The Inner Circle Round Up: Media News You Can Use October 2019
Happy Halloween and welcome to the October edition of the Inner Circle Round Up! Even though it’s a spooky time, these PR opportunities are nothing to be scared of 👻. A new local newspaper and video series focused on impactful women are just some of the opportunities you can consider for your day to day PR activities.
Follow us on Twitter and share any opportunities you came across this month at @ScottCircle.
GEN: New Medium Publication about Politics, Power, and Culture
GEN is a new publication by Medium, focusing on politics, power and culture. According to Medium, they promise daily stories that will “help you understand the powerful forces reshaping our world.” With over 100 writers, freelancers and experts on their roster, GEN covers a wide range of unique topics like “Could Global Tourism Go Extinct?” and “The Secret Lives of Democratic Women Married to MAGA Men” to “The New 2020 Trend: Donating to Candidates You Won’t Vote For.”
The Inner Circle Take: GEN takes a more alternative look at the news of the day, which provides plenty of opportunities for a PR pro who hasn’t been able to get through to more traditional national media. GEN also has an impressively long list of writers for a Medium publication, which provides a better chance for you to find the best match for your pitch/story.
People: Katie Couric launches “#SeeHer Story”
Katie Couric Media is partnering with the magazine People to produce a digital video series highlighting women making an impact. The series, entitled “#SeeHer Story,” celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment. The series will air weekly on People.com among other platforms. #SeeHer is a part of a larger movement to “increase the portrayal of women and girls in advertising and media.” Featured women will range from well known names, like Julie Andrews and Wilma Mankiller/Ruby Bridges to women whose stories have not yet been told.
The Inner Circle Take: While many of the featured women are high profile, the series wants to share stories of all women, which is a worthwhile mission since many women in the nonprofit and social impact world go unrecognized. his could be an opportunity present how your female leader is making an impact to a bigger audience. If your organization is led by a woman whose story needs to be told, it is worth a pitch to one of their producers.
The Denver North Star: New local newspaper launched
The Denver North Star is a new hyper local newspaper serving the Northwest Denver community. Created by two former competitors for Denver City Council, the newspaper fills the void of the late Denver Tribune and provides news that affects the community, covering issues like the city council and school board elections.
The Inner Circle Take: As more news outlets move to digital, it’s an interesting move to start a local print newspaper. This is a hopeful sign that local news is not dying. For PR pros who work on grassroots advocacy campaigns or need to reach a hyper local audience, local news is important. If you are working on a local outreach in Denver, make sure the Denver North Star is on your media list.
The Dispatch: Reporting and Commentary Informed by Conservative Principles
The Dispatch is a news platform, delivering fact based reporting and commentary on politics, policy and culture from a conservative perspective. Started by well known conservative journalists Steve Hayes and Jonah Goldberg, The Dispatch aims to reach conservatives skeptical of the Trump administration, reporting from the center right. The new outlet was created in response to “‘worrisome’ trends in journalism on the right” and as theco-founders said, "We're unapologetically conservative, but ... these have to be fact-based arguments." The Dispatch will have three avenues to reach their audience: a website, podcast and a series of newsletters.
Inner Circle Take: Given that most advocacy groups and nonprofits need to maintain a nonpartisan approach to make an impact, it’s important to take into consideration media outlets from all sides of the aisle. With the volatile and partisan news climate, The Dispatch is a important addition to conservative media.
Miami Herald: investment in investigative journalism
The Miami Herald has launched a fundraising campaign to bolster their investigative journalism team: The Miami Herald Investigative Lab. This includes adding three new full time reporters, a videographer and editor, doubling the size of the current team. Created in partnership with the Miami Foundation, the Lab aims to dig deeper into issues affecting the community of South Florida like government corruption, fraud and environmental challenges.
The Inner Circle Take: The Miami Herald follows the trend of news organizations around the country investing in investigative journalism. More support on investigative team could mean more resources to look into the glaring story you’ve been pitching to reporters to investigate. See more media investment trends in our recent blog post on Muck Rack.