BREAKING THROUGH THE NEWS CYCLE: Five Critical Media Trends to Watch Right Now

A Report from the Curley Company Media Center of Excellence by Pheniece Jones and Ashley Stoney

The world is currently traversing numerous interlinked global crises and momentous events, all of which have significant prominence in media coverage and require “big picture” thinking to establish relevance and break through the news cycle. From President Joe Biden stepping down from his reelection campaign to an assassination attempt on former President Trump to the 2024 Paris Olympics and everything in between, there is no shortage of compelling news to report. At the same time, newsrooms are shrinking and competing for mindshare and profitability. To successfully break through the news cycle right now, here are five critical media trends to watch:

1. All politics all the time. The first Biden-Trump debate, the attempted assassination of former President Trump, and President Biden stepping down and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris all created new high-water marks in what will be a complex and critical election-dominated news cycle for top tier global and national news outlets. The U.S. presidential election will dominate the news cycle well into January 2025. Despite the stakes of the election and the attention that elections typically draw from the public, many legacy media organizations are bleeding readers and viewers. According to final same-day ratings from Nielsen, the first 2024 presidential debate averaged 51.27 million viewers, down by 30 percent in viewership from Biden and Trump’s first debate in 2020. Note, these views do not include streaming numbers.
   
   What it means:
   Agility is needed to stay ahead of what is driving the news cycle. Be mindful of either halting outreach when there is breaking election news or newsjacking (i.e., inserting your narrative and voice) a trending topic that is relevant to your organization. Additionally, as audiences seek to avoid election coverage, there is an opportunity to tell compelling, counterintuitive news stories to the right reporters at the right time, using the right medium. Exploring newsletters, podcasts, social media and other adjacent platforms is another way to break through the news cycle while the front page is dominated with election coverage.
   
   
2. Proliferation of news sources and rising disinformation. Audiences are increasingly turning to content creators – some of whom are entrepreneurial journalists – for news. At the same time, influencers and podcasts are fueling misinformation that spreads quickly online. A Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism Digital News Report 2023 found that one in 5 adults under 24 use TikTok as a source for news, prompting advertisers to shift dollars from reputable news sites to content creators. A recently released report by Onyx Impact found that at least 40 million Americans may be regularly targeted with disinformation by influencers and podcasters across social media, fueling false information around the election – in this case targeting the Black community. A University of Washington study found that Instagram influencers profited from spreading vaccine misinformation.
   
   What it means:
   Communicators must meet audiences where they are and not where they used to be. New strategies must be developed and implemented to reach both legacy media and vetted, reputable content creators. Your own organizations also need to be on the alert for the effects of disinformation on your enterprises, and from falling into traps of spreading it.
   
   
3. While readership and viewership is down, legacy media isn’t going away; stories are simply amplified across channels. While news sources and disinformation rise, legacy media remains resolute. According to a Muck Rack State of Journalism 2024 report, legacy media – such as newspapers and radio – are sticking around as an additional media format. In fact, 66% of journalists shared that their stories do publish in a legacy media format, as well as, on average, two additional types of media, such as newsletters, podcasts or digital video.
   
   What it means:
   There are opportunities to reach readers, viewers and listeners across multiple channels in one outlet. For communications professionals, this can mean offering multiple assets, like newsletter blurbs and video snippets, when pitching.
   
   
4. Learning from the Olympics. The 2024 Paris Olympics’ integrated strategy to reach diverse and younger audiences will serve as a blueprint for legacy brands and companies. NBC is all-in on providing access and media credentials to influencers and content creators in Paris, citing that on-the-ground content created and shared by today’s household names provides an opportunity to create exposure for games and lesser-known sports that might go otherwise unwatched by Gen Z. Additionally, citing declining TV viewership, the network is offering multiple streaming options to watch the games on Peacock.
   
   What it means:
   The depth and breadth of new media strategies deployed by brands, news outlets and global stakeholders alike will serve as an advanced case study for what works, and what doesn’t, to drive news coverage and engage with audiences. We’ll be watching for stories of success told by metrics and engagement. The games will also be a window into how much the public wants to tune out politics at this intense moment.
   
   
5. The promise and peril of artificial intelligence. AI is an asset for communicators and must be used judiciously with appropriate disclosures and ethical policies. To lead ethically, Ina Fried, chief technology correspondent at Axios, suggests “appreciating AI also means recognizing the role humans play” in making generative AI possible. News outlets are using AI to bolster their coverage – Associated Press, BBC, Insider, New York Times and others all have transparent guidelines about how journalists use AI within their organizations.
   
   What it means:
   Organizations must have a point of view on generative AI and understand its role in media right now. From “helping journalists uncover the truth” at The New York Times to “gathering, producing and distributing the news” at the Associated Press, your stories will be touched by AI at some point and staying ahead of the ethical use of this technology will determine if your narrative is one of progress or peril. We strongly recommend that communications professionals learn how to use AI as a tool yourselves if you haven’t started already and develop protocols to ensure you are using it constructively.

About News You Can Use: News You Can Use is a quarterly insights and trend report produced by Curley Company.