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PR - more important than ever in the future?

Interesting article on CNBC about the top nine jobs that will be in decline over the next decade. Some of them were somewhat surprising...

1) Reporters (8% decline)
2) Insurance Underwriters (4% decline)
3) Computer Programs (3% decline)
4) Judges (3% decline)
5) Chemical engineers (2% decline)
6) Advertising managers (2% decline)  - but on a positive note, PR and marketing in general expected to grow 13% 
7) CEOs (1% decline)
8) Editors (0% decline)
9) Operations managers (0% decline)

I was really shocked to see reporters as the top declining profession.

They point to M&A as the primary reason, but I don't know if I really buy that. It would seem to me that if you toss in the various internet-outlets out there that there should be an increase in demand for reporters, not a decrease.

Although, with wires like AP and Reuters, I suppose more and more outlets might get their national and international stories from such wires, hiring reporters mostly to cover local issues - that could definitely help explain a decline.

What does this mean for PR folks?

With less reporters, that means the existing reporters will have less time to hunt down and research stories. They will be turning to PR folks to quickly point them in the right direction and get them the facts they need quickly. 

They will have less time to receive sloppy pitches, confusing announcements or deal with unprepared PR folks, so organizations that don't have good talent will find themselves on reporters 'do not bother to call' list, because fast and good service will become even more critical in the future than it is today.

For PR folks that also means more demands on you as you compete with other PR folks in other organizations for mind share with reporters.

My experience has been that reporters tend to first call the PR folks that have serviced them well in the past, then move down the list to other organizations that relate to the story they are writing until they have enough facts and figures to write a balanced story.

I suspect that trend will grow and that reporters will have less time to reach the end of their list during their initial round of call-outs. Which means, those organizations that establish mind share with reporters through good service will have the best opportunity to establish thought leadership in press articles.  


For those PR folks that have a laizer-faire attitude about returning reporters calls or being prepared ahead of reporters showing interest in your organization, best to dump those bad habits, because in the future they will cost your organization.

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