The Inner Circle Round Up: Media News You Can Use February 2019
As the shortest month of the year comes to a close, here are some new outlets and opportunities to consider. This month we’ve discovered new podcasts, video-focused outlets and new directions from familiar faces. Share other opportunities that you’ve found on Twitter with us at @ScottCircle!
What’s New (and New-ish)
New York Times: Call for Female Letters to the Editor
The New York Times issued an open call encouraging their female readership to submit letters to editor. Currently, only 30% of letters submitted are from women and the Letters to the Editor section has set a benchmark to reach 50% from each sex by February 2020.
The Inner Circle Take: We are excited to see NYT begin to tackle the issue of gender disparity, starting with the Letters page. For PR pros, this presents an opportunity for the women leadership at your organizations to respond to relevant issues with their perspective. More info on submitting an LTE here.
Vox Media has partnered with Stitcher to produce a new Recode podcast, yet to be named. The podcast will cover the impact of technology on industries, culture and politics, with topics from data privacy to Artificial Intelligence. According to Vox, their audience ranges from industry leaders and business decision-makers to creators and policy-makers. As well as reporters from Recode and Vox, the show will feature outside experts and guests. The show is set to begin this summer with three episodes per week.
The Inner Circle Take: Technology is a part of everything we do, so it’s likely the issues you work on are affected by technology in some way. Aside from being a great resource, this new unnamed podcast could be an opportunity for your experts. And if reaching decision-makers on all types of levels is your goal, this podcast should be kept on your radar for future outreach.
Bloomberg: TicToc Launches Website
Bloomberg’s 24-hour Twitter news network has launched a website to house its original content. The mobile-first, digital video platform caters to the “next generation of news consumers” and hopes to reach a wider audience by having its own site. The content features short, one minute videos that utilize text, images and data to share easily digestible news stories.
The Inner Circle Take: TicToc reminds us of social media driven media groups like ATTN and NowThis with large text formats, images and videos that unpack complex issues in the news. While they rely on their global network of journalists, if you’re pitching an issue that is timely and newsworthy, you can try pitching them a video concept.
Medium: Four Original Magazines Announced
Medium plans to host four new magazines on the platform covering science and technology, business, health and general interest, comprising of “original features, columns, and essays by known and unknown writers and experts.” Each publication will have a dedicated platform editor and content will include a mix of original content and content sourced from Medium’s platform.
The Inner Circle Take: At one time or another, you’ve probably considered creating a Medium account for one of your clients to have a platform for their experts and build thought-leadership. Here’s another reason to consider it. Since the upcoming Medium publications will also source content from Medium users, there is more opportunity for your content to reach a larger audience. If creating a Medium account isn’t for you, there may be opportunities to submit as a contributor-- we’ll continue to monitor this project as Medium builds it out.
New to Us
Rewire.News: Social Justice Focused News Outlet
According to its website, Rewire.News is a nonprofit online news publication “devoted to evidence-based reporting on reproductive and sexual health, rights, and justice, and the intersections of racial, environmental, immigration, and economic justice.” Their section topics include Abortion, Politics, Environment, Immigration, Race and Law and Policy among others. Rewire.News also accepts pitches for outside commentary and analysis.
The Inner Circle Take: If your client advocates for social issues, Rewire.News is worth considering for future pitches and contributor content around campaigns and issues you are working on.
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