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Dusseldorf/ Vienna/ Bern (pte050/25.04.2003/16:36) - A study conducted by PR agency network ECCO Public Relations http://www.ecco-network.com in Germany, Austria and Switzerland has examined the effects of the slow economy on journalism.
The study concluded that savings measures increase the influence of PR agencies and press releases on media content. At the same time, press releases must be well written in order to catch the attention of journalists.
The study was based on a survey of 485 journalists (18 per cent rate of return from 2,700 questionnaires sent) and conducted by communication matters http://communicationmatters.at (Austria), DIKOM http://www.dikom.de (Germany) and Howald + Partner http://howald-pr.ch (Switzerland).
The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between PR work and journalism in times of financial constraint. About 63 per cent of journalists questioned said savings measures generally or partly intensified the influence of press offices and PR agencies on journalistic content. Over half of Austrian and Swiss journalists and 39 per cent of German journalists said the number of press releases taken up by editorial staff had increased in "recent times".
At the same time 21 per cent of Swiss, 29 per cent of German and 37 per cent of Austrian journalists said the quality of press releases had decreased. Over 80 per cent of journalists in all three countries said they only used high quality press material. They place a great deal of emphasis on "well prepared background info", "well written press releases" and free photos or graphics.
About half of all journalists said their work was partly or greatly affected by the slow economy, which resulted in more work, lower travel budgets and lower pay for freelancers. In Switzerland the savings measures have led to a decrease in the quantity of content.
According to communication matters, the general effects of savings are not as severe in Austria due to an "extreme thinning" of the media market in recent years, making the smaller Austrian scene somewhat more immune to crisis.
Just under half of journalists (Germans: 47, Austrians: 42, Swiss: 35) said their research generally or partly suffered due to the greater workload. About 40 per cent said complicated topics were more often left out. Of all journalists, 73.2 per cent believed that, "especially now", high editorial quality offers a competitive advantage.
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