Every three months, the lecture room of Portland State University’s Center for Executive and Professional Education (CEPE) is filled with eager digital marketers, business owners and curious early risers. CEPE’s quarterly Digital Marketing Breakfast brings together digital marketing leaders from Portland, Oregon that offer their expertise on modern marketing issues. Moderated by Mambo Media’s own Siouxsie Jennett, each Digital Breakfast offers a unique panel of professionals and plenty of pastries. Ranging from topics such as Online Reputation Management, Marketing for a Cause and more, registration for these digital marketing strategy (DMS) breakfasts fill up fast!
Last month’s DMS Breakfast, The Impact of Social Media on Today’s News, featured some heavy hitting panelists including:
Greg Retsinas
Alexandra Manzano
Malia Spencer
In case you weren’t able to attend, we’ve got you covered with our top 3 key takeaways from this insightful DMS topic.
1. Americans rely on social media to learn about the news
It may not be “newsworthy” that people follow their favorite news organizations on Facebook or Twitter, but what may come as a surprise is the number of people who solely rely on social media to learn about the news. Yup, that’s right – no longer are people reading the newspaper or religiously tuning into the 5 o’clock news. In fact, 30% of Facebook users look to the channel to receive news updates and 12% of Portlanders exclusively receive their news from social media. As Americans have become more attached to their mobile devices, checking social media is among the top 5 activities people do first thing in the morning, which also happens to be the time people catch up on the day’s news.
2. News stations also rely on social media for news gathering
It’s not just the users who rely on social media to stay informed on the latest happenings. News stations and reporters have also embraced social media as a news sourcing tool. Increasingly, news organizations are finding out about breaking stories or receiving tips through social conversations. Reporters are using social as a way to reach out to communities to gather information, insights or perspectives on current events. Social media has become a mutually beneficial platform for professionals and the public to learn about and share news updates.
3. It’s a brave new world of verifying social media news sources
We all know that just because something is on the internet doesn’t mean it’s true! This modern online mantra also applies to news organizations. Establishing the credibility of news stories or sources that come through social media has become a challenging task. Even though information may be shared with news stations through social media more readily, that does not mean reporters can lower their standard of establishing source credibility. Today’s fast-paced culture expects on-demand news stories that in turn has drastically changed the process and timeline in which sources must be verified. Due to this real-time relationship, reporters must be skeptical and transparent about what they do and do not know as the stories break update by update. However, behind this new process lies a valuable connection between the community and the news. Our favorite reporters are now more than ever connected to the people, your neighbors and friends, offering to-the-minute updates and on-the-scene insights.
Where do you read or watch your news? How has social media changed your relationship with local and global updates? Share with us your thoughts in the comments section below.
Don’t miss the upcoming DMS breakfast on June 9th, 2015! Stay tuned for details on the next topic by following CEPE on Twitter and Facebook. Want to ensure a seat before registrations fill? Early registration is now open for this FREE event!
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