are at all times of the day and many are expected to tweet and participate in podcasts as well as file (and sometimes copy edit) their stories. Keep your pitches and phone calls concise and to the point. Include supporting statistics and offer up compelling spokespeople, to make it as easy as possible for them to do your story.

It is critical for both those in media relations and those involved with nonprofit organizations to be aware of the changing media landscape. Knowing the challenges facing today’s journalists creates opportunities for you to place stories that increase public awareness of your organization and your clients.