Is This the Future of the Media?

A friend of mine's story is troubling me. She said she sent a press release to a trade journal this week. She received an email back telling her that the publication was no longer accepting press releases. If she wanted her release to be published, she would need to become an author on the publisher's new site. Then she could submit her press releases.

She needs the 46 industry journals the publisher represents more than they need her. Ergo, she became an "author" on the site. Then she was told she would need to create her own "topic" under which she could submit her press release. It took her an hour to create the topic, she said, because she needed to devise a slogan and a mission statement, and she needed to choose a few articles from the publisher's archives to populate the topic. In essence, she was creating a mini-website for the benefit of the publisher.

I think I understand the point of view of the publisher. Ad revenues are falling, and with email it is easier than ever to send press releases, so the publisher is deluged with material. For search engine optimization, the publisher needs unique content. But because ad revenue is flagging, the publisher can't afford to pay reporters to turn those press releases into fresh thoughts and insights. "I know," the publisher proclaims. "I'll have those overpaid PR people do it instead. And if I give them each their own bylines, they'll take professional pride in their work, so they'll give me original content. And, eh, maybe some of them won't take off. That's okay, because the same people who aren't shelling out for advertising are still paying their PR people to do things like this."

My friend glumly reported that she was proposing titles for topics such as "Database Management Journal." "Actually, I would love to be an editor," my friend said, "but I want to edit something I know about. I don't want to be forced to edit a topic just so I can submit a few press releases."

Let me assure you, when my friend edits the DatabaseManagementJournal.publisher.com because the publisher can't or won't pay an editor, we are all in trouble. She knows little to nothing about databases. Any application that depends on her advice may very well fail.

Put editing back in the hands of professionals.