The growth of social media and how it is changing media professionals.

Newspapers once dominated the news industry, as they were the only source the pubic could access their news from. I couldn’t tell you the last time I sat down and read the newspaper, as I get most of my news from social media sites like Twitter and Snapchat. With the development of social media, the industry has vastly changed and media professionals in both journalism and public relations have had to change the way in which they do their jobs.

According to Robert Wynne from Forbes, publicists once had to rely on reporters to get their clients information out, but with the help of social media and apps like Twitter, they can post information themselves. If I was to look up any reporter, they more often than not have their own twitter or social media account to inform readers about their stories. This change not only reevaluates a publicists relationships with the media and reporters, but gives everyone the chance to be their own publicist. I could post about my clubs events happening whenever I’d like without having a publicist do it for me. However, without the help of professional publicists, clients would have a harder time getting their information out to the big media corporations. Anyone can tweet but only certain tweets will make national news on stations such as CNN or NBC.

Journalists are also learning to change, as they no longer have to wait for their content to be printed and distributed the next day on newspapers. With the help of social media, breaking news has never been faster. Reporters can now update past reports with new details, discuss events that happened seconds before being posted, and even share links to past stories. The rise in social media also calls for the downfall of past media outlets such as newspapers. More and more people are turning to social media apps such as Twitter and Facebook for their news, as they are more convenient. Why would people go out of their way to find a newspaper when they can get all their news updates from their cell phones? Clay Shirky from Medium, describes how with the fall of newspapers, reporters now have the option to evolve by learning new technologies, working with others, and launching news on different platforms.

Social media can also improve the lives of both publicists and journalists with the many resources it provides. According to Christina Forrest from Cision, social media gives publicists access to more reporters. One of the main jobs of publicists is to form strong bonds with reporters, that way they can get their clients information out there, and with social media their contact with millions of reporters is endless. Journalists can now access multiple sources to help support their claims, and improve the content in which they write for readers. Publicists and reporters must learn to grow with these changes, because if they decide not to, they will never be able to catch up.