News Brands Do Matter

According to the annual State of the News Media survey published by Pew Research Center, the reputation or brand of a news organization, a very traditional idea, is the most important factor in determining where consumers go for news, and that is even truer on mobile devices than on laptops or desktops. So…news outlets have created brands and those brands determine whether consumers actually believe what they have to say.  Personally, I think one of the best brands for news is the Daily Show with Jon Stewart because he calls the rest of the media out for their treatment of various news stories (good, bad and usually pretty funny) and reminds the audience that THEY have a choice to believe the news or not. And from a PR standpoint, this is important because it’s not just about getting clients into just any news outlet, it’s about getting them into the RIGHT news outlet that is consumed and believed by their particular target audience in order to inspire the behavioral changes they want to see (learn about this product, buy this product, trust our company, etc).  That said, which news “brands” do you trust and why?