THE INNER CIRCLE ROUND UP: MEDIA NEWS YOU CAN USE JUNE 2019
Summer is in full swing! June’s Inner Circle Round Up brings us new opportunities for you to consider in your daily PR activities. From new investments in investigative and local newsrooms to heartwarming newsletters, we hope these ideas may relieve some of the summer heat.
Follow us on Twitter and share any opportunities you came across this month at @ScottCircle.
Washington Post: Investment in Investigative Journalism
The Washington Post announced the expansion of their already growing investigative journalism team. They plan to hire 10 staff positions, emphasizing their commitment to groundbreaking, accountable journalism. New investigative positions will spread across the Post’s entire newsroom, including the Climate and Environment desk, Sports and Foreign desks, and their Investigative Unit.
The Inner Circle Take: This major expansion is exciting news for PR pros. While investigative journalists can be wary of PR pitches, if you think you have a tip or a story worth further investigating, consider reaching out. With investments in climate and environment newsrooms and the foreign desk, there are even more specific angles you can use when tailoring a pitch.
McClatchy: Google Funded Local Newsrooms
A part of Google’s News Initiative and the Compass Experiment, McClatchy will launch three digital-only local newsroom projects, which will explore sustainable models for local news. One of their goals is to build local news providers in communities that do not currently have access to local news. The three year project will be led by industry veteran, Mandy Jenkins.
The Inner Circle Take: Hooray for local news! As local journalism continues to fold around the country, McClatchy is taking the lead on creating models that can sustain the volatile news climate. If you work in grassroots advocacy, often times, the most important outlets you need to reach are hyper local outlets. While the project is still in the initial phases, we are excited to see what--and where-- their online platforms will take us.
New to Us (and maybe to you too)
CNN: The Good Stuff Newsletter
The Good Stuff is a weekly newsletter from CNN designed to make you smile. Sharing heartwarming headlines, new discoveries, inspiring movements and highlighting everyday heroes. The newsletter arrives in your inbox every Saturday.
The Inner Circle Take: If you work with nonprofits, you are bound to stumble upon some feel good, inspirational stories. With a very crowded news cycle, the problem is finding the right reporter to share those stories with. As a general rule, a comprehensive understanding of the reporters you are trying to reach increases your chance of securing a media hit. The Good Stuff newsletter can be your research tool to start building an effective media list--and brighten up your Saturday morning.