Media Bullseye

A reminder that next Tuesday, the Social Media Club Boston and PRSA Boston are putting on a great program on The Future of Journalism in a Social Media World.

Spam stories interest me because I don't get as up in arms about spam in general the way so many do. Is spam annoying, intrusive, and sometimes downright offensive? Absolutely. Is there much we will ever be able to do to put a stop to it? Probably not. So can't we just try to get along while we work on it?

Public relations belongs to the "girls" in 2008. Some 70% of PR practitioners and 80% of PR students today are women. At Kent State it's closer to 90%. In the communication biz, PR has become the new nursing. I know what you're thinking: So what? Women do well in PR, don't they? They do, indeed. But if you embrace diversity as I do, you have to worry about the trend line.

I'm delighted to welcome John Cass back to the program this week, as he joined Jen Zingsheim and myself for our weekly Radio Roundtable discussion. This week, I wanted to talk to John about his series of posts discussing the "unniversary" of the Cluetrain Manifesto, as well as some other interesting issues that have copped up in the social media world this week.

The Associated Press has announced a new service for iPhone users this week, with over 100 of the AP's member newspapers agreeing to syndicate their content. The news stories will be targeted according to location, with the iPhone user's zip code determining the content they receive.

Often times, miscommunication begins immediately between firm and client, setting the relationship up for failure. Joseph Thornley stresses the importance of setting clear expectations for both sides. Also: Louis Vuitton and branding, reporter-flack symbiosis, and Myspace snobbery.

The sub headline in Frank Washkush's PR Week's Media Survey 2008 is pretty darned appropriate: "A State of Transition." He described how "old media" is attempting to adapt to "new media" and where the two meet - and sometimes clash. Old school vs. new school. NYTimes.com vs. "The Gray Lady." NPR vs. podcasts. Yep. The transition is already here.

Vanity Fair shoots a revealing photo of teen star Miley Cyrus, and the media loses its mind. Am I the only one who thinks this entire scandal and the ensuing media circus was completely coordinated by a PR machine? Whether it was the publication, photographer, Disney or Miley herself, everything about this story seems calculated. Was this reaction truly not anticipated?

Weekday newspaper circulation has continued to drop this year, as every major daily except USA Today and The Wall Street Journal, who both reported modest gains, reported declines, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation.

The Newseum, a $450 million tribute to America's reporters and First Amendment, has opened its doors inside the nation's capital. The Newseum's first incarnation came in 1997 across the Potamac in Arlington, Virginia. The museum's backers, led by the Freedom Forum, opted to close that building six years ago as work began at the new and more prominent Pennsylvania Avenue location.