USA Today article on news monitoring project

USA Today announced Tuesday that a new weekly review of the nation’s news outlets would be compiled by the Pew Research Center-funded Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ). According to the article, researchers will review diverse news outlets and take a close look at the topic du jour to uncover what is truly newsworthy – or more accurately – what news outlets are covering.

This weekly report will be available online at www.journalism.org and promises to include an index of the week’s top stories along with an overview of topics not covered and a close look at how various outlets stand on a given story. Many news outlets argue that their coverage is “unique” and thus the PEJ report won’t portray an accurate reflection of the news landscape by lumping them together. Those of us who read, analyze and discuss news on a daily basis, as many at Off Madison Ave do for our own edification and for our clients’ work, may disagree with this argument. The news landscape seems to become more and more homogenized with the same stories circulating ad nauseum. Just this morning, “The Today Show” dedicated a full five minutes to interviewing Donald Trump about his feud with Rosie O’Donnell. A story that has surely played itself out by now, one can hope. So while the PEJ’s report may serve to solidify the belief that most news outlets cover the same stories over and over again, and that the American public wants “Twinkie” stories, it may also become a valuable tool for marketing communications professionals in that it will pinpoint trends and allow us to pitch more effectively and thus place the type of stories the public really wants to see - only time will tell. Add to Del.icio.us Digg this Story

About the Author: Carol Klimas

Carol Klimas brings a diverse background in both corporate and agency public relations to her position as director of public relations for Off Madison Ave. With a career emphasis on healthcare, business-to-business and technology, Klimas’ work for her current clients includes national media relations, strategic counsel and crisis communications.

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