A Study on Public Relations, Journalists, and Social Media Using the Lens of Trust or Distrust

Abstract

Today's journalists, regardless of the kind of story they are covering, have access to an enormous amount of information. Information comes from a variety of sources, including digital sources, in addition to primary and secondary forms. The purpose of this study is to investigate the link between journalists' direct usage of social media for reporting in two Indian cities, Hyderabad and Delhi. It also investigates whether public relations agencies and corporate communication specialists communicate with journalists on social media on behalf of their customers. Is social media usage assisting journalists in producing better stories in terms of information sourcing in this digital era when information has become power and time is of the essence? Is social media—whether it be Google, Facebook, Blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, or YouTube—becoming an additional source of information for journalists, surpassing published content in the public domain and direct sourcing? The study also skims the surface to see whether publishers and journalists are attempting to utilise social media to increase their audience reach. In a recent presentation at a brand conference in Bangalore, the BBC Global Marketing Head said that social media is enabling broadcast news organisations to reach a wider audience by using content across various platforms to target consumers according to their needs. TV networks and newspapers are using social media information gathered via surveys and informal interviews with media and communication professionals in Delhi and Hyderabad, two Indian cities, to learn more about this topic with media and communication professionals in Delhi and Hyderabad, two Indian cities. In addition to being a helpful information source, the viewpoints from the two cities would aid communication practitioners in understanding the function of social media as a tool for reaching journalists and in developing it as an efficient medium for sharing messages, updates, trends, and developments.