The Press Release 2.0 : a grounded theory study on multimedia press releases

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(1)! ! !. ! ! ! ! ! !. The Press Release 2.0: A Grounded Theory Study on Multimedia Press Releases.. Master`s Thesis Graduate School of Communication Master`s Programme of Corporate Communication. ! ! ! ! ! Name: Tara Catriona Bichler Student Nr.:10618600 Supervisor: Dr. Pytrik Schafraad Date: 29.1.2015 .

(2) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !2. ! Abstract. 3. 1. Introduction. 4. 2. Theoretical Framework. 5. 2.1 Difficulties with new media.. 8. 2.2 The Press Release 2.0.. 9. 2.2.1. Multimedia. 9. 2.2.2. Structure. 12. 2.2.3. Research Questions. 13. 3. Research Design and Method. 14. 3.1.Data Collection. 15. 3.1.1. Sample. 15. 3.1.2. Thinking aloud. 17. 3.1.3 The unstructured Interview. 18. 3.2. Analysis. 19. 4. Findings. 21. 4.1.Press Releases in Austria. 21. 4.2. Online Journalism in Austria. 22. 4.3. The Digital Package. 26. 4.4. Press Release 2.0 - Individual Features. 27. 4.4.1. Photos and Info Graphics. 28. 4.4.2. Video. 28. 4.4.3. Social media feature. 29. 4.5. Usability and Applicability. 31. 5. Discussion. 35. 5.1. The Press Release 2.0 as a Digital Package -Multimedia and Interactivity. 35. 5.2. Online Journalism in Austria and the Press Release 2.0. 36. 5.3. Applicability and Individual Features. 37. 5.4. Practical implications. 40. 6. Limitations and Future Research. 41. 7. Bibliography. 42. 8. Appendices. 45. ! !.

(3) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !3 Abstract . Now, with the rise of new media, PR- professionals are calling for a reevaluation of the press release to manage the growing demands online journalists face today. This study aims to analyze the usability and applicability of the multimedia press release, called Press Release 2.0, in the Austrian media system. The Press Release 2.0 can include a selection of press pictures, info graphics, video, links, RSS feeds, audio files and videos. For this reason, an interview study was conducted, (N=13) with a diverse Austrian sample of both journalists and PR-professionals. These were then transcribed and coded using the Grounded Theory approach.The results of this study have shown, due to a stronger focus on online journalism in Austria, that multimedia press releases are a welcome change in press releases. The interactive structure and multimedia set up of the Press Release 2.0 as a whole was much appreciated. In the discussion of the individual features, the selection of press photos, use of info graphics and links was very well received, while the social media feature was deemed as unnecessary by journalists and the video feature too costly by PR-professionals. General applicability is limited due to topic restrictions, heightened ressources, age and the inability to communicate in real time or spontaneously in a crisis. However the main idea behind the Press Release 2.0 is that most organizations nowadays, use different media channels to communicate their message anyway, so why not reflect these in multimedia press releases? When applying a multimedia approach to press releases it is not advisable to include all media available, each media feature should rather support the message of the press release as a whole.. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !.

(4) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !4 1. Introduction. Developments in journalism have resulted in a higher dependency on information. subsidy from outside sources, such as public relations. In the practice of public relations the press release is an essential information tool between PR-professionals and external stakeholders of an organization, such as the media. The idea behind the press release is to announce newsworthy information to journalists about the ongoings of an organization, who in return ideally use this information in a news story. . The concept of the press release has existed for longer than a century and due to the. advancement in distribution technology, such as fax and email, it has evolved over time in many ways. While the press release has changed it`s appearance, it has never changed it`s basic function, structure and purpose of offering newsworthy information to journalists. Advances in communication technology have affected the distribution of press releases, which has resulted in an exponential rise of press releases. Some journalists receive hundreds a day, leading to emails being classified as spam, and most of them discarded unread. Now in the era of internet communication and with the rise of new media, some PR-professionals claim the classic press release to be outdated, while more progressive PR professionals are calling out for a a multimedia press release which additionally incorporates new media information. What does a multimedia press release look like? But do journalists really need multimedia press releases for reporting and can public relations really offer this multimedia information? . While an extensive body of research on the topic of the press release and reports on. multimedia press releases in PR specific journals and blogs do exist, little research has been done on the reevaluation of the structure to optimize their publication, especially in online media. The question arises, how can the concept of the press release be adapted in the age of Web 2.0, in terms of usability and applicability for both PR-professionals and journalists alike? To find answers to these questions, the purpose of this study is to reexamine the concept of the press release to incorporate new media elements.. !. ! ! ! ! !.

(5) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !5 2. Theoretical Framework . On October 28th in 1906 a train of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company derailed into a. creek near Atlantic City and caused the death of 53 people. Ivy Ledbetter Lee, who is the alleged father of public relations in the US (Ingham, J. 1983), not only convinced the railroad company to issue a statement to the public, but also to organize a train for journalists to report from the remote location of the accident. This statement was then copied word for word in The New York Times and is now dealt with as the first press release in the history of public relations. (Jarboe, G. 2006, Kucznik, M. 2002, New York Times Article, 1906). . Since then the essential components and the structure of the press release has not. changed much in the past 108 years. In a study by Seletzky and Lehman-Wilzig (2010), key factors that influence the publication of press releases were assessed. The results indicated the most important factor to be local relevance, and among others also immediacy, useful information, writing style and subject matter determine the newsworthiness of press releases. . Nevertheless what has changed is the volume of press releases journalists are faced. with today. As a result of the digitalization of media and the rise of internet communication, the distribution of press releases has never been this effortless, or cost efficient. Nowadays, most press releases are sent out using email. However this practice has been overused to such an extent, that journalists sometimes receive 300-500 press releases per month. . „The quantity of releases seems to grow expotentially [sic!] because they require very little time to produce, require very little creativity and anyone who has ever written a book report or memo knows they can write a release.“ (Marken, 1994). . !. Seletzky (2007) found following reasons for this increase in the amount of press. releases: First organizations have recognized the necessity and importance of public relations, secondly the number of journalists in news agencies has been reduced due to financial constraints and journalists are more willing „ (…) to publish „prepared news“ and thirdly there has been a (…) growth of news areas that interest the general public“ (Seletzky, 2007). Following these trends, a stronger relationship between journalists and PR professionals has evolved and additionally new technologies have improved the communication between journalists and PR professionals, thus allowing more information to flow in a shorter period of time (Reich 2007, 2009). Lewis, Williams and Franklin (2008) researched the relationship between PR and journalism today and analyzed 2207 news reports in a structured sample of UK „quality“ newspapers, they discovered four particular trends in media: .

(6) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !6. „First, the last decade has witnessed an increasingly influential role for public . relations professionals and news agencies (…) in the newsgathering and reporting processes of UK media: an increasing role in shaping and informing the news content of national and local news media.“ (Lewis, Williams & Franklin, 2008).!. !. !. !. Secondly, given the working conditions of journalists nowadays, fewer journalists are. having to produce more content in less time, the role of the journalist shifting from an information „processor“, to a news „generator“ (Lewis, Williams & Franklin, 2008, p. 27ff). Both these trends lead to the third, that journalists are under so much pressure, they do not have the time to validate or verify the information they receive from public relation stories. „Consequently, public relations-generated stories are not only influencing journalists’ newsgathering and reporting practices, but journalists are more likely to accept them without check or criticism; less likely to supplement them with additional materials derived from their own ‘‘original’’ inquiries; more likely to view them as the terminus rather than the starting point of their journalistic inquiries“ (Franklin, 1997; White and Hobsbawm, 2007). The PR business is not too short to recognize these structures in journalism leading to an an increasing number of „journalism literate PR professionals’’ (Franklin, 1997), who are influencing the news gathering process of media nowadays. As Oscar Gandy (1982) points out, journalism`s profitability partially depends on the information subsidy PR offers, seen as costs of independent news gathering are reduced. (Lewis, Williams & Franklin, 2008, p. 28ff). These developments in the relationship between journalism and public relations naturally influence the amount of news stories in the media, provided by PR agencies. Lewis et al (2008) discovered that „In summary, approximately half (49 per cent) of news stories published in the quality press and analysed [sic!] for this study were wholly or mainly dependent on materials produced and distribute by wire services with a further fifth (21 per cent) of stories containing some element of agency copy (Lewis et al., 2006, p. 15 see Table 1).“ (Lewis, Williams & Franklin, 2008). With the growing dependency on outside information subsidy, public relations is. disseminating more information to journalists, than ever before. The most common tool public relations professionals use to do so, is the press release. Business Wire, a US company belonging to the Warren Buffet corporation, specializing in technology for disseminating press and news releases, issued the 2014 Business Wire Media Survey Results, in which more than 300 US editors, reporter, writers, columnists and bloggers were asked if they had used.

(7) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !7. information provided by press releases in their news items within the last 24hours, resulting in 62% of journalists confirming this assumption (Woodall, 2014, p. 5). Even though these results are specific to the US American media system, it still proves that the press release is a vital communication tool and when taking journalism`s growing dependency on information subsidy into account. It`s importance may even increase so in the future. . However, studies have shown, although journalism is becoming more and more. dependent on news stories from external sources, the heightened quantity of press releases, still results in a large portion of press releases not being published or even read (Lewis, Williams and Franklin, 2008). Some PR-professionals go as far as claiming an end to the use of press releases. Be that as it may, this discussion is not new. PR-professionals, as well as journalists have lamented „the deluge of press releases“ since the rise of internet communication in the 1990s (Rothenberg, 1991). Summarizing, on the one hand, due to changes in the relationship between PR and journalism, there is a stronger demand for information subsidy through press releases, while on the other hand the current practice of flooding journalists with information results in the opposite effect of journalists deleting more and more press releases unread. . Grunig (2010) offers an explanation for the overzealous use of email press releases, he. noticed how new media, such as email, is used just like old media, because PR-professionals do not change their communication strategies to fully utilize the unique advantages new media have to offer. Recognizing, that the current use of press releases is not beneficial to both professions, the press release needs to adapt to new forms of packaging information and must adjust to contemporary needs of journalists. . Someone who recognized this need for change was the journalist, Tom Foremski, who. proposed to deconstruct the modern day press release for PR to communicate more „truthful and factual information“ (Foremski, 2006). Therefore more and more PR- professionals and journalists, like Formeski, are speaking out for the use of new media press releases, or as some call them social media press releases. Several online PR magazines, or blogs such as entrepreneur.com, prnewswire.com, cyberalert.com, commpro.biz, lintbucket.com, or prnewsonline.com have featured, and are still doing so, reports, opinion pieces and commentaries by PR -professionals discussing the topic of multimedia and social media press releases. One of the first being Mark Nowlan, who pointed out the fact that „(…) internet-.

(8) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !8. based services allow people to collaborate and share information online (…) and spread your company`s messages to even more diverse audiences“, for reporters, or bloggers to choose „(…) the type and level of information they desire“ (Nowlan, 2006). However using new media also bears it`s unique difficulties. . 2.1 Difficulties with new media. . Ever since the emergence of new media in recent years, the media landscape has. undergone significant changes as MacNamara (2010) mentions, some scholars even call it a „fourth media revolution“1. MacNamara specifies what is categorized by the term new media, as it is often used ambiguously. New media . „(…) is widely used in the literature to describe interactive online communication forms including blogs, social networks, photo and video sharing sites, microblogging, and virtual worlds enabled by what is referred to as Web 2.0.“ (MacNamara 2010). . !. New media should not be confused or equated with social media, which following. MacNamara`s definition, is merely a part of new media and has a stronger focus on community and social aspects of internet based communication. With the technology of new media different forms of communication between organizations and it`s stakeholders are made possible. Grunig (2010) states that two-way communication, as envisioned in his Excellence Model, to be the ideal form of communication for PR, is conceivable with new media. Just like MacNamara (2010), Grunig also discusses the digitalization of media and expresses his concern of how PR professionals use new technologies. He laments the fact that when new media is introduced „(…) communicators tend to use them in the same way that they used the old media.“ (2009, p. 6). For instance when considering the common appliance of email, companies created the misconception of emails being a free and simple publicity tactic, with the result that so many promotional emails were sent in masses, emails were quickly classified as spam and security softwares were created to prevent people from receiving them. This overzealous use of the email in the 1990s has lead to the stigmatization of all promotional emails as spam, which incriminates the communication between PR and journalists and further explains why press releases go unread. Grunig even calls PR`s use of new media „(…) a means of dumping messages on the general population (…)“ (2009, p.1). With this in mind, it is comprehensible how journalists are overwhelmed by the flood of 1. four media revolutions: 1 the invention of the Greek alphabet which led to writing, 2 invention of the printing press, 3 the development of broadcast media (radio and television), 4 the computer, the internet, and social media..

(9) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !9. information they receive on a daily basis. A similar story, can now be observed as companies are trying to use social media to communicate their messages directly to the consumers, sometimes failing badly, as they often do not understand the basic concept that social media is made for users to connect and not for free promotional services. When companies do decide to use social media, they need to relinquish control, be open to dialogue with users and ideally build a community for the brand. (Fournier, Avery, 2011) . !. 2.2 The Press Release 2.0. . Keeping in mind that new media offers PR professionals a range of fresh. possibilities in their communication with stakeholders, and knowing that the tools new media provide are not utilized to their full potential, a possible solution to the problem of press releases not receiving enough attention could present itself by including new media elements.. James (2007) points out that cross media delivery is a growing requirement that. journalists face, especially considering how journalists are not solely publishing in print anymore, but also online. . !. 2.2.1. Multimedia . A study by a sub group of the Deutsche Presse Agentur (dpa), called „news aktuell“,. issued an anonymous online survey asking 1.412 journalists in Germany, from all media types about multimedia features in press releases. In the course of this study respondents were questioned for which type of media they work for, while 30% do write for print, nearly as many respondents (24%) classified themselves as online journalists (news aktuell GmbH, 2012). These results indicate how online journalism in Europe is becoming just as important as print journalism. This is an important development, which the PR industry needs to adjust it`s communication to, seen as online journalists face a unique set of requirements in their work. Neuberger (2000) listed the technical potential and the communicative functions of online journalism, see Table 1. . ! ! ! ! ! !.

(10) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !10. Table 1 . Technical potential and communication functions (Neuberger 2000, p. 20) . multimedia (video, audio, text) large memory capacity global accessibility continual updates, with short reactivity time selectivity (due to links, personalized content, and databases) additivity (in comparison to print, you can always add new information to online press) interactivity (exchange with others, email or in chats) low cost in content production and distribution of information. !. One such requirement for online reporting are multimedia elements, such as image,. audio and especially video content (Neuberger, 2000, p.20), resulting in the need for public relations to include such multimedia elements in their press releases, as James (2007) points out: “With the trend towards multimedia news releases, the demands to have multimedia elements available for inclusion in such releases will grow.“ (2007, p.143). In actual, fact in their survey, Business Wire questioned journalists on the topic of. „what types of information and supplemental assets were needed, along with the preferred distribution method, to effectively cover a story“ (Woodall, 2014). When asked the question, „Are you more likely to review a press release if it provides multimedia elements (logos, images, audio files, video files)? 31% of journalists „want professionals to provide supporting multimedia within the press release, and more than half (54%) are more likely to review a press release that includes multimedia than one that does not.“ Still, 44,2% of journalists answered with no. (Woodall, 2014, p.6). . Similar results on the importance of including multimedia elements in press releases. were found in the „news aktuell“ study (2012) by the dpa. When respondents were asked if alongside the text, multimedia elements such as images, audio and video content added to the possibilities of reporting, 36% strongly agreed and 39% agreed to that statement, while 17% disagreed and only 7% strongly disagreed. When examining the importance of individual features, the results indicate that images and links are very relevant for reporting, followed by PDFs and info graphics, while video and audio material were deemed less significant, see . Table 2.. ! !.

(11) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !11. Table 2 . How important are multimedia elements in press information, besides text, to you?(„news aktuell“ Survey 2012). Media type Images. % of all respondents (N=1.412) very important /important 85.4. Links offering background info. 76,3 %. PDF offering background info. 72,4 %. Info graphics. 70,1 %. Video. 24.9%. Audio. 17.7%. !. A comparable outcome was found in the Business Wire Survey (2014), where. journalists were asked which multimedia elements they prefer to have included in press releases, 73% of journalists want photographs, followed by 42,7% graphics, 32% info graphics and 27% video. In line with the German „news aktuell“ study and the US Business Wire Survey, Comcowich (2014) also notes how image based communication is imperative and meanwhile accepted as the norm. With the rise of smart phones and portable tablets, it is possible to send and read visual messages anytime and everywhere. PR needs to take into consideration, is how brands are expected to communicate their messages not only textually, but also visually.. Additionally to the call for multimedia press releases PR professionals have also been. discussing the topic of adding social media elements, not only for journalists, but also for consumers to engage and interact with the content directly (Nowlan, 2006). Including social media features in press releases is validated by the fact, that journalists are using social media as a research tool in their work. In the „news aktuell“ survey (2012), 22,7% of all journalists questioned in Germany indicated to use social media as a research tool on a daily basis (18% at least once a week, 13,4% 1-3 times per month, 16,8% less than once a month), however at the same time 29,2% do not research on social media at all (news aktuell GmbH, 2012). Here it needs to be noted, that social media technology is not limited to Facebook or Twitter, but can also include a blogs (corporate blogs), community forums, Youtube channels and photo sharing sites. But what does this multimedia press release look like? . ! ! !.

(12) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. 2.2.2. Structure . The Press Release 2.0 is designed to meet the demands of communication in the. !12. digital age. It`s core is a description of the most important information, which stems from the traditional press release, but additionally offers a range of new media tools for the journalist to use, such as: . Table 3. . Possible constituents of Press Release 2.0 . high quality press photos video material that highlights the message and provides extra information, i.e.: interviews with experts, or CEOs quotes from executives, but also from consumers, i.e.: Twitter posts reactions on social media, i.e. Twitter and Facebook relevant hyperlinks to company website and blogs, to news stories, or reference sources audio files and podcasts (interactive) Info graphics and charts RSS Feeds. The Press Release 2.0 is a digital package for journalists and bloggers. It offers. different levels and types of information to choose from, catering to a journalist`s or blogger`s digital information needs. It does not substitute the traditional press release, it rather adds new media features to enhance the message, making it even more informative, engaging to read and most importantly appealing to use. . Using qualitative research methods, this study`s aim is to reevaluate the possibilities. and limitations the press release in the age of digital media has to offer and to analyze if and under which circumstances the Press Release 2.0 can be beneficial to PR messages being noticed and read by journalists.. It is expected, that companies can benefit from implementing the Press Release 2.0 by. firstly increasing visibility of their news in an attractive and graphic format. Studies on the topic of visual communication show, that the human brain processes pictorial information differently, than text based information. Since pictures are processed automatically and simultaneously with seeing, it is less effort for the brain to „read“ pictures in comparison to texts. The faster and easier processing of pictures in the brain, also translates into a stronger persuasion of visual images, meaning that humans rather believe in what they see, than what they read. (Aerni, et al. 2008, p. 19) Applying these cognitive theories to press releases, it is .

(13) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !13. assumed that when packaging information not only in text, but also adding visual elements, journalists will find the messages more attractive and engaging, than in comparison to traditional text base press releases. . Secondly, keeping the visual communication theories in mind, it is assumed that. complex content, for instance business reports, or scientific findings, can be explained and visualized in a more attractive and comprehensible manner. Financial restraints cause news outlets and agencies to cut back in staff, it can therefore be assumed that employing specialists in a variety of fields is no longer possible. This cut back results in journalists having to process difficult and specialized matters themselves, which in turn need to be explained comprehensively to readers. With the Press Release 2.0 complicated issues can be presented in a visually appealing manner, translating it into a form for readers to understand faster and easier, thus saving the journalist time and effort and improving the chances of such issues being published in news stories.. Thirdly Nowlan (2006) explains, new media press releases have primarily been. adopted by the tech industry. By using the Press Release 2.0 in other industries, it „(…) showcases your business as a trendsetter in your field.“ When adopting the Press Release 2.0 businesses can show how innovative and forward thinking they are, benefiting from the first mover advantage. Using new media tools to disseminate content is a modern approach to media, which will in turn be recognized by other stakeholders as well. The Press Release 2.0 will additionally be intriguing for journalists to publish online. The number of journalists working online has increased in recent years, according to the 2014 Business Wire Survey Results: „Indicative of industry trends, more survey respondents now work for online webbased publications and blogs (total 44%) than for magazines (28%), newspapers (16%), radio (2%) or television (1%).“ (Woodall, 2014, p. 4) Over the years, online news portals have become well established news sources, allowing readers to gain real time information. Keeping in mind that online newspapers use multimedia tools, such as text, photos, but also video and audio elements, the Press Release 2.0 provides journalists with all these components in one complete information package.. !. 2.2.3. Research Questions. First, the current use of press releases in Austria are established, after which the main. focus of the research questions lie in discovering what the needs of journalists in the age of.

(14) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !14. Web 2.0 are and what opportunities the Press Release 2.0 can offer to PR professionals and journalists alike.. • How and in which format do PR-professionals send out press releases?. • What opportunities and limitations of applicability do PR professionals see in the Press Release 2.0? For which businesses could the Press Release 2.0 be an option, for which not? . • What benefits and limitations do journalists see in the Press Release 2.0? Which features add value to the information, which not? . • Which features are of value to journalists and which not?. • Is this concept attractive for print or online journalism?. !. 3. Research Design and Method . !. To answer the research questions stated above a qualitative research design is required.. In the age of new media, the concept of the press release is reevaluated, to see how it can be adjusted to serve the needs of journalism and PR today. This reevaluation needs to take the views and opinions of the two main actors, PR professionals and journalists, into consideration. Consequently so, experts from both professions are interviewed to establish a balanced assessment of the Press Release 2.0. While the topic of the press release may be old and has been researched in depth, the Press Release 2.0 is a new chapter in the history of the press release, raising new questions, offering new advantages and challenges to the field of PR. It is a very practice oriented topic of research and therefore must be discovered in it`s naturally occurring field (Flick, 2009). For these reasons a qualitative research design was chosen.. The author of this study applied a mixed method research approach, by combining the. introspective method of thinking aloud and an unstructured interview to gain insight in the possible benefits and pitfalls professionals from both public relations and journalism see in the practicality and the applicability of the Press Release 2.0. For collecting the data and analyzing these findings, a grounded theory approach is applied. . Using the grounded theory approach in this study seems appropriate, as the Press. Release 2.0 is a fairly new concept and little is known about it, therefore the subject matter first needs to be discovered. The main ambition of this study is to generate new theories, adding to the body of knowledge about press releases (Birks et al., 2011, p. 16). During the collection and interpretation of data, the whole research process is continuously reflected upon. (Flick, 2009) .

(15) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !15. „Grounded theory differs from other approaches to research in that it serves to explain the phenomenon being studied. The strategies used in data collection and analysis result in the generation of theory that explicates a phenomenon from the perspective and in the context of those who experience it.“ (Birks et al., 2011, p. 16). !. 3.1.Data Collection. 3.1.1. Sample . As usual in grounded theory, respondents are selected on the basis of their relevance to the research topic, therefore respondents are solely defined by their professions of either working in journalism or public relations. There are no limitations concerning age, gender, work position, or education. When selecting the respondents, a purposive sampling technique was applied, to ensure variation. This sample consists of professionals based in Austria from both occupations. In comparison to the „news aktuell“ study (2012), which examined the importance of multimedia elements for German journalists, no study of this kind has been performed in Austria, to the knowledge of the author. An expert sample was chosen to investigate the novel topic of the Press Release 2.0 from a professional viewpoint and to explore the matter further (Leard, n.d.). The PRprofessionals were sought out using the members list of the Public Relations Verband Austria (PRVA) 2 and the medianet ranking index of 20133, which ranks the top PR agencies of Austria according to customer satisfaction. It was the author`s intention of interviewing PRprofessionals from different fields of specialty, in order to avoid bias and attain varied perspectives on the topic of the Press Release 2.0. Therefore PR- professionals interviewed are expert communicators ranging from fields such as the building industry, to life-style and culture, economics and technology, see Table 4. An indicator for their professionalism is the duration of current working position.. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 2. PRVA: www.prva.at. 3. medianet: http://cms.medianet.at/ranking-week/.

(16) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !16. Table 4. Composition of PR-professionals sample (N=6) Name. Gender. position and specialization (if any). Duration of current position. PR1. female. PR consultant. 4 years. PR2. female. junior consultant, technology. 2 years. PR3. female. PR consultant, lifestyle and health. unknown. PR4. female. owner and manager of PR firm, PRconsultant, building industry. 17 years. PR5. male. in house PR specialist for an appdeveloper. Note: background sports journalist. 4-5 months. PR6. female. senior consultant, economics. 8 years. The selection of the journalist sample, see Table 5, was set off by contacting journalists from national and regional broadsheet, daily and weekly news papers, as well as magazines, who had published articles in relevance to the topic of digital media (J1, J4). With the exception of the radio journalist (J5). In the course of the first few interviews with journalists, the topic of online journalism in Austria arose. From that point onwards, the sampling selection of journalists was then mainly focussed on print and online, or solely online journalists (J2, J3, J7). J6 was interviewed on the basis of his publication about press releases, additionally he is not only a journalist, but also works as a writer in public relations. His case exemplifies the ever more blurring lines between journalism and PR, as Franklin (1997) pointed out, more PR - professionals are „journalism literate“. It should be noted that boulevard media has not been included in this sample. All respondents were contacted by author herself via email, retrieved from the organization`s website and all interviews were executed by the author personally.. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !.

(17) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !17. !. Table 5. Composition of Journalist Sample (N=7) Name. Gender. Media. Duration of current position. J1. male. Online journalist for a weekly paper about media, marketing, trends and business. 1 3/4 years. J2. female. Social media editor of an Austrian national daily broadsheet newspaper. 2,5 years. J3. male. online journalist and online managing editor at a national daily broadsheet newspaper. 1,5 years (but working in newspaper since 6/7 years). J4. female. print journalist for infotech at a 10 years weekly magazine for politics, economics and science. J5. female. Freelance editor at a public radio station speciality science. unknown. J6. male. Journalist specialized in architecture / but also works in a PR company specialized in building industry. journalist since 15 years. J7. female. Print and online journalist works at a local newspaper, specialized in topics of education Range: Vienna. 3,5 years. 3.1.2. Thinking aloud . The first method of data collection used in the interviews is the thinking aloud. practice. In the interviews respondents are shown different examples of multimedia press releases (see Appendix E), which included the mentioned new media tools of the Press Release 2.0. Without any further explanation, respondents were asked to think aloud on their preliminary thoughts and impressions of the Press Release 2.0. This stream of consciousness is used as the starting point of the interview, because a central characteristic of grounded theory is not to let hypotheses and expectations guide the research. . Ericsson and Simon (1993) researched various introspective methods as sources of. scientific data in psychological studies. Their research concluded that in the thinking aloud method, there is a close connection between a subject`s thoughts and their verbal reports when completing a task. (Ericsson 2003, p.10) The task in the case of this study is to review the example of the Press Release 2.0. shown to the respondents. With the thinking aloud method.

(18) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !18. the subject`s thought process can be analyzed, „(…) think-aloud reports provide the most informative data available on thinking during cognitive tasks.“ (p.13). Ericsson mentions that with this method validity problems arise, „(…) subjects may. occasionally make speech errors and omit articulation of disambiguating information in their verbalizations of thoughts“ (p.12). One study on the thinking aloud method was executed by Gill and Nonnecke (2012) in usability tests. The basic procedure of the method as devised by Ericsson and Simon (1993) is described as following: The subject is asked to verbalize any information triggered by the task that is stored in the subject`s short term memory (STM). The results of this study also indicate that in usability tests thinking aloud methods are a vital source of information, which would otherwise go amiss with non-verbal methods (p.34). Additionally Gill and Nonnecke (2012) state that thinking aloud can be a useful tool „(…) to improve product design by collecting information about problems encountered during a usability test.“ (p.35). Examples they mention are: „a participant’s description of their own behavior; a participant’s explanation of their thinking or behavior and a participant’s expectations of the interface.“ (p.35).. Different reaction patterns were noticeable, when respondents were asked to think. aloud about the shown example of the Press Release 2.0. Some respondents were very verbal on their impressions and thoughts, they engaged actively with the example shown, showed interest and asked questions, while others would quietly view the example press release and needed prompting by the interviewer, to voice their thoughts on the structure, individual features and the visual presentation. The latter tactic is not favorable for the process of thinking aloud, as the interviewer might direct the respondent`s attention to something, they might not have noticed, or verbalize thoughts on a topic they might not have discussed. . !. 3.1.3 The unstructured Interview . After gaining insights on the first impressions of the Press Release 2.0 during the. thinking aloud practice, all participants (N=13) were asked to answer questions in the form of an unstructured interview, see Appendix A. Questions depended on the field the participants works in. The average length of the interviews was 32 min. In the unstructured interview (Appendix A) the researcher developed an interview guide which is the basic framework of the interview, still allowing the interviewer to ask spontaneous questions during the interview. (Kumar, 1996, p. 109) This is especially.

(19) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !19. important for this study, as the usability of a new product is tested and unplanned questions may arise. „The flexibility allowed to the interviewer in what s/he asks of a respondent is an asset as it can elicit extremely rich information.“ (p.109). However the unplanned and flexible nature of unstructured interviews, makes it difficult to compare them, when analyzing the data: „As the researcher gains experience during the interviews, the questions asked of respondents change, hence, the type of information obtained from that who are interviewed at the beginning may be markedly different from that obtained from those interviewed towards the end.“ (p.109) Further on in the interview respondents were questioned about their thoughts on the. !. layout and structure, about the perceived benefits and limitations, as well as applicability and practicality of the Press Release 2.0. Additionally respondents were asked about their professional opinion concerning the new media features such as social media, photographs, info graphics and videos. During the first interviews with journalists, context topics such as the merging of media and the growing importance of online journalism and new media in Austrian media arose. These topics were then incorporated in the subsequent interviews of both journalists and PR-professionals. . !. 3.2. Analysis. After the data collection all interviews (N=13) were transcribed (see Appendix B) and. coded using the grounded theory method. The coding process included three levels of coding, which results in new theory generation (Birks et al, 2011, p. 37). The grounded theory method uses an inductive way of theory generation, from codes, categories are established and theories are generated. In a systematic reflection, the researcher constantly returned to the different levels of coding and evaluation of categories, during the entire research process. This is part of the iterative coding process in grounded theory. . In the initial coding phase the data was examined, in order to „(…) compare incident. with incident, name apparent phenomena (…)“ (p. 95) and identify categories. While transcribing the interviews, these first categories were marked and highlighted using memos. Main topics such as online journalism in Austria, use and format of press releases, usability and applicability of multimedia features, initial reactions to Press Release 2.0, became apparent. .

(20) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !20. Intermediate coding, the second phase of data analysis, grouped the many different. codes of the open coding phase into further categories „(…) as the researcher begins to identify explanatory, conceptual patterns in their analysis.“ (p. 98). For example statements concerning the „Press Release 2.0 - social media feature“ were found in many of the interviews and bundled into one category. This category included different open codes, such as interactivity, resources, work load of online editorial team, age factor, social media literacy, informational value to journalist, biased opinion, blurred lines between professional and private space, to name a few. By axial coding in a separate excel list (Appendix C), categories are set in relation with each other and links between different interviews were established using color coding, for instance the code „age“ was coded in colot, it influenced numerous categories, such as online journalism, new media use, usability of Press Release 2.0, or perceived limitations of Press Release 2.0 and was found in several interviews. As not to loose overview of the relationships between the different categories, diagrams were used to visualize the interconnected concepts. (see Appendix D). . It is in this third stage of research, theoretical sampling occurred, where theories were. generated directly from the constant comparative analysis of the categories. As an example, new theories were developed concerning the need for a new standard in press releases, regarding the fact that online journalism needs multimedia elements for reporting. The process of theoretical sampling ended with theoretical saturation, where no new codes are assigned to categories and all categories were established. In the final stage of advanced coding the data findings were converted into theories (p. 117). . Memos accompanied the entire research process, starting from field notes during the. interviews, such as respondents non-verbal behavior, for instance body language expressing agitation, nervousness, or enthusiasm. In all three stages of analysis memos were written in the form of comments. The iterative working process of systematic reflection in grounded theory, also became apparent with the memos, as the researcher revised them continually during the research and writing of this study. In the initial coding phase, first ideas concerning the results, or connections between categories were noted in comment sections of the transcriptions. Theoretical memoing was crucial in the second phase of coding, an excel sheet (Appendix C) was created to group the the open codes into categories. One column in this excel sheet was dedicated to memos related to findings and a second column was assigned to further thoughts on possible theories which could be extracted from the interviews..

(21) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !21. Additionally during the diagramming of the preliminary results, structural memos were helpful with the writing process. During the theory generation and the third stage of coding, theoretical memos were used to connect the findings of this study to the theoretical discussion and new found literature.. 4. Findings . 4.1.Press Releases in Austria To establish the existing situation, at the beginning of every interview, PRprofessionals were questioned about the format and the frequency of press releases published. The number of press releases sent out by PR professionals varies according to size of agency and field of specialization, it ranges from 4 to 40 per month. At the same time, the number of press releases journalists receive depends on how long the person has worked in the profession. J4, a journalist specialized in „infotech“ for a magazine, explains she receives 200-400 press releases per day, because she has worked in this specific field for many years and over time her contact details have ended up on countless mailing lists. It also depends on the type of journalist, while the radio journalist J5 specialized in science, actively tries to avoid mailing lists only receives 2-5 press releases a day, news paper journalists, J3 and J7, get an average of 20-30 press releases on a daily basis. Journalists also confirm the assumption, that most press releases received are deleted immediately on the basis of the subject header and the sender. Some journalists, mainly from quality media, specified that press releases from companies are of no interest to them at all, as they assume products and services are being advertised, which bears no news value to them. Concerning the structure of press releases sent out by PR-professionals questioned, three general patterns are apparent: First, unsurprisingly the format of most press releases for both print and online journalists was mostly based on text, when photos were included this was dependent on the topic, for instance PR1 explained, how pictures are usually added when communicating about lifestyle, or culture topics, whereas when business or economic topics are discussed, info graphics are more suitable. While using photos and info graphics to visualize a topic has become quite common, video still is only used rarely, either because the company or PR agency does not produce any, or because the topic does not call for it. PR6 mentioned that for radio and online journalists, ideally sound files or videos are included, but also restates that most press releases are based on text..

(22) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !22. The second pattern recognizable was that, while all PR professionals used email to disseminate press releases, many had different strategies of formatting press releases, some sent emails with links to the actual press release, some copied the text into the mail and added a link, some included pictures, while others sent links to photo albums, or referred to the pictures in the press corner of the homepage. Concluding, there are many different ways to send a press release. PR4 shared her best practice: The press releases by this agency all have the same design, they include text, a pdf with the most important information and a small selection of pictures. Additionally all press releases are collected in a press corner on the homepage, all press releases and photos (including photo credits) are collected and journalists can quick search according to companies, or topics and download them. Before switching to this new press corner system, PR4 asked for feedback from journalists and received many positive reactions. Which leads to the third point in the practice of press releases, it is essential for PR professionals to be in constant dialogue with journalists. From her experience with journalists and while there is somewhat of a standard format of press releases used (usually text and a selection of pictures), PR3 mentions that her best practice is to modify press releases to suit to key journalists` needs. She knows that some journalists important to her work need certain pictures and material to get the story covered and for these selected few, press releases are individually constructed. This is not an uncommon practice, as PR5 adds, he also personalizes press releases for key journalists. When examining these three patterns it becomes apparent, that there is no standardized format, or even distribution method for press releases. Most agencies have developed best practices using their experience in their specific field and working together with key journalists. 4.2. Online Journalism in Austria !. The interviews with both journalists and PR-professionals in Austria have also. revealed that the Press Release 2.0 needs to be set into a wider range of contexts, which are concerned with changes that are currently taking place in and affect the Austrian media system. These contexts are matters which arose in course of the interviews and concern both professions alike. .

(23) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !23. The rise of internet communication has noticeably affected the Austrian media. landscape, as was discussed by respondents, media outlets are undoubtedly expected to provide online services, in fact it has become quite mandatory to communicate online. More and more journalists are transitioning to online journalism, meaning that new ways of communicating not only in text, but also with photos, videos, social media and other visual images are required. When questioned, if the Press Release 2.0 is more suitable for print or online usage most respondents answered online. PR1 speculated that it would be more suitable for online journalists, since they are usually better with technology and able to include new media such as youtube videos and social media links, in their news stories, while others argued that it could be interesting for both, for instance PR2, agreed that online would utilize the different media better, but also hypothesized that because there is a trend to merge online and print media together it would be suitable for both. Concluding, because of the Press Release 2.0`s inclusion of new media, it is perceived as being more suitable for online purposes. In consequence, it needs to be set in context of Austrian online journalism. . The fast advancement of online journalism poses many difficulties and challenges for. the Austrian media system. One respondent, J1 who is a journalist for a weekly paper about media, marketing, trends and business, misses an overarching strategy in most media outlets, „ (…) in Austria there are no clear guidelines who uses which strategy… everything is so… lagging the German media behind… that`s what I would say.“4 Other journalists interviewed, reported of two strategies their news agencies applied.. The first strategy is division, keeping online and print journalism separated, which is the case for J4, who writes for a weekly magazine on politics, economics and science, she mentions that she is a journalist for the print edition, alongside an extra online editorial team to complement that. Another example of separate news rooms is described by J2, an online journalist at a daily newspaper published in Vienna, where there is an independent online editorial team which also administrates all main social media sites and reader comments. Having separate online and print editorial teams on the one hand results in partial exclusivity, many stories, pictures, and videos are for instance solely available online, while on the other hand most new stories printed are also accessible in the online version.. The second and currently trending strategy in Austrian media is to merge online and. print journalism into multimedia newsrooms, which was reportedly the case with a few media outlets, for instance J5, a freelance editor at a public radio station belonging to the Austrian 4. direct quotations have been translated from German to English, by the author.

(24) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !24. public broadcasting company ORF (Österreichischer Rundfunk) which not only incorporates various radio stations, but also TV stations and an online news site, explained how in future the ORF is planning to merge all departments into one big multimedia newsroom, following the BBC`s example. Another case of merging media would be in the daily broadsheet newspaper, J3 the online managing editor explains, „(…) well a lot has changed, especially now the editorial teams are combined, now online and print are together.“, he also adds „(…) well I would say that online journalism has become more professional in the past ten years.“ A further example of media merging is illustrated by J7, a journalist for a daily newspaper in Vienna, where every department, has a selected number of people who work cross-media, both online and print journalism, these help print journalists to better understand how to work online. This news paper has recognized the growing importance of online media and also offers cross media workshops, where print journalists are welcome to learn how to work online, J7 claims that print journalists are realizing a disadvantage when not engaging in online activities, which is leading to a reevaluation and rethinking of the relationship between online and print journalism in the newspaper she works at. . As online journalism is gaining on importance, mergers between print and online are. becoming more frequent in Austrian media, at the same time there is no set strategy of how this transition occurs, which means that media outlets independently find ways to best adapt to these changes, taking their individual resources into account. With this shift in weight and novel importance for online journalism, new issues arise, which many respondents, journalists and PR professionals alike mentioned in the interviews. First of all age was an often mentioned factor when discussing online journalism, as J1 explains: . „Well, you have the young ones, who enjoy working online, but the older ones who have always worked in print… well some of them are adjusting, some aren`t… because they realize they don`t only have to write for print anymore, which in my opinion, back in the day was a laid back job… you write two news stories per week… ääähh… and they earned quite a good salary, but now they are also supposed to work online and… and then these old print journalists realize that first of all they have more work to do and secondly, that online is more fast paced… and thirdly they need to write more in depth stories for online and additionally are supposed to communicate with the readership (…)“ . !. According to J1, senior journalists need to adapt to new ways of working and start. learning about online journalism, as PR3 emphasizes, „(…) there is a large range between the online capabilities of old and young journalists“. Other difficulties that accompany the shift are inequality in payment between print and online journalists, as J1 points out an often missing overall strategy that guides the editorial team through this transition..

(25) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !25. Additionally journalists writing online news stories face different demands than print. journalists do. Next to their daily editorial work, online journalists are expected to fulfill other tasks as well, see Fig. 1. For instance by trying to meet the claim for real time information, online journalists are under pressure to constantly produce new content, sometimes more detailed, than other times. This content ideally includes not only text, but also multimedia elements, such as pictures, videos and sound files. Another aspect which is new to journalism, is reader involvement and interactivity. By using the comment section online, for the first time, the readership is able to publicly respond and give feedback to a media outlet. This ideally enables a two way communication between the readers and the media. More in-depth communication with readers can also take place on social media, all interviewed journalists claimed to work for news sources that have at least one, if not several active social media channels, most used sites are Facebook, Twitter and GooglePlus. As reported by journalists interviewed, editing the comment/opinion sections and social media sites usually belongs to the work load of online journalists, who also need to take care of reader relations online. . It seems as though media outlets understand the growing importance and necessity to. build online communities in social media and those who invest enough resources in their online editorial team, as in the case of J2, are better qualified for community management of their readership, whereas other news outlets who are struggling to either merge or extend their online journalism team see community management in comment sections, or social media as an additional burden.. Fig. 1. Work load online journalism .

(26) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !26. Due to the unique properties of online communication, such as new media, the. stakeholder group in online media has diversified, nowadays not only journalists are potential recipients of press releases, also bloggers and online opinion leaders are becoming a relevant stakeholder group. PR2 points out that especially in technology matters it is essential to establish blogger relations and selected PR events target not only at journalists, but bloggers as well. Additionally social media is now a tool to contact media, but also consumers directly. Generally speaking new media, such as blogs and especially social media are growing challenges, which pose risks and opportunities for online journalism and PR alike. . !. 4.3. The Digital Package. Taking the stronger focus on online journalism and it`s use of new and social media. into account, reasons for why respondents concluded that the Press Release 2.0 is more suitable for online media could be that the Press Release 2.0 caters better to the demands online journalists face today. Firstly the Press Release 2.0 offers detailed information, for journalists to keep up with the heightened content production and secondly it incorporates different media types in a ready to use digital package. . Many respondents commented on this issue. The journalists reactions were very. similar by saying they generally liked the idea of a press release offering information using many different media, such as photos, videos, even social media and based on their needs, they were able to choose which information to use. J2: „ (…) the journalist can judge for him or herself what info to use, what to implement.“. J6 explains, . !. „Yes, I believe this really does have a future and the interesting thing is… whatever journalists end up doing with it, but essentially everything which adds value to the information is of course interesting (…). I believe you shouldn`t want too much, well to include add ons which have a purpose, (…) and if I don`t need it, then I still am glad it`s at least offered to , but what is really important, is that I recognize this as a press release, and I believe with this setup, this is the case.“. J6 also adds, that the supply of detailed information is beneficial to journalists, as they. do not need to gather information themselves, but rather receive it presented in a clear and ready to use structure. This respondent also points out that because online journalism is fastpaced the news stories online are old very fast, resulting in the acceptance of a „copy-paste“ work tactic adopted by many journalists. So the more ready to use information PR can provide, the more likely news stories are covered. .

(27) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !27. He also makes an important claim, that using different media to convey a message. needs to be justified, meaning that every feature used in the Press Release 2.0 needs to add value to the information in the press release. There is absolutely no point in merely spreading the same message on different channels, without using the unique benefits each media element provides. One feature that raised the most concern and was probably regarded as the least interesting for journalists, is the social media feed, individual features are discussed in more detail in next chapter. . While journalists and many PR- professionals expressed positive sentiments towards. the press release as a digital package, a few PR- professionals voiced some concerns. PR3 lamented about the fact that there are too many options to choose from and that the interactivity the Press Release 2.0 provides is too overwhelming, especially for more senior journalists, while PR6 voiced concerns over the fact that using different media heightens the possibility of technical difficulties, e.g. videos loading too slow and journalists would not have the time to engage with all the features. She concluded that the different features were „nice to have“, but not necessary for reporting. . !. 4.4. Press Release 2.0 - Individual Features . During the thinking aloud process, respondents from both professions found the. structure and the format of the Press Release 2.0 visually appealing and easy to read. . !. „What I like about this is the clear setup, you read the text, you have the possibility to contact the relevant person, you have, you have the possibility to indulge even further, download background information… or links to blogs, or videos come up… it is very neatly arranged, clearly structured and because of the use of symbols, which everyone recognizes nowadays, like Facebook, or blogs, or download, it looks really, really good. In principle, I really like it!“ (PR1) . Among others, J6 commented that the use of high quality photographs and videos. draws the viewer`s attention to the press release, creating a pull in effect, making the reader want to know more, whereas a bad image can have the opposite negative effect. PR3 pointed out, that the Press Release 2.0 is structured in a way that viewers are used to read content online, she referred to the possibility to scroll from top to bottom and the overall setup. This sentiment was noticeable when other respondents, both journalists and PR- professionals compared the Press Release 2.0 to a blog, newsletter, homepage, or an online press corner, this shows that while respondents may be accustomed to reading online content, they did not categorize it as a press release, most probably because journalists and PR professionals are.

(28) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !28. used to seeing press releases in a more text rich format. During the thinking aloud process PR respondents declared communicating with more visual content, such as videos and photos, also via new media and social media channels was a modern approach, with the Press Release 2.0 being the format of the future in press releases. At the same time they conceded that the current PR practice in Austria, was currently not set up to create press releases like that and many journalists would not be used to receiving information of that type. Especially PRprofessionals made a point of mentioning that senior journalists would not be able to engage with the new media provided in the Press Release 2.0 and overwhelmed by the interactivity it provides. In general though, first reactions from journalists and PR- professionals alike, were praise about the clear and visually attractive setup of the Press Release 2.0. Following the thinking aloud process were discussions of the individual features of the Press Release 2.0. . !. 4.4.1. Photos and Info Graphics . Some features of the Press Release 2.0 were already mentioned during the thinking. aloud process, such as the photos. The high visual content in general was explained to have a pull-in effect for the readers, generating more attention for the Press Release 2.0. PR2 believes that with visual presentation, such as pictures and info graphics, issues are simplified and easier to understand, she also adds that images convey more emotions than text and are thus more suitable for sharing on social media. Journalists praised the selection of press pictures, thus eliminating their need to search through links and homepages to find suitable material. Both online, as well as print journalists generally need pictures included in their news stories, this practice is not restricted to any topic or issue. PR- professionals stated that in many cases providing pictures in press releases is an already established standard, whereas in other interviews it became apparent that the use of pictures depends greatly on the topic and general discordancy exists on how to send them. Additionally the importance of including photo credits, for coverage, was pointed out. The use of info graphics was praised and could be included when issues are complex and difficult to explain, for instance statistics, or economic reports. The content would then be transformed into easy to read graphics which complement the issues discussed in the press release, as P1 explains. . !. 4.4.2. Video . The video feature in the Press Release 2.0 divided the opinions of PR-professionals. and journalists. This may be related to the fact that the PR-professionals see videos in press.

(29) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !29. releases from the point of the content producer including the subsequent challenges of making such videos, whereas journalists regard videos from the role of the user and appreciate the additional media type. Firstly videos in press releases are mainly directed at online journalism, seen as there is no use for them in print, J1 mentioned that videos are becoming an important factor for online journalists. He further explains, that including videos in online news stories has a positive effect on the page rank, J2 adds that if news outlets are allowed to download and upload a video on their news website, the news paper earns money with additional ad revenues. This experience was also made by PR2, she says communicating with videos affects the viewers on a deeper emotional level and reckons that is why video content is more likely to be shared, also on social media sites. Similar to the journalists, she also believes there will be a stronger focus on videos in the future of media. Secondly, using videos in press releases, like any other media feature, needs to be justified, it needs to add value and information to the press release, otherwise it is of no purpose to the journalist. Thirdly, as J“ points out, while video is often still classified as new media, it in fact is not, youtube videos in news stories, are being used since a number of years, however as already established, most press releases do not include them. This could be for a number of reasons. The main limitation to the use of videos in press releases was voiced by PR-professionals claiming that video production is too time consuming and expensive for most companies and that corporate video production is limited to big industries. Additionally videos are very much restricted to topics, many issues are not suitable as video material, e.g. financial, political, economic issues, etc., while other topics such as consumer goods, or culture and lifestyle could very well make use of image videos. To sum up, while journalists see benefits in the inclusion of the video in press releases, PR- professionals see difficulties and limitation in it`s use and production. . !. 4.4.3. Social media feature . During the interviews, it became apparent, that the social media feature was the most. reacted to and controversial feature of the Press Release 2.0. In the example shown to respondents, one could read twitter feed reactions to the topic discussed in the press release. But as explained to respondents, the social media feature could also incorporate other elements instead, such as Facebook posts and comments, or blog entries. . As discussed before, nowadays social media is a vital element of online community. management for news outlets, however social media is not only relevant to connect with the.

(30) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !30. readership. The reason behind including a social media feature in the Press Release 2.0, is that journalists are beginning to appropriate social media platforms as research tools, which offers some convenience, but also bears many difficulties. Do journalists use social media as a source for information and if so how? . The answers from respondents differed in many ways. Some respondents confirmed. using social media as a research tool, some journalists mentioned they look up issues on social media, to „get a feel for the story“ (J6) , to explore who the actors are and their opinions, or even to check if a story has already been discussed enough and should not be covered any further. J2 also confirms that because social media offers real time info, it is used when searching for newsworthy content, based on other people`s opinions and issues. It is also interesting to note, how journalists are actively working with their social media community, posting questions, finding possible contacts, etc. Journalists select and filter people they want to engage with. Social media is not only being implemented as a research tool, but also as a news filter, J7 confesses, instead of reading all newspapers everyday she filters the most important news using her twitter and Facebook accounts. At this point it needs to be mentioned, Twitter in Austria is allegedly very much influenced by persons involved in politics and the media and not commonly used by private individuals. . Contrarily, other respondents, denied using social media as an information source, for. a number of reasons, J5 elaborates that her time to research news stories is sparse as it is and filtering social media sites is too time consuming and distracting, additionally she does not want to let her news story be influenced by subjective opinions, because social media is not credible as a source. Since social media platforms are not suitable for some topics, e.g.: science, it also bears little informational value for her. For reasons of data security, J5 does also not approve of the blurred lines between private and professional life on social media. Yet she concedes it might also be an age related denial and that younger journalists might find a better balance to incorporate social media in their daily editorial work. While for J5 social media is classified as an untrustworthy source, J2 disapproves of this opinion and explains that social media certainly is biased and therefore must be dealt with critically, just like with any other source. It could may well be, that how journalists use social media professionally, may depend on the use of it privately. In most instances, a person who does not connect on social media in private, will not do so at work. The author`s assumption is that how and if journalists incorporate social media in their work, influences their opinion on the relevance of the social media feature in the Press Release 2.0..

(31) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !31. Regarding the value and usability of the social media feature itself, respondents from. both professions reacted very critically. Most PR- professionals reckoned it would not be of much interest to journalists, which was confirmed by journalists. The greater part of journalists stated that it offered no additional information value to them, as statements were biased opinions and in general including this feature seemed too persuasive, trying to influence the journalist`s opinion too much. Some, like J2 and J6, were more open minded and welcomed the feature, saying to it did add information to know what people`s opinions were concerning a certain issues, but the attitude did remain, that it was was „good to know“ but not essential for reporting. . While PR -professionals have noticed an increased interest in social media and do. consult their clients on such topics, most PR agencies outsource social media channel management to specialized new and social media agencies. In comparison to PR5, who works for an app development company, he believes that the social media feature adds credibility to the Press Release 2.0, when journalists see that is also an issue discussed on social media. Yet at the same time he acknowledges, journalists who use social media as a research tool, will find tweets, posts and comments regarding the issue, anyway, without having to include it in a press release. So the conviction remains, that social media is not necessary to be incorporated in press releases. . !. 4.5. Usability and Applicability . The broad opinion of the Press Release 2.0 can be summed up in the repeatedly uttered phrase „it is nice to have“, but generally not necessary. As PR6 pointed out, the additional media the Press Release 2.0 makes use of are not elemental for reporting. Yet from the thinking aloud process and the first reactions one can surmise a general positive attitude regarding the presentation the structure and the use of different media, from both journalists and PRprofessionals. Due to it`s elaborate use of images, modern approach to new media and it`s interactivity, some even hailed it as the future of press releases. However when discussing the individual features challenges, difficulties and critical reactions, regarding the technology, the production and the alleged persuasiveness, emerged. . A concern which was voiced by journalists was the general feeling the Press Release. 2.0 is trying to „sell too much“ (J7). As mentioned before in the use of press releases, individual journalists were not inclined to use press releases from companies at all (J3, J7). Contrary to this opinion, J1 and J2 point out that every press release, regardless of format, or.

(32) THE PRESS RELEASE 2.0. !32. structure wants to sell a story and J6 adds, „ (…) at least the Press Release 2.0 is more attractive and interesting to look at“. PR5 reckons as well, that due to the stronger emphasis on images, the Press Release 2.0 will receive more attenton, than traditional press releases do, „ (…) you are immediately compelled to look at the content and it reduces the risk of going unnoticed.“ . Nonetheless, common usability of the Press Release 2.0 is restricted for a number of. reasons. First of all, as PR2 points out, due to it`s diverse use of media, the Press Release 2.0 takes longer time to plan ahead, making realtime communication on current issues impossible. This also excludes the field of crisis communication from the range of the Press Release 2.0. Secondly, while many respondents did not see any topic limitations, others mentioned that some subject matters are not suitable for this setup, e.g. stories from the building industry, finance, science, although other topics from culture, arts, lifestyle, technology and general consumer goods were classified as more applicable to this image rich format. However PR1 and PR2 estimated, due to the visual presentation, complex and difficult content could also be presented in a more convenient and comprehensible manner, with the help of info graphics. Thirdly, further limitations in usability include the age factor, a general sentiment in respondents from both professions was detected about the fact that senior journalists who might not be accustomed to online journalism, would be overwhelmed by the diverse media and interactivity of the Press Release 2.0 and therefore not read it. PR3 also noted that some news outlets are not well equipped with the newest technology and would not be able to view this kind of press release. . Regarding the general applicability, PR-professionals were intrigued and some even. stated they would like to apply this structure to their own press releases, „I would love to have the possibility of sending out and structuring press releases like this, because the usability is definitely higher, than in a standard press release, or to rephrase this, it seems much sexier for the reader (…)“ (PR5). However, viewed from the current situation, PR- respondents argued, that both PR and journalism in Austria „(…) isn`t ready for this yet, maybe in the next three years things will change“, PR3 said, relating to the Press Release 2.0, as the press release of the future. A major obstacle in the implementation of the Press Release 2.0 are the increased money, time and knowledge resources, which are needed to produce such media rich content. Nonetheless, if PR agencies were to change their current format towards a more media rich structure, these would have a first mover advantage and impress journalists with a more innovative presentation, J4 assumes. .

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