It is time of positive news and clean journalism

During the forum, speakers with experience at CNN, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NBC News, Quartz, Associated Press. Mike, what are the most obvious trends in the development of media you could name?

People no longer refer to the main media for news — they refer to them only to hear their own views reflected in them. Conservatives will watch conservative news outlets, while liberals prefer liberal news channels. In this case, the media truly believe that they offer a “neutral” news, but actually journalism in its pure form no longer exists.

What is your humble contribution to the development of modern media industry?

In 2007 I created a hyperlocal brand 30A covering the life of a small beach town in Florida with a population of 12,000 people. To date, the company’s turnover 30A is 2.2 million dollars a year, and on account of the brand in Facebook signed 550 thousand people.

In 2015, according to a study conducted by The Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism in New York City company 30A has been recognized as “an Independent news site in America No. 1”. We were able to achieve this, recognizing the fact that we do not create hyperlocal “media company”, we are creating a brand. Creating a brand involves a wider scope, simultaneously accompanied by the increase in income. We create a loyal community, not just a source of local news.

Where everything goes and how will the media landscape look like in 2020?

In the near future traditional media will become the past that will give a huge opportunity for hyperlocal entrepreneurs. The local media is already starting to position themselves as brands, not as news sources will have more income. It’s time for positive news and pure journalism, it will all be in great demand from those who are exhausted by daily stress, resulting in horror stories and political commentary.

What criteria of success should be the modern SMM?

Strange issue which I do not understand. As with any marketing, SMM operates on metrics, which vary greatly depending on the task. And tasks from the client. Metrics business metrics are different from the journalist. Metrics from different businesses differ. You can tell a lot. About all this, incidentally, is in our course. His goal is to make it so that you also understand that this is your question really strange, and that all worked fine, the questions to ask are completely different.