PlanetRussell.net | Michael J. Russell

JEC Hearing: The Future of Newspapers – The Impact on the Economy and Democracy

On Thursday, September 24, 2009 U.S. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chair of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) will convene a hearing to examine the ongoing contraction in the U.S. newspaper industry, the economic impact of the changing media landscape, and the future of the industry at large.

From the JEC website:

Over the past year, dozens of daily newspapers have shut down their presses creating a ripple effect through communities, having consequences for local economies, and removing a critical check on government accountability and corruption. Witnesses will discuss funding alternatives for the print media and the outlook for the industry.

The JEC hearing is entitled, “The Future of Newspapers: The Impact on the Economy and Democracy,” and will take place Thursday, September 24, 2009 at beginning at 10:00 AM EDT in room 210 of the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC.

The hearing will be also be webcast live (Windows Media Player required) via this link:

View the Live webcast of the JEC hearing HERE.

Tags: congress, economy, hearing, JEC, media, michael russell, NAA, news, newspapers, Pew, planetrussell, Princeton, U.S.

Good News: You’re in the News. Now What?

It’s always a rush to see a press release for a client picked up by major media outlets like Business Week, Forbes, and the WSJ’s Marketwatch. (End of self-serving chest-thumping.)

So, cui bono? Who benefits…and how?

Coverage of your client’s organization using social media-friendly, search engine-optimized media releases represents far more than just nice, clipbook bona fides (the standard metric from days of yore), to show your client that you’ve done your job as a professional—whether your job(s) happens to be writing, editing, using web-centric PR 2.0 tools for distribution — or all of the above. It’s surely not about some illusory sense of personal self-aggrandizement. (“Look Ma, I’m in the Journal!”)

Rather, various clients say they really do benefit substantially from this kind of coverage, however brief, in specific, tangible ways, especially when such media releases are part of a broader, ongoing branding and marketing communications campaign.

Setting aside the whole topic of Search Engine Optimization and it benefits for the moment, here’s what else you can probably expect: First, you can probably expect to receive incoming inquiries from top-flight candidates who might otherwise not be familiar with your organization and its work. Second, you will most likely attract the attention of prospective partners with capital, resources and –most importantly– relationships that will benefit your organization and customers (Read: clients, constituents, contributors, fans, patients, supporters or volunteers) in ways you wouldn’t otherwise forsee.

This is what makes doing PR 2.0 fun. Tell a friend.

Tags: 2008, branding, brian solis, clipbook, Geoff Livingston, marcomm, media, Now is Gone, PR 2.0, Press, press release, Public Relations, publicity, social media release