Facebook now top media gatekeeper, survey says

A new international survey released Monday (June 19) suggests Facebook as the number one gatekeeper for news, edging out legacy traditional media sources such as New York Times, CNN and well ahead of other digital media platforms like Google and Twitter.

Survey findings released by Ogilvy Media examined the opinions of 255 news media professionals, including reporters, editors, and producers at top-tier outlets across the North American, Asia Pacific and Europe, the Middle East and African (EMEA) regions.

The journalists surveyed cover a vast range of topics, including national news, business and financial news, law and human resources news, as well as consumer trends, technology, entertainment, politics, healthcare, travel and multiethnic communities.

The two-part, eight-question survey assessed journalists’ opinions about reinventing their reporting methods amid the rise of a new media industry revolution. The first part of the survey, conducted this month, evaluated journalists’ perspectives on new strategies to adapt to an increasingly digital world. The second part of the survey to be released later in the year examined journalists’ take on the challenges in the “fake news” era and its impact on the industry.

“Our survey demonstrates that new technology and digital media advancements are changing how we consume news,” said Jennifer Risi, Worldwide Chief Communications Officer at Ogilvy. “As a news aggregator, Facebook is exposing users to news publications they may not have read otherwise. Brands can now leverage traditional earned media to reach key audiences, that is then further amplified through social media and influencer engagement – with built in audiences – for an effective communications campaign aimed at driving reputation and building influence.”

The 2017 Ogilvy Media Influence global survey also found that digital storytelling and mobile devices are emerging as growth drivers with most journalists, or 34% believing that digital platforms – such as live video and podcasts – present the largest growth opportunity for news organizations to reinvent today’s standard industry media model.

Following are other findings in the report.
• Facebook is the number one gatekeeper for news at 39%, edging out legacy traditional media sources at 32%, and significantly outpacing other social networks/digital platforms like Google  and Twitter at 15% and 4%, respectively. However, on a regional level, there were distinctions in EMEA [60%] and Asia Pacific [22%], the survey results showed.

• In sum, print media at 40% is viewed as the most successful platform in adapting to the digital world with slight regional differences; North America [45%], Asia Pacific [43%] and EMEA [32%].

• Journalists worldwide see digital platforms at 34% and smartphones and/or mobile devices at 26% as avenues to reimagine news reporting in a mobile era. Other burgeoning technologies, like virtual reality and artificial intelligence at 9% and 7%, respectively, have yet to meaningfully resonate with media.

• Mix of earned media [40%], social media [27%] and influencer engagement [13%] is most effective for driving brand reputation and influence across all geographies.

• The first half of the survey results of the annual global media survey conducted by the Ogilvy Media staff will be unveiled during the 2017 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity this week in France. Ogilvy will announce results from the second half of the survey later this year.