John Seigenthaler and Katie Seigenthaler, Managing Partners at FINN Partners, share insights on the current state of local and national news. Katie highlights how local news can spark and sustain growth. John discusses how PR professionals can support shrinking newsrooms. They stress the importance of sharing truthful and honest stories to combat disinformation.

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TRANSCRIPT:

DOUG: I can say with confidence that everyone in our audience is familiar with the challenges that are facing news. One reason for it might be that, like my two guests, the best people in news have moved over to PR, but we’re going to start by getting your take of what is your top take on the current state of local news.

JOHN: Hey Doug, it’s great to see you. Thanks for having us here. Disastrous, horrible, terrible shape. Thousands of jobs have been lost in local news and national news across the country. Newspapers are closing. It’s not a not a good situation. And last year was one of the worst years ever for layoffs for reporters. And then they began this year with about a thousand layoffs from places like the L.A. Times, The Washington Post, and others. It’s been a rough time.

DOUG: Yeah. And we try and bring optimism to the show. So, we’ll see if we can get a little sliver of hope.

JOHN: There’s not a lot these days. Your study does offer some hope.

DOUG: Well, one of the things we’ve seen in the National Association of Broadcasters have reported, when it comes to local TV news, the amount of Spanish language content has actually doubled, and English language content is up 30 to 40%. Katie, maybe you can share some thoughts on how these changes, while maybe not ideal for the world at large, might be beneficial for PR and communicators that might be affecting some of the strategies and approaches that we’re taking.

KATIE: While the state of local news in particular and news in general, is pretty woeful at the moment. I do think on the local front in particular there is for that very under-resourced area of journalism. There is also a lot of opportunity. And the opportunity lies in the fact that, you know, say what you will about news on the national level. These folks are people’s neighbors. They know them. They see them around. And so, I think that if there is a trust factor, it would be in those areas that you’re talking about. It would be at the local level. It would be at the micro level. It would be at the, at the, you know, for those who are Spanish speaking or for whom English as a second language, you know, those, those outlets that cater to their needs. I think if there is trust at all, it’s at that level. And I think that’s where there is opportunity for people in our line of work.

JOHN: I also think there is, um, some opportunity when it comes to pitching stories for PR professionals because there are fewer reporters. I think local news in many markets rely on PR professionals to provide them with some content. And I know that your survey suggests that, um, one of the ways to do that is to do a satellite media tour. And I think that’s a great idea. What it offers clients is the opportunity to get on to broadcast television. It also offers some content for local news where they don’t have to pay so much.

DOUG: Yeah. And there are some interesting findings in the survey you reference that producers by a 3 to 1 margin preferred actually interview an in-house spokesperson rather than a third-party hired expert. And getting back to what Katie said about trust, in our survey by an 85 to 15% margin, both Democrats and Republicans preferred and trusted local TV news over social media by a 2 to 1 margin. It was local TV news over network news. And I’m sorry, John, that could be tied to you leaving the network role.

KATIE: Without a doubt.

DOUG: It might be cause and effect.

KATIE: Well, in my experience, it also feels as though those local outlets are more willing to work with you. They’ll often get it wrong, but we all get it wrong, right? And they’re more willing to work with you to make it right. They are more interested in building relationships. And they do need and are a little bit more inclined to admit it. They do need those stories. And I think that, you know, when you see all of the issues that that we in our profession are trying to get out there before audiences when you see the walls that we have to break down. And when you understand that for all of us, the very best way to tell any story is through the eyes or the experiences of one individual or a group of individuals, that’s where local news really excels. And if you’re willing to work with them to simplify that story so that they can get that information to their audiences through a story, they tend to be extremely receptive to that.

DOUG: We’ve seen that with interest in AI stories, if they can be explained about how they’re relevant to the audience. You know, one of the reasons I was excited, one of the many reasons I was excited to have the two of you on the show, is your commitment to ethical behavior. Now, going back a while, PR was considered spin doctors. The news was hugely trusted, going back a while. That might have even switched. Has the role of ethical PR gained in importance with all these changes that are happening with news at the local level and national level as well?

JOHN: Let me talk a little bit about FINN Partners, because I think the DNA of FINN Partners really revolves around ethical behavior, and that’s why I chose to work here. And I’m proud to work here. Peter Finn, who’s the CEO and the founder, really has spelled that out in no uncertain terms. But I think these days, because there are fewer reporters and because even newsrooms rely on public relations to deliver them information, it has to be the most accurate and fair and, tell a story in a way that reporters understand. You know, clients can tell their own stories through these publications and broadcast media as well. It’s not just broadcast for video. Obviously, newspapers are doing it too. And they’re inviting clients to talk about any number of important issues, local issues that matter to the community.

DOUG: You know, you touched on the layoffs affecting the industry and that is also bringing more responsibility on PR professionals.

KATIE: I would absolutely agree, and I think that it makes it makes it both easier and very, very important that we as PR professionals adhere to a code of ethics that eschews a constant obfuscation of what it is we’re after, right? There’s no question that we are working on behalf of clients who frankly, you know, and I think because I’m a FINNster, I and I have that FINN ethos is that we represent people who we believe have our similar values, right? So, I’m out there every day working on behalf of clients I really believe in, and I really value and I value what they’re trying to bring to the world, whether it’s on the, whether it’s on the manufacturing side or whether it’s on the, you know, environmental protection side. I believe in these clients. And so, I adhere to and I know John does and people across FINN do, a policy of being very upfront right away with who I represent, what it is, what I want to say, and what I believe my clients have to offer. And what they have to offer, the particular venue, the particular channel, the particular news outlet that I’m approaching. And I think that’s a really good way to move forward in general across the board.

DOUG: Yeah, and since you’re both so thoughtful, I’d like to ask something we haven’t discussed previously, but this changing news environment, how is that being affected by the disinformation that’s out there? Because there used to be trusted sources for it. But now, you know, there are groups proactively and depending on where you stand and what your opinion is about things, you think one side or the other is all about disinformation. Is there a way that PR can play a role in trying to clean that up and also protect clients from disinformation? Because that can be very tricky challenge.

KATIE: It’s the $64,000 thousand, $64 million question. We are running into this. There’s no question about it, particularly as we see clients under fire, really for example, for their petitions, for others extreme values, right? So, if a position, for example, is against support of DE&I you know, that becomes that can become an issue if a position is in support of, you know, open access to information and use of AI that can become an issue, right? And that can bring clients really unwanted attention that they never saw coming. And they can find themselves under attack in ways that are often very unfair. And so, you know, the question for them always is do you pull back, do you push forward? You know, do you bring third parties in to support you? You know, and what is the role of, you know, not only countering disinformation but getting a better story out there? And I think oftentimes the best approach is to always appreciate that you’re playing the long game, no matter what. And I think we’ve seen this time and time again with clients who will get hit with something and that initial hit is a tough hit. And yet if they continue to stay the course, if they continue to do what they do, well, tell the truth about what they do well and keep that out there and do it relentlessly and with full sort of authenticity and openness, then that story is eventually going to win the day. And they can’t retrench and get terrified by an initial bad hit, because I think everybody out there, I mean, all of us who have a social media presence knows what it’s like to get hit up, to get attacked by a troll. All that is to say, and I’ll wrap up, is that it’s going to happen to you. So, just keep telling the true story and you’ll be all right ultimately.

DOUG: Yeah. And John, I’m going to go out on a limb and believe that you can wrap up this conversation with an optimistic note. So, what do you got for us?

JOHN: Well, here’s what I was going to say. And Katie knows this well, but we’re both, you know, former reporters. And we work for a company that’s hired other former reporters over the years. So there are lots of opportunities for young journalists who have decided to do something else to work in public relations. And what I was really going to say is, um, that during Covid, I had the opportunity to work with a large health care provider in Nashville to help them get through and get their messages out to the public when they needed them the most. And it was one of the most satisfying, rewarding experiences of my life, even compared to some of the work that I did at NBC News. There’s some great work to be done and real opportunities for public relations professionals who may have had an interest in journalism or decided to go to the school in public relations to get a job, a rewarding job that allows you to do some of the things you did as a reporter. One of the most important things back to ethics and misinformation is to tell the truth. And if you tell the truth, people are going to trust you. If you don’t tell the truth, if you misinform in any way, they won’t and you won’t be able to do the job that you need to do.

DOUG: Katie, do you want to put a cherry on top of this, or maybe something even more healthy as a food reference?

KATIE: Just keep telling it on both sides, that is incumbent upon us all. Just keep telling the truth. It will win out. Ultimately, we are now in an era where it will take time, but don’t give up. Be honest with the people who you’re dealing with at every level. And we’ll get those good stories out there, and they’ll have an effect, and they’ll better the world.

DOUG: Thanks to both of you for sharing your great insights. Really appreciate it.

JOHN: Good to see you, Doug.

KATIE: Thank you. Doug.