With the rise of all things digital, media outlet offerings have dramatically changed from once-a-day news briefings to instant news updates. This real-time reaction has become the new norm as editors and journalists are able to get the latest and greatest story out there immediately using their online editions, blogs, and even twitter. But, are these instantaneous news flashes always a good thing?
Over the past week, online publications have been flooded with stories about AOL’s $315 million acquisition of the Huffington Post. Stories have expressed skepticism, questioning future plans, and editors leaving AOL. While we expect to hear buzz surrounding a large merger, the one involving AOL and the Huffington Post has been amplified by the fact that this has been a media merger. One particularly interesting story that has emerged has been the feud that has arisen from the acquisition; some are going so as far to call it a celebrity media death match.
Bill Keller, executive editor of the New York Times, wrote an article in NY Magazine late last week, which ruffled some of the feathers of staff at the Huffington Post. Keller accused Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor in chief of the Huffington Post, of aggregation that stemmed back to a panel they both sat on last April discussing the outlook for journalism.
And thanks to today’s real-time reporting, by 7 p.m. that same night, Arianna had posted a heated article refuting Keller’s allegations of aggregation.
Over the past week I’ve followed this public dispute via Bill Keller and Arianna Huffington’s Twitter feeds, and I’ve also read various online publications that have been commenting, blogging and tweeting as the clash continues to unfold. As a PR professional, I can’t help but raise the question, is this type of reactive communication good for your brand? Remember, your brand is you; it’s all that you have in the public forum, good or bad.
As two prominent public figures, is it safe for them to air their dirty laundry on two particularly reputable publications? As the digital age reshapes the way editors and journalists play the media field, I believe it is still most important to keep your own brand in mind. That said, should this really be a public conversation?
